There's not much to do when it's eleven degrees and blowing except stay inside your parent's cozy house and eat yourself into a frenzy. Well, at least that's the conclusion I had come to last week. Per usual, my mom made a ridiculous amount of comfort food. Chicken noodle soup, hot beef sandwiches, chili, and all sorts of other wonderful things to warm my insides. And then there were all of the sweets....sugar cookies, caramel corn, peanut clusters, turtles, cheesecake, and on and on. Although I think most of us go a little overboard over the holidays, I knew that the comfort food could only comfort me so far. My niece, too, I realized was not responsible for making me smile (although she sure did a good job) and distracting me from the things that weigh on me. No, I needed to start taking steps to take care of myself which on the most basic level meant taking care of my body. So step one:
Take advantage of sister's position at optometrist office, utilize family discount, and get eyes checked for god's sake!
After three years, I knew it was time. The doctor very pleasantly informed me that I should be wearing glasses all of the time due to the astigmatism in my left eye (which I just found out upon writing this post is "astigmatism," not, "I have a stigmatism." How very interesting!) Anyway, my sis and her coworker helped me pick out some fun frames and I silently reminded myself that even though I hate wearing glasses, it will be nice to no longer squint when I order a burger.
Step two:
Take advantage of lovely Christmas present from smarty pants mother who knew that her daughter could use a nice massage. Yipee!!
If I were infinitely wealthy, here's where I would blow gobs of cash. I would pay someone to rub me down at least once a day. Therefore, when I was presented with a gift certificate to Integrative Massage and Bodyworks, I happily scampered off for my hour long massage. I knew I was in bad shape a few days before when my uncle simply rested his hands on my shoulder and I practically turned into a puddle. Yikes.
I asked the masseuse to work on my back, shoulders, and neck and she did a terrrrrrrific job. She used the perfect amount of pressure and worked out all sorts of knots, mostly in my shoulders (go figure). At one point, she thought that I had flinched from discomfort but I had actually been drifting off to sleep and did one of those weird twitchy moves instead. Now that's a sign of a good massage in my book. When the hour was up, I wanted to cry. (Another good sign). I finally had reached a level of much needed relaxation. When I left, I could actually breathe deeply and unclench my jaw.
So I'm working on it. Self-care seems like such a no-brainer; yet I, among many others, throw it to the wayside in order to make room for more "important" things. Stupid. Everyone, ditch work for a few hours and get a massage. Or get a physical. Or go to the gym. Just do something good for your body.
Oh, and that masseuse? Yeah...if you live in the Fox Valley, check her out! Totally reasonable rates and a peaceful, soothing atmosphere.
Integrative Massage and Bodywork, 1314 W. College Avenue, Suite 6, Appleton, WI
920-733-9999 or 920-450-0044
(And no, I did not receive any money to plug her services).
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