Massage

Using the Forecast to Get Ahead of Your Aches & Pains

Leave a Comment / Massage, Self-Care /
Woman holding a compress to her cheek

Have you been following these new Aches & Pains forecasts the weather reporters have been doing? I started noticing them last spring and they just keep on coming. What a smart idea to let folks know when the barometric pressure is going to take us on a ride, when the pollen counts become rude, and when the temperatures get downright disrespectful.

I thought I would take a minute and share with you why the things they talk about on the Aches & Pains forecast matter and something simple you can do to help yourself when the weather piles on.

Barometric Pressure

You know how your grandparents used to talk about how they could feel it was going to rain in their joints? It probably wasn’t the rain; it was probably the barometric pressure. When storms and rainy days come they’re usually escorted in by a change in barometric pressure.

Some people experience joint pain. Others sinus pain and pressure. And others get migraines from it.

It’s also hard to predict who will have symptoms and who won’t because barometric pressure has an interesting effect on human tissues. Dropping barometric pressure causes tissues to expand which can result in tissues, bones, and nerves pressing on each other. Increasing barometric pressure causes tissues to contract in on itself causing the opposite effect, but sometimes no less painful. Sometimes the same person will have issues from any significant change in pressure.

Something a lot of people don’t understand is that it’s not how high or low barometric pressure gets, it’s more the fluctuation or the change that causes problems. Our tissues adjust to whatever the pressure is, then when there’s a change there can be discomfort. Think about the last time you felt like your ears needed to pop. Maybe you were on a flight or driving up a mountain. The quick change in pressure is what causes that discomfort.

Pollen Counts

The first time I saw pollen counts on the Aches & Pains forecast I was puzzled. After a bit of thinking it became apparent that periods of high pollen, especially at the beginning of spring when the trees and shrubs are leafing out, mid-summer when all the flowers are blooming, and then again in the fall as leaves and compost starts to mold people are experiencing a lot of issues. Sinus pain and pressure, respiratory allergies, ear pain, and watery eyes are the more minor symptoms. The respiratory problems really ramp up in the spring and summer here in Alabama. And that’s just the seasonal, outdoor air quality.

Indoor air quality can also cause a lot of allergies and sinus pain and pressure. Of course, there’s not a lot a meteorologist can do about indoor air quality.

Extreme Temperatures

You usually see an Aches & Pains forecast when the weather is about to snap off much colder than what it has been. Cold weather is never much fun, but when we go from 60’s to below freezing overnight a lot of folks experience pain.

This is because muscles, tendons, and ligaments stiffen with the cold which makes it harder to move. Depending on the health and wellness of your tissues, moving around in the cold with cold tissues oftentimes causes increased inflammation and pain.

What Can We Do?

Well, first we can follow the forecasts to make sure that we’re prepared with our preferred comfort items. Some folks need medication to control allergies, some need anti-inflammatory medications, others just need warmth and movement.

Never Underestimate the Power of a Warm Compress

Simplest Compress

The simplest warm compress is a warm washrag pressed to the offending area. But we all know how that goes. It cools off very quickly and you end up with cold droplets everywhere. Pretty unsatisfying when you’re looking for a heat source to help with an aching joint. This method is pretty effective though if your eyes are glued shut because of allergic reactions or worse, pink eye.

The next simplest warm compress I’ve found is a tube sock filled with rice, tied off, and nuked in the microwave. It’s quick, holds heat, and works great for small areas. Heat for 30 seconds at a time until it’s warm to the touch and make sure the fabric isn’t touching the sides of the microwave. They can catch fire if microwaved too long.

Reusable Compress

Another more involved, but reusable and longer lasting compress is a rice bag (pictured above). You’ll need a sewing machine, scissors, thread, cotton fabric, a funnel, and rice*. Cut a rectangle 17” x 6.5” or 20” x 6.5” for a larger bag. Sewing on the wrong side of the fabric, sew two sides of the rectangle together forming a tube. Turn the tube right side out, fill with rice, and sew the opening closed.

They can be used hot from the microwave or cold from the freezer. Unfortunately, it can only be spot washed so avoid spilling or placing over open wounds (that’s always a bad idea anyway). If you know me, you know how I evangelize these things for keeping my toes warm during the winter. They get the bed down where my feet go nice and warm before my toes get assaulted. You can also drag them onto your body if you have pain during the night.

Anyway…

I used to have a video showing how to make these things, but I think Facebook ate it. I’ll make another one soon and link it to this post.

Is this comprehensive coverage of the weather and how it might make your body feel? Nope! But I hope it’s given you more information than you had before reading it and that it has been helpful for you. Now get out there and make a rice pack or sock compress so it’s ready when you need it!

* I use rice in my compress bags, but there are a lot of other natural materials that can be used. Several years ago and found a blog post where a lady compared all different kinds of material in these bags. Her findings were essentially that untreated dried corn was the best material for holding heat the longest. I already had a bag of old sticky rice that we didn’t like to eat so that’s what I used and it’s fine.

A Word of Warning

If you are diabetic, suffer with neuropathy or have any condition that makes it difficult to sense heat or cold please consult with your doctor before using any kind of compress.

