The Journey to Self-Love: How Massage Therapy Can Help Take You There
February is undeniably, the month of Love. For some it is a month to surprise their significant others and loved ones with chocolates and flowers.
For many it is a time to give love to their ancestors and celebrate all the ingenuity, beauty, and resilience in their bloodlines. And for others, it may feel a bit lonely and isolating.
Whichever way you tend to show up when February comes around, I hope this article serves as a reminder to include yourself, to celebrate yourself, and to love yourself.
Love is already in the air this month, which makes it the perfect time to begin, restart, or continue a self-love routine.
Massage therapy, I believe, is a gorgeous way to practice self-love. Before we get into the “why,” let us begin some dialogue on what self-love is.
It is the practice of showing intentional care for self. It is recognizing your worth, knowing your value, and making a commitment to nurturing your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health. And it is prioritizing your wellbeing above all else.
None of this, despite what some of us may have been taught, or what we have come to believe, is self-centered. In fact, quite the opposite. The more love you pour into yourself, the more love you are able to return in the earth and into others.
Massage therapy is a holistic way to love on yourself as it can provide healing on many different levels. Receiving a massage can help boost your immune system and improve the functionality of your circulatory system. It can also decrease muscle tension, flush out joint inflammation and altogether relieve pain in the body.
There are so many benefits of massage beyond these physical ones as well. One of its most beautiful rewards is the body awareness and mindfulness it returns to you. Body awareness is essentially the recognition that you are here on earth. That you have life, feelings, thoughts, emotions, connections, etc.
The more in sync you are with your body, the more you know how to identify and give yourself what you need.
During your massage session, a safe space for relaxation is created. This invites you to be present and to feel and assess the varied pressures applied to your body as your muscles respond in different ways. This process encourages you to recognize and embrace how you feel and what you need in that moment.
As you become more attuned to your body and its signals, it becomes easier for you to express yourself, set boundaries, and nurture yourself beyond the session. This heightened sense of body and self awareness can inspire you to continue to care for yourself holistically, thus improving your quality of life.
During a massage, there is a beautiful oppositional experience of the body/sensory awareness becoming heightened, as the mental load is encouraged to lessen. You may begin to notice more about your own body in this passive state, while simultaneously noticing less about your mind and all that awaits you outside of your treatment room.
A massage can lower the cortisol levels in the body which increases feelings of relaxation, reduces the feelings of stress and promotes emotional healing. Stress, overthinking, anxiety and worry are commonplace in many of our lives, and they are eating away at our vitality. Managing stress and its similar feelings is a crucial component of self-love.
There are so many more benefits to massage therapy in general, but arguably the greatest is the boost of self-worth allowing yourself to receive a massage can provide.
Investing in yourself through a massage is such a powerful way to show love to yourself because it stands as a reminder that you are without a doubt worth it.
You are worthy of the time and energy put into you, worthy of being cared for, worthy of relaxation, worthy of rejuvenation, and worthy of peace. Without a shadow of a doubt, know that you are completely worthy and deserving of every benefit a massage can bring into your life.
I understand how busy life is. How much is placed on a single plate, how many different hats you need to wear, how many people depend on you. I understand. And this is why I believe massage therapy is one of the best ways to show love to yourself: because it requires you to surrender. It requires you to sit back, let go, and be catered to.
You are not alone in this world, and you cannot do everything by yourself; let me help you, help yourself. From this lens, massage therapy is about empowerment. By recognizing that self-love is not a luxury, but an essential practice, you are sowing the seeds of dedication to yourself that flow further past a single holiday, month or season.
Everyone’s path is unique and all I really want you to understand is this: no matter how you choose to begin your self-care routine, just be intentional about yourself. Show genuine love to yourself and watch how it transforms your life.