6 Ways to Boost Your Massage Business with Self-Love!

 There's a lot of talk these days about self-love. It sounds great, but what does it actually mean for us as massage therapists? And why does self-love matter to our business?

Showing ourselves self-love matters because the most important relationship we have is with ourselves! This relationship sets the standard for all our other relationships with others. And building positive relationships is a big part of our work as massage therapists, it builds trust. After all, who wants a massage from someone they don't feel comfortable with?

Many psychology studies show that self-love and self-compassion are key for mental health and well-being, keeping depression and anxiety at bay. This is not only great for our personal lives but also great for our business. If we are not on good form, our clients WILL notice, we may even need time off work and our business will suffer.

We hear the term self-care a lot these days. So whatis the difference betweenself-love and self-care? 

Although the two terms often get interchanged, self-love is about valuing yourself enough to show yourself love and respect. And self-care is theactions you take to show yourself self-love. 

Practising self-love is important for maintaining a healthy relationship with yourself both physically and emotionally. It incorporates being assertive, setting boundaries, creating healthy relationships, practising physical self-care and doing things we enjoy & are proud of! 

As massage therapists, we are very compassionate individuals who enjoy caring for others. This can mean that we are in danger of neglecting our own needs because we can have a tendency to put others first. However, you can’t look after your clients if you don't look after yourself first! 

Loving ourselves through practising self-care feels good. But how can we, as massage therapists, use it to benefit our business? 

We’ve put together some ideas to help you and your massage business thrive. We've broken them down to six key areas of self-care:

 1. Physical self-care improves the wellbeing of your physical health

This could be going for a walk, getting a massage (yes you!), cooking a healthy meal and going to the gym.

Physical self-care is particularly crucial for massage therapists because we rely on high-performing bodies for our livelihood!

• Look after your physical body because it’s the tool of your trade! You can do this by making sure you fuel your body with regular healthy meals (don't skip that lunch break!) and stay hydrated with water.
• Sleep the necessary hours to have a good night’s sleep. 
• Invest in good quality equipment such as a massage table (see our wide choice of massage tables and accessories here) that is right for the purpose you need it for, the best size for the space and is the right massage table for your height etc.
• Keeping your fitness levels up and ensuring you use all the postures and techniques you learned when training will ensure that you are keeping your body safe. As massage therapists, we must take especially good care of our hands and forearms. If you can, warm up your body, reset between clients and cool down at the end of the day. This can help prolong your career as a massage therapist.

2. Emotional self-care brings awareness to our emotions 

If we don't tend to these feelings, we can end up frustrated, overwhelmed and burnout.

Emotional self-care is allowing yourself to feel your emotions, setting clear boundaries with others (which many people find difficult), stop apologising for everything, practise self-compassion, learn from your mistakes and above all, asking for help when you need it.

Tools to help with emotional self-care are meditation, journaling, practising gratitude, playing music or seeing a therapist etc.

Boost your Business with Emotional Self-Care -

• Set boundaries:
  Boundary setting is a very important aspect of working as a massage therapist! Principally we need to set boundaries with clients but if you work in a clinical setting, you may need to set boundaries with other team members and your boss. And let’s not forget those family members and friends asking for a ‘5-minute’ freebie massage!
  With clients -Boundaries can involve time management. Do not run over the allocated appointment time, leaving yourself no time to take a toilet break or even get your room ready. This has repercussions on all your appointments & you may miss your full break, finish your working day late or just end up feeling stressed out! Furthermore, if you don't enjoy or feel comfortable working with a client for whatever reason, gently recommend another therapist. 
  With colleagues - Learn to say no politely and firmly. Seek help from other staff if you need help. And if you need advice on handling a tricky situation with a colleague, you will find it helpful to join a community. The massage therapists in our private Facebook group of massage therapists are super supportive and helpful! Click here to join.
  With friends and family - You are under no obligation to massage anyone outside of your working day if you don't want to. It's up to you, so be kind but firm!

• Learn to accept compliments
  We recommend keeping something like a 'brag book' or a file on your computer where you store all your positive reviews and testimonials for those days when you might feel like you need a boost!
  
  
• Practise self-compassion!
  Self-compassion and learning from your mistakes is a great step towards emotional self-care. 
  
  
• Stop Comparing Yourself to Other Massage Therapists
  It doesn't matter if other therapists have more clients or more followers on social media than you. Everybody's situation is different! There will always be someone who has more. More doesn't necessarily mean better.