♥

THIS WEBSITE DOES NOT PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE
The information, including but not limited to, text, graphics, images and other material contained on this website are for informational purposes only. No material on this site is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment and before undertaking a new health care regimen, and never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website.

♥

Sharon Bryant at Harvest Moon Massage Therapy
is Decatur’s Ashiatsu Barefoot Massage Therapist!

Using the Forecast to Get Ahead of Your Aches & Pains Read More »

How to Advocate for the Massage Therapy Profession

Community, Massage /
nine black and white panels of two people talking to each other

Do you find massage therapy a helpful tool in your personal wellness journey?

If so, we need your help with some simple public relations tasks.

In the past I’ve asked clients and followers to use their voices through email to support or oppose legislative efforts. I think it’s wrong when unfair proposals have been made by people who don’t know much about our profession but still want to legislate us. Usually these people are trying to legislate according to their perceptions of the massage therapy industry without educating themselves. This article is going to be related, but a little bit different.

Recently, within the past six months or so the cultural climate concerning women and women’s rights in the U.S. has shifted. And with these shifts, certain individuals in our community have become emboldened to ask for services that legitimate, professional, licensed massage therapists do not offer.

Used to, I’d get a phone call from someone testing the waters or an inappropriate text message once or twice a year. In 2025, inappropriate phone calls and text messages seem to have become an almost weekly occurrence. Then in December, men began boldly walking into my establishment and asking for illegal services in person.

The audacity!

They couch requests behind code words and Asian-sounding modality names, I suppose so they have plausible deniability in case someone calls them on their bullshit. But we all know what they’re asking for.

I’m not one to shame people, but I need you to know what’s going on. And, if you’re willing, give you some pointers on how you can help raise awareness about the professionalism of our industry and eventually avoid having to deal with these folks. Most of them are harmless, but try a simple search online for “massage violence.” The results are terrifying.

Anyway, on to what you can do…

Speak up about your massage therapy experience

If you use massage therapy as a tool in your wellness strategy, tell people. Use words like “therapy,” “maintenance,” and “quality of life.” Tell folks how massage therapy helps you manage stress, pain, and sleep issues. Whatever your massage therapist improves for you, let people know.

Use the right words

Gently educate your friends on the correct use of massage-related terms.

Masseuse/Masseur is an antiquated term (except in France). Common and acceptable terms are massage therapist or bodyworker. The differences are subtle and mostly interchangeable.

Massage parlor is another outdated term that carries a lot of baggage. The correct terms might be massage establishment, massage studio, spa, day spa, wellness co-op, etc. Ask your massage therapist how to professionally and/or respectfully refer to their business.

Massage table is the preferred term in the United States. Sometimes in other countries you will see the table called a couch, but that’s not common here. There is an epidemic of laypeople and professionals in our industry who still call it a bed and will argue with you about the term. Professional massage therapy isn’t received or performed on a bed except in very specific circumstances where the client cannot get out of the bed to get onto a massage table.

While not specifically a term, you might be presented with concerns about having to get naked. To these you can explain that you’re always covered by a sheet or blanket (what we call a drape) and never inappropriately exposed. It’s actually in our laws and standards that clients must be appropriately covered during their treatments.

Don’t tolerate gossip and misinformation

Gossip and speculation can kill a therpists career

If you’ve run into a gossipy situation where people are speculating on what kinds of services (wink, wink, nudge, nudge) are being offered, you can hit them with a, “Have you reported that massage therapist to the Massage Therapy Board?” That usually shuts down this kind of speculation because most people know they’re just being mean when they say these kinds of things. When you start pulling legislative oversight into the conversation most people move on. They’re probably not going to like you for doing it, because mean people sometimes enjoy being mean.

If they don’t know there is a massage therapy board or that the services they’re alluding to are illegal, they now know there’s some sort of regulation involved just from the question. They should also be able to infer from your question that legitimate massage consumers assume those offering illegal services are reported and removed from their massage therapy positions. Public safety is a valid concern in the massage therapy community after all.

Those who want to call your bluff and say they’re going to report someone (even though they’re just speculating) won’t actually be able to unless they have had a personal experience with the particular therapist they’re speculating about. So, no matter what the speculator was going on about you have now pointed out that they need to put a sock in it and perhaps next time they’ll think twice about slandering someone.

Oh, and you could also use the, “That’s slander. You need to be careful how you talk about allied health professionals.” It’s direct and aggressive, but sometimes that’s what’s called for. Speculation has destroyed more than a few therapist’s careers.

What about if you’ve run into someone who believes massage therapy causes uncontrollable urges in people (usually men)?

In this case, I would refer you to the real, lived experiences of gay men who seem to be able to control their urges even when in locker rooms with men in various stages of undress. This problem of uncontrollable urges only seems to apply to straight men when it comes to women and children. This is a personal problem for the person experiencing these urges. They need to grow up and learn to control themselves. See patriarchal privilege…

If you have the unfortunate luck to be talking to a person who experiences uncontrollable urges, you want to encourage them to stay away from the massage therapy industry. These are not ideal clients for your massage therapist.

What about if you’ve run into someone who believes massage therapy summons demons?

Yes, I’ve had people say this to me. It’s hard to take them seriously, but if pressed I usually respond with something along the lines of having never seen any proof of it. In this day and age most people walk around with photo/video capabilities in their pockets so how come we’ve never seen a massage that produced a demon out of thin air? And believe me, if someone was on my table and a demon came out, I’d be grabbing proof. Wouldn’t you?

