Is Body Image holding you back from getting a massage?
Body image. Almost everybody has something about their body that they don’t like. For many people it’s a minor issue, no big deal. But some people have a major issue with their body image. It affects how they live and their happiness.
When I tell some people that I’m a massage therapist it can cause a strong reaction. They tell me, whether verbally or through body language, that massage is not for them. Their body image is such an issue that they don’t think anybody else can accept them.
The paradox here is that massage can help with body image issues. In massage school we were all nervous about undressing and letting someone else touch us. It didn’t take long for us to discover that bodies are just bodies and we became much more comfortable with our own. We also experienced how good receiving a massage made us feel. Something unexpected happened – when our bodies felt better we felt better about our bodies.
There are three options to consider.
Let’s look at the risk versus reward for them.
1. Don’t get a massage.
This is the easiest because it involves doing nothing. The risk is low since you are not letting another person see or touch you at all.
The reward is zero. You didn’t get a massage so your body doesn’t feel any better, and you still have the stress you had before.
2. You get a massage, but the massage therapist makes note of how you look, as if it matters.
If this has happened to you, I’m sorry. You got a crappy massage therapist. You took a risk, and even if the rest of the massage was decent, got very little reward.
This is not going to happen if you come to Body Ache Escape. Never. No way. I can’t say this strongly enough. Above all, it goes against the very nature of who we are, how we treat people, and what we believe.
3. You get a massage.
A great massage. And the therapist does nothing to make you feel uncomfortable about your body. In fact, you feel pretty good about your body after the massage.
In this option your risk is low. The therapist doesn’t care how your body looks. They only want to help you feel better. Your reward is high. Again your body will feel better from the massage and you can start feeling better about it.
We have no idea how your body got to be in the condition that it’s in. You may be dealing with something that you can’t control, such as a medical condition or an injury or accident. You may be in a lot of pain.
Since we don’t know what caused your body to be like it is now we can’t make any judgments about you.
We’ve worked on thousands of people. Each body is interesting and we’ve yet to come across one that we could not help.
If you have been avoiding massage because you feel self conscious, let’s find an option that works for you. You can stay dressed. You can stay sitting up or face down or lying on your side or however you would like. It’s up to you.
It’s our job to help you feel better. That’s it. Together let’s find a way to help you relieve your pain and stress. Don’t let your body image keep you from feeling good.
Feel free to call us to schedule at 614-604-6358 or you can schedule online by clicking here!