• Embrace what makes you different. Only you can be you!
  
  
  

3. Practical self-care involves tackling practical tasks that help prevent stressful situations in the future

Basically, it’sdecluttering your mind of those unfinished tasks that take up way too much time and headspace. They are huge sanity-savers and help create a greater sense of calm and control in our busy lives.Do not underestimate how practical self-care can improve your quality of life!

Practical self-care might involve booking that long overdue dental appointment, tidying your living space (decluttering your space helps you to declutter your mind!), meal prepping in advance etc.

Boost Your Business with Practical Self-Care -

• Invest in an app that will make your work life easier by saving you time and a whole lot of stress e.g. an online booking system, accounting software etc.  You can also ask in our Facebook group of massage therapistsif you need some advice or recommendations about these. This blog listing the best apps for massage therapists might be helpful for streamlining your systems. You can read it here.
• Book an appointment with a financial advisor or create a spreadsheet for your budget - you know the one you have been meaning to do for ages!
•  Limit your time on social media - stop the scroll! And block time out every week to create your social media posts for the week/month so you don’t have it hanging over you, taking up headspace.
• Cover yourself with good quality insurance from a registered, professional body so you have peace of mind.
• Lay your clothes out ready for the next day
• Think about wearing a uniform, if you find it makes your life easier. Equally, if wearing a uniform stresses you out, consider getting rid of it. 

4. Spiritual Self-Care is any ritual that connects you to your true self, the real you

Spirituality means different things for different people and you may associate spirituality with religion or maybe your concept of spirituality is experienced by spending time in nature or through art, music and dance.

If we want to live a happy and fulfilled life, taking care of our soul is a must!

Ideas for spiritual self-care -

• Unplug from technology & spend time in nature
• Practise yoga and/or meditation
• Keep a journal & practice breath-work
• Dance, sing, play a musical instrument
• Paint, draw, do craft activities, make ceramics…

Spiritual self-care predominantly involves taking time OUT of your business and doing things that feed your soul! 

5. Mental self-care stimulates your mind and greatly influences your psychological well-being

This might include activities such as trying a new hobby, listening to a new podcast, doing a puzzle, finishing a Sudoku etc.

Boost Your Business with Mental Self-Care -

In yourmassage therapy business, mental self-care might look like:

• Up-skilling in a technique you are interested in
• Doing a refresher course
• Offering a new modality
• Niching down by modality, technique or target audience

When we step outside our comfort zones and try new activities, we are stimulated by the new sights, sounds and experiences!

Are you making enough time for activities that mentally stimulate you?

6. Social Self-Care is regular connection with others in order to thrive! 

Everyone has different social needs but even when life is busy and hectic, socialising with others is essential. And ironically, when life is overwhelming is when we tend to cancel our plans and withdraw! When was the last time you haddeliberate fun with others?

This could be date night with a friend or your partner, zoom call with family, play with your children or fur baby or give someone else a gift (this makes us feel soooo good!).

Social self-care may also mean NOT spending time with some people. So also give some thought to those relationships that no longer serve you.

Boost Your Business with Social Self-Care -

Connecting with other professionals is important for our mental health and our business. If you work alone, it is particularly important that you maintain contact with other massage therapists.

• Facebook groups are especially useful. Your massage therapy trainer may run a group and Massage Warehouse runs a private Facebook group for massage therapists. It’s a great space for sharing and getting support from other therapists who truly understand the highs and lows of running a massage therapy business! Check it out here.
• Swap sessions with other massage therapists. You will not only benefit from the massage but also the social interaction with another massage therapist. It's also a good opportunity to get a massage on your own massage table to experience what your clients do.
• Join a networking group face to face or online, it doesn't have to specifically be for massage therapists. Maybe it could be for complementary therapies or a group for people who live/work in your area. Networking offers not only the possibility of referrals but also brainstorming opportunities and discounts on the services other members offer.

Important - this type of self-care may involve spending LESS time in your business. Connect with friends and family and have fun!

Self-love is seeing yourself worthy of time, effort and love!  And practising self-care increases happiness in your life encouraging resilience and better health. As a result of feeling confident, content and healthy, you can enjoy a long and satisfying career in your massage therapy business. Your clients are bound to pick up on the good vibes too and want to come back soon. It’s a total no-brainer!

Let us know in the comments how you show yourself self-love!