You might also find this article I wrote about critical thinking helpful.

Locker room talk & happy ending jokes aren’t funny

Can you imagine how you would feel if after years of college and entering a chosen profession someone started making jokes and treating you like a s*x worker? It’s really degrading and insulting. And it’s just adding insult to injury when your chosen profession is one of healing.

How do we combat this? I tend to tell people that they’re talking about professionals who spend thousands of dollars on education and meeting national and state requirements to be able to offer a valuable service to our community.

Sometimes I explain that massage therapy is a legitimate allied health discipline that helps millions of people every year. Then I’d back it up with a personal experience.

Most of us would never insinuate these things about doctors, nurses, PTs, OTs, or other healthcare professionals. Though I have recently been made aware of an ongoing epidemic of sexual harassment in the nursing field.

Quick History Break

Did you know that massage therapy used to be a part of a nurse’s education and standard of care? Massage skills (comfort care) fell out of nursing’s area of expertise as medical care was formalized and began utilizing manufactured medications instead of the plant medicines and herbal and folk knowledge that sustained our species for thousands of generations.

In addition to the rejection of historical knowledge, medicine demanded a higher level of education to do hands-on, soft tissue work and then restriced medical schools and physiotherapy education to men. This effectively pushed out the women healers who had carried at least half of the folk medicine and knowledge from the beginning of time. To firmly hammer the nail into the coffin, legislation then made it illegal in many places for folk healers to practice. As we’re rediscovering with most professions that shut women out, there’s a lot of patriarchy and consumerism tied up in the history of massage therapy, nursing and medicine.

Anyway…

I know it can sometimes be difficult to swim upstream when you meet people with big, loud opinions. But I hope this article will help you have more thoughtful and factual conversations about massage therapy in general. I hope it also gives you a few interesting facts you can put in your pocket to use as conversation starters at your next dinner party.

If you have questions or suggestions, you can leave a comment or contact me directly. And, as always, ensure your safety before you bump chests with a bully. We appreciate your support, but we don’t need anyone getting hurt over this.

Other Helpful Resources

Witches, Midwives and Nurses: A History of Women Healers by Ehrenreich & English
Things I Should Have Learned in Massage School
Polaris Project
A Client’s Bill of Rights
Things I Hate to See: Issues in Massage Therapy

Sharon Bryant at Harvest Moon Massage Therapy
is Decatur’s Ashiatsu Barefoot Massage Therapist!

How to Advocate for the Massage Therapy Profession Read More »

Body Observations: Can You Feel It?

Massage /
A woman holding her head with her back turned to the camera

I’ve always believed that repetitive habits make our bodies into what they are. Because I was taught this and because I’ve lived inside a human body for more than five decades. When you’ve been around for a while and are a nerd for bodywork and weird body stuff, you learn a thing or two. And if you’re lucky, you get to use your very own body as a proving ground.

When I worked at a desk for 40+ hours per week, my body didn’t feel good. My butt muscles were dead which made it difficult to walk long distances without experiencing hip, knee, ankle and foot pain. My neck and shoulders were a constant mess from leaning my head forward over empty space while computering. I had a fair number of days when my hands were numb, again from the head dangling over space putting ungodly amounts of pressure on my neck and back, which in turn created problems throughout the thoracic outlet.

When I stopped sitting at a desk and applied some of the knowledge from becoming a massage therapist, things began to change. My body started feeling better. Did pain stop altogether? In some spots, but mostly it just shifted to other places.

Over the years I’ve worked with people who have transitioned jobs or gone from full time work into retirement. And what we notice together is startling. The first and most obvious difference is stress levels drop almost immediately. Then we start to notice that the physical complaints begin to change rather quickly. For example, if they’d been driving a lot in their job, their sciatica, lateral knee pain, or plantar fasciitis symptoms began improving.

Sitting Was the New Smoking

Remember when sitting became the new smoking and everyone wanted a standing desk? People’s pain changed. Most of it didn’t go away, it just moved to reveal the new patterns of pain caused by standing.

Similarly, even after you retire or change jobs, you could have pain. It will most likely be different depending on how you’re using your body for the majority of your time. The good news is, if you’re not locked into an activity that your livelihood depends on, most likely you’ll have control over when you can get up and move around or change the way you’re participating in a given activity that might be generating pain down the line.

Pain isn’t usually so much about how you’re moving, but your inability to vary your movement. There’s a saying in the massage industry, “Motion is lotion.” I think it’s a gross analogy, but it makes the point and most people understand it. You have to move to get/stay pain free.

Can You Feel It

If you’re retired, has your pain patterns or pain intensity levels changed with your changes in physical activity? Do you still feel the same discomforts, or did they go away or change?

If you’re still working, what happens when you go on vacation or away to a conference for several days? Outside of sleeping in a strange bed and perhaps on a strange pillow, how does your body react? Specifically, how does your pain react?

The Big Question

When you’re away from your chosen activity, do your complaints change?

Food for Thought

Not always, but most of the time using your own body as a science lab can lead to better overall health. I think it’s because you’re paying closer attention to your body over a concentrated period of time. I challenge you to start troubleshooting one painful area, see what works to relieve/exacerbate pain. It’s always good news when the pain changes or moves, that means it can respond and eventually go away.

