Trusting Yourself and Your Skills After a Break from Massage
See video above with closed captions for full transcript. But here are the notes!
I felt this way when I came back after just 6 months away. And at that time I had been in massage for 15 years. So know that this is not an experience only felt by new-ish MTs.
Return to some methods when you were a new graduate transitioning to a real MT, or even a long-time MT integrating a new technique
- Practice on a friend or family member who is cool with being a guinea pig
- Recruit a few previous, trusted clients, to be a warm up client
- If it makes you feel less pressure, offer a treatment at a discount, making it clear it’s a ‘practice’ session
Return to your most trusted resources for hands on skills, or clinical decision making skills, etc. Whatever you loved in school, go back to it. For me, it's
- Massage Sloth
- ABMP 5 Minute Muscles
- Even just sinking into a stack of magazines to get back into the mindset
Connect with colleagues
- In person when possible
- Just a phone call
- MBB Premium Community (less than the price of lunch with a friend)
Mostly even if you don’t have total confidence in your massage skills, you can have confidence in your caregiving skills, your intent, and your own humility. If you’re even asking this question, you likely care enough, and are humble enough to look up what you don’t know, to seek resources to fill the gaps in your knowledge base so you can provide the best possible massage to your clients.
PS- I grew that garlic hanging behind me!