Updated 16th March 2021 Appointment Waiting List now open!
Optimism and Spring is in the air! Schools are back and there are plans for more social easing from as early as 12th April 2021, depending on UK COVID-19 infection rates and the vaccination program rollout progress!
Woo Hoo! What wonderful news and something for us all to look forward to. You CAN now message me to be put on my face to face appointment waiting list. Join my email list as well, to be kept up to date with my latest services and workshop dates. It will not be long now before face to face appointment bookings can resume. I am optimistically looking at being able to resume home visits again from as early as May 2021. In the meantime, don't forget that I also offer online services for you to enjoy. My Facial Reflexology Services are also available via zoom.
How are you feeling about all this?
It is OK to have negative emotions, feel sad, angry and distressed that you have to go through all this again! I am currently going through all the emotions under the sun myself. That is absolutely normal, OK, natural and necessary to be able to move on and deal will all that we have to, without elevating our stress levels to an unmanageable point and potentially tip into burning out.
To avoid this, let those emotions out, cry, write, laugh, dance, shout out, breath, draw, journal or book in to talk to someone. Share with friends and family, hug people in your bubble and seek extra remote help and support if you need it. Vent your frustrations rather than bottle them all up. Our mental health is just as important as our physical wellbeing. Our mind, body and soul are all interconnected and need to be nurtured as a whole to stay fit and well. It can take real bravery to ask for help sometimes. It is not a sign of weakness in any way. Just the opposite. It takes strength to know when you need that little bit of extra support. Please ask, if you need help.
My emotional range currently spans from:
Relief - that the Government are doing something to help slow the infection rate to protect our vital NHS services. Lives will be saved as a result.
Anger that Reflexologists are still not classed as key workers or as an essential service! It is like being punched in the face when you are already down really but that is the way it is and I need to learn how to deal with that blow to my self-esteem and not let it get me down for any length of time. If you use Reflexology to complement existing treatments to make them work more effectively, I call that essential care! It takes pressure off the NHS, saves the public money and helps to prevent the longer-term costs that the escalation of Stress causes in the community. Prevention is far less costly than a cure. Through relaxation and better sleep alone, we can all gain so many benefits at no extra cost including help to boost our immune systems ability to fight back against viruses such as COVID-19.
Joy - that I have the technology and the ingenuity to still keep in touch with my clients, friends and family in other ways safely. I can offer other services, build new ones and re-train again (watch this space).
Guilt - that I can no longer serve my clients in the way that I wish to. So many key workers and NHS staff are having to pull 12-hour shifts. I feel powerless to be able to help. I will, however, be supporting my family and taking care of myself which is just as important right now but that doesn't always feel like enough when I have skills that have been needlessly benched.
Dispair - that a large proportion of our society still doesn't follow the scientific guidelines, social distancing rules and act selfishly, despite the evidence that it all helps our community as a whole to do it! Why do we have to go to the expense of more laws to remove our privileges because of those not following the guidelines.
Hope - that this intervention may mean we can still gather responsibly for Christmas and that come Spring we will start to see improvements in the infection rate again. There is a vaccine in trial right now and more and more is being learnt about the COVID-19 virus every day to help us fight it and others like it in the future.
Sadness - that hugging is still off the menu and that this second lockdown is going to be devastating for so many. I am just so thankful for all that I have control over, including doing all I can to protect my own health right now and you can do the same.
Excitement - that with this month not serving face to face clients, it gives me a second opportunity to expand what I can offer in new and exciting directions that I have not even dreamt of yet. What things that I have been putting off doing, that I would love to do, shall I get my teeth into this month, to keep myself alert and busy during the second lockdown. What will you be doing?
Now you know, how up and down in the moment my feeling are. How do you feel about all this? Are you allowing yourself to feel all this or are you bottling it all up to stay strong for those around you? To prevent burnout, at this difficult time, you need to complete each stress cycle as you go through it every day or it builds to the point of breaking. Trust me I have been there. "Exhaustion Happens When We Get Stuck in an Emotion"
Quote from - Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle by Emily Nagoski Ph.D. and Amelia Nagoski, D.M.A
If you need to talk about it, to get it off your chest get in touch. If you need hints and tips and self-help Reflexology routine reminders, let me know. I am more than happy to help you. If you need more guidance about where to even start, take a look at the MIND website or contact their support line https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/helplines/ Take care, stay safe and well.
Shelley Mason MAR
Reflexologist