If you need help or suggestions, give me a call!

Sharon Bryant at Harvest Moon Massage Therapy
is Decatur’s Ashiatsu Barefoot Massage Therapist!

Body Observations: Can You Feel It? Read More »

7 Things You Should Tell Your Massage Therapist

Massage /
Tell your massage therapist about these 7 things that relate to your health and well-being. A woman and man shake hands in a casual business setting.

I don’t know if it’s the change in the weather recently, but I’ve noticed with my clients and even with myself there seems to be a lot of evolving medical stuff going on. This summer my table was filled with people recovering from dermatological surgeries. More recently, new and different prescription medications seem to be making the rounds as well as a spate of heart catheterizations. Go figure…

In talking with colleagues about this recent trend, my friend Hillary Arrieta from The Heeling Hut Barefoot Massage made a relevant suggestion, “…I’ve decided to have client’s fill out new paperwork every two years so I can keep up with changes that slip through the cracks. It’s my hope that we will uncover some new adds (additions) to their medical and prescription history.”

It’s been a while since I’ve gone through the exercise of having everyone fill out new health history and intake forms. In lieu of adding that undertaking to my plate throughout this holiday season, I thought instead I would just set out to remind everyone about some health-related things that you should be prepared to discuss with your massage therapist during or before your next appointment.

Medication Changes

If you’ve had changes to your medication since the last time you had a massage, it’s important to let your massage therapist know. New medicines, stopping medications, and dosage changes are of interest to your massage therapist because some medications affect your tissues directly, some can reduce sensation making deep pressure massage dangerous, and others can affect your mindset and attitude which might translate into tissue issues. Always let your MT know if your medical team has made any changes to your prescriptions. If you’re using herbs as medicine, you will also want to let your MT know about starting or stopping any herbal helpers as well.

Medical Issues

Medical issues you’ve had since the last time you came in are going to be a hot topic with your massage therapist. Anything from a mole removal to a stroke, surgery, or blood clot, we want to know. More than that, we NEED to know. If it’s a medical issue that sent you to the doctor, emergency room, or a hospital stay, it’s important enough to tell your MT. And it’s not always to keep you from getting a massage, it’s so that we can design a treatment for you that is safe and won’t exacerbate any existing or developing problems.

This also applies to previous medical issues that may be changing. For example, you were previously diagnosed with osteopenia, the precursor to osteoporosis, but your last scans show that it’s no longer in the beginning stages. We also need to know if a diagnosis has been reversed. There’s a whole host of medication changes and lifestyle changes, that may be happening when a disease or condition advances or retreats and we need to know about it to keep you safe on our table.

Colds, Flus, & Stomach Bugs

If you’ve recently had a cold or other respiratory virus like flu, RSV, or Covid we like to know. It’s important for us to factor into your treatment the effects of coughing, extended time spent in bed, or unexpected sedentarism. Viruses or food poisoning that cause vomiting and other gastric distress pose different issues and should be discussed after symptoms have subsided.

Injuries

Injuries of all types should be reported to your MT. Remember when you were a kid and you got sunburned and your brother would run by and slap you real hard on the shoulder that was extra crispy and it hurt like H-E-double hockeysticks? We don’t want to be like your brother. Tell us when something is injured or just hurting. I promise, a good massage therapist is going to be rubbing their hands (and feet) together, maybe drooling a little, and will probably be thinking, “I got you, Boo!” Be prepared for us to ask a lot of questions about activities leading up to, during, and since the injury so we can figure out what structures need attention and which ones to avoid. Also, please be honest about how you hurt yourself. It helps us help you!

Your Last Massage

Tell us how you felt after your last massage. Did you get results? How long did they last? Did you notice anything in particular that flared the issues back up? If you’re seeing the same massage therapist, they will be able to adjust the treatment to make this massage even better than the last when you let us know the results of your previous massage.

Emotional Upsets

Let us know if you had something emotionally upsetting happen within a few hours or days of your appointment. It could be anything from a disagreement with your significant other to the news of your favorite aunt passing to unfavorable current events. Long-term commitments as caretakers of children and elders can also cause chronic stress and should be shared with your MT. We don’t want to know the details, but it’s important for us to figure out why your body is holding so much stress. Yes, we can feel your stress in your tissues!

Emotional releases during massage are also more likely to happen when you’ve had an upsetting experience or suffering from ongoing, chronic stress. Giving us a head’s up will help us help you. Some people cry, others get angry and talk (or shout) about it. While most of us are not trained to handle psychological issues, we’re not robots either and can empathize. We are trained to help put your body in a state where it can downregulate so knowing where you are before we begin can be helpful.

Planes, Trains & Automobiles

If you’ve been traveling since your last massage, you might want to tell your massage therapist. Especially if you spent time on a strange bed and with an odd pillow. Traveling can be hard physically as well as emotionally. Between hours and hours of sitting, sleeping in places that wouldn’t be your first choice, manhandling heavy bags, herding uncooperative family members, and dealing with hordes of people stress levels definitely go up during travel, even when you’re relaxed and traveling for pleasure. Add to this that as we age it becomes more difficult to physically recover from bad chairs and beds and your MT can help make a big difference in how you feel after arriving back home from a trip.

