Work From Home Tips: Don’t Ignore Your Self Care!

 

Work From Home Tips – Ways to improve your home office

I’ve now been a 10 year self-employed writer, then a 13+ year massage therapist, a life coach, and most recently have grown my practice to have 28 employees. Including 23 massage therapists who train under me and see clients at my practice. In that time I’ve had to learn self care for the entrepreneur (or working from home in general) the hard way! So I’ve compiled some of my best work from home tips for you. 

Update September 2020: Wow, this post is now super relevant…we’ve all been stuck at home here in NYC due to COVID-19. Originally this post was focused on self-employed, since those were the folks usually working from home. Now, EVERYONE is working from home to some degree. So we’ve made a few updates and edits, and included a great free ergonomics video at the end from our Bodyworks DW TV subscription series of self-care videos. Enjoy!

I’ve seen working from home from a lot of different angles. Both from my own experience and from working with and talking to hundreds of self-employed massage and coaching clients.

Along the way we’ve learned good practices for keeping your work life from feeling like it’s all-consuming. And ways to actually get and feel the freedom you were looking for going in… And the stability you thought you might never see again.

So, for the entrepreneurs, whether just starting out, or building out your third 100+ employee company, here’s some of our best self-care for the entrepreneur advice for de-stressing.

And for the rest of your now working from home and not sure when (or if) you’ll be returning to the office, here are some welcome work from home tips!

For More Information: Work From Home Tips: Don’t Ignore Your Self Care!

Deep Tissue Massage for Back Pain: What are the Best Therapeutic Techniques?

 

Back pain massage is one of the most common requests of our massage therapy clients. Deep tissue massage for back pain can be a life saver! Our spine protects and houses a large part of our central nervous system. When trauma or dysfunction happens to your body, it is going to want to protect this region first. One way that your body does this is by sending pain signals to the area. The pain is a signal to rest and heal. Unfortunately, with our busy lives, we tend to ignore this signal. 

“Splinting” (ie contracting) the spinal muscles is another way that your body protects itself. This can help with an immediate injury. But it can exacerbate chronic back pain and tightness. Back pain massage is a holistic approach to rectify this dysfunction. Therapists communicate through touch to your nervous and muscular systems. The massage helps your brain understand that the original injury has healed. When your brain processes that it realizes that it doesn’t need to protect anymore. So it lets your back muscles go. The splinting is no longer necessary.  

Great massage therapists employ many different deep tissue massage techniques

Back pain can be the result of a wide variety of neuromuscular issues. And responses to various kinds of trauma. Therefore, our approach for each client case is unique. Crafting an effective massage requires an understanding of how each technique is going to affect your specific body. Each technique has a specific intention. And also produces a different sensation and result. Massage therapists frequently combine techniques to achieve an overall result. This includes reduction in pain, tightness, and restriction!

For More Information: Deep tissue massage for back pain

Massage for Sports Injuries: What is Scar Tissue and How Can Massage Help As We Age?

When were your first sports injuries?

If you are into sports now, odds are you started playing team sports when you were young. I remember my first soccer tryout at 9. I also remember my first sprained ankle from getting slide tackled at 11. There were a lot more sports injuries where that came from between then and now. Soccer, track, cross country, cycling, swimming, and later aikido. And that one ill fated parkour class during which I sprained my ankle. I wish I had known about massage therapy for sports injuries a lot earlier!

Along the way I’ve sprained both ankles more than once. And severely torn a hamstring muscle twice. I’ve smashed fingers and toes, and torn a rotator cuff. I’ve gotten a bone spur on my wrist, had shin splints, plantar fasciitis, hip pain, low back pain, and herniated a disc in my neck.

How I’ve kept active despite these injuries

To keep moving I’ve had a lot of bodywork, acupuncture, physical therapy, and chiropractic work since my mid 20’s. Without it, I’d be taped together with duct tape just to function. And probably would have needed a few different surgeries (currently surgery free at 48).

Like most of you, I’ve got the scars to prove my sports history. Unfortunately, as I get older, all of these old sports injuries make it even more likely that I’ll re-injure myself. So I’ve learned the hard way to be more cautious and create a regular self-care routine.

For More Information:  Sports Massage In NYC