In Closing

Hopefully this gives you a short list of the things your massage therapist really needs to know during your ongoing relationship. The initial health intake is great, but people change, accidents happen, and stress can sometimes be unrelenting. We need to keep open lines of communication during our time together.

As always, if you need medical care, please consult a doctor first. Then let your massage therapist know at your next appointment or give a heads up with a call or text if you think it might be something that prevents us from working safely together. It’s never about denial of service. We always want to work with you, we just need to be sure everyone is safe.

Other Helpful Articles

Tips For a Better Massage
Not Once in a Blue Moon

♥

Sharon Bryant at Harvest Moon Massage Therapy
is Decatur’s Ashiatsu Barefoot Massage Therapist!

7 Things You Should Tell Your Massage Therapist Read More »

It’s Never Too Late!

Massage /

I suppose it’s never too late to incarnate and transform. Just look at the lowly cicada bug. They spend 13 or 17 years (depending on their genes) lying about underground nibbling at roots before they emerge from their subterranean den, immediately molt their exoskeleton, and head off in search of a partner with which to reproduce. They’re not particularly attractive unless you’re a bug expert and they don’t seem to have any type of baggage keeping them from their mission.

It’s cicada season in Alabama. We have the 13-year variety and this year is one of the big waves. We get a few every year because some get confused, but this year there’s more than I’ve ever seen. They’re currently crawling out of the ground across the yard, porch, my laundry room. I can’t step outside without stepping onto their molted exoskeletons. They leave their creepy husks on the porches, hanging from the plants in my garden and the exterior walls of the house and shed. Some are even molting in the grass and clover. My dogs have taken to snacking on the larvae as they crawl through the yard, but they just keep coming. I am beginning to wonder if the whole swarm of locusts thing wasn’t cicadas.

My mom’s favorite weatherman, James Spann, has become the clearing house for people showing their favorite cicada-based dishes. I think that’s a little too close to crickets. No thanks. Yuck!

Fun Fact!

Cicadas are arthropods and in the same phylum as shellfish. So, if you have a shellfish allergy, best to avoid them. How do I know this? Facebook. Specifically, two really smart guys I went to high school with. One learned the shellfish fact from one of the science teachers he works with. The other one confirms that they taste like a cross between shrimp and crawfish. Being deathly allergic to shellfish, I will take their words for it.

What do cicadas have to do with massage? Well, hopefully not a lot inside the treatment room, but they do seem to be causing quite a bit of stress in my area so that could be a tie in. I find them somewhat inspirational. Stick with me. I think we could all be a bit more like the cicadas, sitting in the top of a tree screaming about what we want and ignoring all the haters.

Do something new, it’s good for your mental health! Just do it inside if you don’t like big, red-eyed flying bugs. Eek! And if the screaming is wearing on you as much as it is on me, why not try some binaural beats music to drown out the noise.

♥

Sharon Bryant at Harvest Moon Massage Therapy
is Decatur’s Ashiatsu Barefoot Massage Therapist!

It’s Never Too Late! Read More »

Continuing Education: The Nerve Tour

Massage /

I spent Saturday road-tripping to Birmingham to catch this fantastic continuing education. This dude, Gil Hedley, is RV’ing across the U.S. and Canada to teach massage therapists, yoga and Pilates teachers, medical folks, and any other interested party about the physical and emotional nervous system in the human body.

Cadaver studies have never been my thing but working with the human body for the last 15+ years has apparently tempered my squeamishness into curiosity. What an amazing experience and such a gift getting to learn from people who have donated their bodies to science. The reverence Gil has for the people and their families is so heartening and gives me hope that the best of humanity is still out there waiting for us to find them.

Can I say that there was one particular thing I learned that will translate into my work that you’ll recognize as immediately different? No, maybe not yet, but it’s actually the most thorough exploration of the nerve bodies I’ve ever been exposed to. It was amazing how he was able to show the nerves where and how they presented physically inside the body and then tie them to movement, sensory, and even emotions. My explanation doesn’t even do justice to his presentation, you just have to experience it for yourself.

As far as layering this into my current work, it will be another body of information I have access to sift through when making decisions about appropriate treatment strategies. This class also gives me a reference point as to where to start looking with certain issues. Hello, sciatic nerve! And again, this is the most thorough education I’ve ever been through for the nervous system. It’s something I’ve been actively missing and trying to fill in for years. We’ll see how it manifests together.

For Bodyworkers

If you’re here looking for more information about Gil, he was everything I’d hoped for and probably more if I’m being honest. Warm, funny, witty, and of course so, so intelligent. This is not a class I’ll forget any time soon and to be honest, I’ll probably take it again when it’s available on the website. If you’re thinking of taking it, do it! No regrets!

Sharon Bryant at Harvest Moon Massage Therapy
is Decatur’s Ashiatsu Barefoot Massage Therapist!

Continuing Education: The Nerve Tour Read More »

Decision Fatigue From a Massage Therapist’s Perspective

Massage, Self-Care /
Woman with decision fatigue holding one hand to her head and the other in a "stop" gesture

Have you heard of decision fatigue? Since I’ve heard of it, it seems to be around every corner and in some way part of every issue that keeps popping up. Maybe you’ve heard of Steve Jobs or Bill Gates or some other high-profile individual wearing the same thing every day. Or maybe you’ve heard of capsule wardrobes or people who eat the same foods every day because it’s what works for them. All these odd habits are actually steps to combat decision fatigue.

The first time I became aware of decision fatigue was in January of 2019. I was in San Antonio, TX, for a Center for Barefoot Massage Instructor Training. It was very exciting, I was getting trained to teach Fijian Barefoot Massage, I was finally getting to meet almost all of the CBM instructor team, and I had never been to San Antonio or seen the Alamo and good golly, I was there for it! I was also getting a sinus infection.

I hope you can tell that while a lot of good things were happening to me, I was making a ton of decisions while learning in addition being in strange surrounds, and there was a lot of stress. As the training ended, one of our “tour guides” set up a float experience. And in true ‘Sharon knows she’ll have FOMO’ style, I was there for it. A new experience AND something I’d been wanting to try out for years. I tried it, the float was awesome, and while it didn’t cure my sinus infection, I’m pretty sure all that magnesium beat it back enough that I made it home before it got ‘go to the doctor’ bad. I look back now and think I wouldn’t have been allowed on the plane these days with that terrible case of the sniffles.

But goodness was I sick when I got home, and I stayed sick for a good, long time because I had overextended myself and now in addition to trying to get back to work, I was trying to heal and not giving myself the time or grace I needed and I ended up just trudging through a month or so of life not being able to do much of anything except get through it. And for those of you who know, that is not who I am and I expect if you’re still reading this, it’s not you either.

This experience really made me evaluate how I was organizing my life and what was causing a lot of hidden stress on a daily basis.

What is Decision Fatigue?

Decision fatigue is a type of exhaustion that results from making too many decisions within a period of time. How much time? That’s unclear and I think probably depends on the individual. How many decisions are too many? Again, unclear and probably depends on the individual. Here is what research is starting to suss out though, when a person makes an excessive number of decisions (~35,000/day is “normal”), their ability to make further decisions becomes impaired. Impaired could look like procrastination, putting off making a decision, impulsive or seemingly irrational decisions, avoiding making a decision altogether, or indecision where you just can’t make up your mind.

Apparently, our brains only have the capacity to make so many decisions each day and when you surpass that number of decisions it leads to what is called decision fatigue. Ever get tired of trying to figure out what’s for dinner? Could be decision fatigue. How about what to wear to work? Could be decision fatigue, especially if you’ve waited until bedtime to try to decide on tomorrow’s outfit. Trying to call in a prescription for your medicine, but just can’t dial the number? Could be decision fatigue and low-grade anxiety about the possibility of having to answer even more questions.

Decision fatigue is something that can lead to burnout. I have a theory that the stress of this ongoing global pandemic, changes in family structures, workplace changes, continuing losses of all kinds, and incomplete grieving, has led to an overall heightened sense of stress. More chronic stress leads us closer to burnout and we all know burnout makes even seemingly simple decisions more stressful and difficult. All of this points to decision fatigue for many people.

Why is decision fatigue a problem?

What if you’re a doctor or a lawyer or a meteorologist with a tornado bearing down on your community and it’s really important that you make the right decision? You can see pretty quickly where someone’s life could be at stake and you’re out of bandwidth because you’ve spent the last six hours making decision after decision and there’s no more decisions left in the tank. Most of us aren’t making life or death decisions every day, but most of us do drive somewhere every day. I’m betting money decision fatigue plays into your ability to deal with traffic and the laws. I know it does mine.

Streamline Your Life

So how do we protect ourselves from decision fatigue? The literature doesn’t have succinct answers for that other than to reduce the number of decisions you make daily. Makes sense, but how do you do that when you have so many responsibilities? I’ve put together a few suggestions for you:

Make important decisions first

Stack your day so that the most important things you must handle get done early.

Remove distractions

Turn down the noise, turn off ringers and notifications, give your brain a break from all the distractions while you’re trying to get things done. And when you’re off-duty, be off-duty. Don’t check email or answer the random text message, let calls go to voicemail and check them tomorrow. Figure out the biggest offenders and do what you can to mitigate them.

Take a break

This one is important. If you’re already in burnout and suffering from decision fatigue, then taking a vacation and really getting away from it all might be your best bet. If you can’t do that then it’s time to start scheduling shorter, regular breaks and adding in something that recharges you. Not there yet? Make sure you’re scheduling breaks, moving around in nature, and getting some type of mental enrichment regularly.

Capsule wardrobe

This is the one I was talking about earlier where you wear essentially the same thing every day. I’ve seen people who literally buy 5 of the same outfits and wear them every day to work so they never have to decide what to wear. I’ve read about people who only wear black slacks with a white shirt. The style of the slacks and the shirts can be different, but it’s always white over black. I’ve seen made for you capsule wardrobes where everything goes with everything else. It seems like a pretty versatile option for folks who don’t want to spend a lot of time scratching their head in the closet searching for something to wear while still allowing for individualism.

Leverage technology

Use GPS instead of struggling to figure out where you’re going, use alarms and reminders to free up the constant monitoring of the clock, use an app to make, order, and schedule grocery and supply deliveries/pick-ups. Use automatic bill pay. Leverage all the technology we have access to in order to make your life easier and cut down on constant and unnecessary decisions.

While scientists are still duking it out in the literature over whether decision fatigue actually exists (some think because they can’t figure out how to measure it or its consequences, it must not exist) I’ll be over here figuring out better ways to deal with it. I’ll update here occasionally as I discover ways to automate those niggling decisions of daily living that can easily be done without my attention.

More Info on Decision Fatigue:

Decision Fatigue: A Conceptual Analysis – From the NIH National Library of Medicine
What doctors wish patients knew about decision fatigue – From the American Medical Association
Why do we make worse decisions at the end of the day – From The Decision Lab
Why Less is Always More: Things I Quit to Reignite Joy in My Life – Rooted by Carmen Luisa

♥

Sharon Bryant at Harvest Moon Massage Therapy
is Decatur’s Ashiatsu Barefoot Massage Therapist!

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Let’s Talk About Skin

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Skin coated with sunscreen with a heart drawn in the middle of it

Most people don’t think too much about skin when they think about massage. Usually they’re thinking about a sore muscle or how stressed out they are and are looking forward to just laying down on the table for a while to relax and feel better. But skin is one of the really important things we learn about in massage school. We learn to look at it, evaluate it, and determine whether it’s safe for us to touch, if it’s safe for you to receive massage, and whether you need to see a doctor.

It’s getting warm here, the kids are out of school, and everyone is heading outdoors. That means we’re breaking out the shorts, tank tops, flip flops, and bathing suits and our skin is experiencing more of the environment than it has since last summer. And that is showing up in massage practices near you as sunburns, rashes, bumps, and bruises. So, I thought I’d take a minute and talk about a few skin issues we see and when it’s time to reschedule a massage before your therapist is walking you back out the door without receiving your much-anticipated massage.

Sunburn

Yikes! Even when you’re being careful, sunburns can happen. If you find yourself with a sunburn and a massage scheduled very soon, let your massage therapist know. You certainly don’t want to be trying to receive a massage if the burn is still sore. That wouldn’t be relaxing or any fun at all. If you’re to the peeling stage, that’s okay, just exfoliate and moisturize before your massage. Most massage therapists deal with peeling skin throughout the sunny, summer months. We appreciate when you try to minimize the peeling during your appointment.

Here’s an article I wrote a while back about Sun Safety. Check it out for tips and tricks on protecting yourself from the sun during this summer vacation. And if you’re looking to find safer, less toxic, more environmentally friendly sunscreens the AWG website is an excellent resource.

Poison Ivy, Oak, or Sumac Rash

Eeek! I am truly sorry if you suffer from rashes caused by poison ivy, poison oak, or poison sumac. My very first case of poison ivy lasted about 6 weeks and covered a large portion of my body. I didn’t know what it was and didn’t know how to take care of myself. It was a big, miserable surprise and quite the learning experience. Most people won’t seek out massage in the early, blistered stages of a poison plant rash if it covers a large portion of the body.

Your massage therapist will surely send you home if you show up with a large, weeping rash. If your rash is localized and can be covered or easily avoided, then your therapist can choose to work depending on your individual circumstances. Please make sure you have completely cleansed your skin of any poison plant oils if you choose to seek massage while dealing with a poison plant rash. Please do not show up to your massage appointment directly from yard work without having showered. Your massage therapist can and will pick up and spread the urushiol oils everywhere they work and they can also contract a rash if you have these oils on your skin while the massage is in progress.

Stings & Bites

Ugh! No matter how careful you are outside (and sometimes inside), encounters with wildlife are inevitable. Hopefully it was nothing too serious. If your regularly scheduled massage appointment coincides with a bite or a sting, the important things to consider are whether the reaction to the sting or bite is localized and whether you’ve ever had a life-threatening reaction to a bite or sting. Sometimes if the reaction is localized and swelling is minimal, your therapist may feel comfortable working with you. If you’ve ever had an anaphylactic reaction to a wildlife encounter, please wait 72 hours after the injury or receiving emergency treatment before receiving massage. Bites from a larger animal may require antibiotics, please call your massage therapist if you’ve been prescribed antibiotics and the injury occurred within three days of your scheduled appointment.

Mystery Rash

Rashes can be caused by lots of things. Allergic reactions to environmental factors are common. Grass, plants, trees, wildlife, metal tools, lotion, sunscreen, something you ate, a fuzzy caterpillar, just about anything can cause a skin reaction if you’re sensitive to it. Mystery rashes with respect to massage get treated just like a poison ivy rash. If you can cover it, it’s probably okay to receive a massage. It’s up to your massage therapist and their discernment as to whether massage therapy is safe for you at the time.

Skin Cancers

Ah, skin cancer… this is a whole other article I need to write. Did you know massage therapists are taught to screen for skin cancer? It’s true! And while we can’t diagnose it, we can suggest you see a dermatologist for “this spot right here that I don’t like the looks of.” As far as it affecting your massage today, it won’t, but if you go have a biopsy you’ll need to coordinate scheduling your next massage around your dermatology visit. Please do not schedule a biopsy procedure and a massage on the same day without talking to your massage therapist ahead of time.

Bumps & Bruises

No problem as long as it’s a garden variety bump or bruise. Your therapist will avoid the area as to not cause any further pain or damage to the tissue as it goes about it’s healing process. If your massage therapist has training, experience, and confidence they may do a bit of lymphatic drainage to help expedite the healing process of the bruises. If your bruise is caused by a major accident, please make sure that you have seen a medical professional and you’re not in any danger of blood clotting. Clotting and massage therapy can be a dangerous combination.

Cuts & Scrapes

Cuts and scrapes abound when we’re outside playing or doing yard work. Just clean them up and cover them with a bandage before your massage. If you’ve visited the local emergency room and have stitches, please let your therapist know ahead of time, especially if they prescribed anti-biotics. We have guidelines regarding infection, anti-biotics, and the safety of massage therapy.

Tattoos

If you recently received some new ink, please plan to cover it during your massage. We need to treat this like a wound until it is fully healed. If it’s a large piece of artwork, consider talking with your massage therapist to see if it would be better to reschedule.

I hope this gives you a little more insight into skin and how your skin can affect your massage therapy experience. Stay well out there and enjoy your summer vacation!

Sharon Bryant at Harvest Moon Massage Therapy
is Decatur’s Ashiatsu Barefoot Massage Therapist!

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Power of the Seed – A Book Review

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A photo of the book Power of the Seed with a notebook, pen, and glasses

Power of the Seed: Your Guide to Oils for Health & Beauty by Susan M. Parker

I picked up this book because I was becoming interested in developing a few botanically infused oils specifically for massage and a CE course on integrating those oils into a massage practice. I had lots of questions about what properties of oils made them more or less nourishing to the skin, absorption rates, time frames that oils stay open long enough to be an effective massage medium, and more that I don’t really remember right now. Online resources kept pointing to the same oils over and over again without enough information as to the why. Eventually one of my social media platforms served up a free, online mini-class about oils for skincare by the author, Susan M. Parker. Of course, I signed up for it and after listening to her talk about so many oils and their corresponding properties, I had to buy the book. And boy am I glad I did. This book answers questions I didn’t even know I had about oils.

What Kinds of Oils?

Now, the first thing you need to know about this book is that it is NOT about essential oils. This book is about fixed oils, carrier oils, or non-volatile oils. Oils that you can cook with, eat, or use safely on your skin undiluted (unlike essential oils). Even though she mentions petroleum-based oil products, the focus of this book is firmly botanically-derived oils, butters, and waxes.

If you had high school chemistry and did okay in it, you’ll be able to get through the sections on the chemistry of fatty acids. Thankfully there won’t be an actual test on all this, but the chemical make-up of saturated versus unsaturated fats has changed the way I think about what I’m cooking with in the kitchen. It also makes it very clear how and why oils go rancid and become so damaging to our health when consumed.

Fatty Acids & Phytochemicals

I got a little lost in the sections that covered the different fatty acids and their properties as well as all the differing phytochemicals. There are a dizzying array, but the good news is this book can be used as a reference guide. So when you need to know which oils are highest in, say, Vitamin C, you can just go look that up.

I’ve read a few reviews from people much more experienced in chemistry than I am cautioning that some of the definitions aren’t completely accurate, but for my needs and I’m guessing the layperson interested in using oils for developing their own skincare products, this book delivered just enough technical explanation.

In addition to the chemistry, phytochemicals and the general make-up of oils, this book contains a section covering 90 different oils, butters, and waxes with information about their chemical constituency as well as uses in cooking and skincare, a section on working with oils, and directions and recipes on how to make different skincare products with these oils. The appendix is vast making up about a third of the book with sections on oils by use, properties, source, botanical families, saponification values, fatty acid families, fatty acid composition tables, an essential oil dilution table, a glossary, bibliography, and source list. My biggest complaint is that there’s no Index, but we will forgive that because this book is already so amazing I feel sure the next edition will feature one along with even more oils as they become available.

A Summary

Power of the Seed is a beautiful book. I appreciate the artwork and the size of the book. It’s easily handled, not too big, not too small, just right! The rounded corners are something you don’t see often in publications and seem to make the book even easier to interact with. Also, the fact that the cover is easy to wipe down and doesn’t readily uptake oil is a plus since you’ll probably be using it around, oh, oils!

This book was a pleasure and I’ll be returning to it often as I continue my herbal healing adventures!

More information about the author can be found at the author’s website: Susan M. Parker

Sharon Bryant at Harvest Moon Massage Therapy
is Decatur’s Ashiatsu Barefoot Massage Therapist!

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Gift Certificate Changes

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A dark colored gift box with a bright blue ribbon

In order to continue serving my existing and waitlist clientele in the most sustainable manner possible, beginning March 10, 2022, I will no longer be selling online gift certificates.

Moving Forward

  • Gift certificates will only be sold for current clients or those I have seen within the past calendar year
  • If you wish to purchase a gift certificate you must contact me directly
  • Credit will be applied to the recipient’s account, no physical or electronic gift cards will be provided
  • For those holding unexpired gift certificates, please contact me to get on the schedule

The new Gift Certificate Policy and Gift Certificate Cancellation Policy is now available for review.

Sharon Bryant at Harvest Moon Massage Therapy
is Decatur’s Ashiatsu Barefoot Massage Therapist!

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