Healthy Who? Healthy You

As a small business owner, environmental activist and my most important role, a mother, I have always been proud of my ability to multi-task while maintaining attention to detail in my fast paced and insanely busy life. What I failed to realize was that, although I felt like I was able to do it all, I was actually surviving on adrenal overload (more on this topic later). I kept telling myself that as soon as I finished the task I was engaged in I would finally take a break and relax... but that time NEVER came. As soon as I would complete one task, another was already waiting to take its place. Because of this I was ALWAYS too busy to relax and enjoy my life. I decided that in order to continue to care for my family, my clients and my business, I had to take a step back and stop the madness. As hard as I thought it would be to budget my time (and money) for bodywork and self-care, I found a way. I thought of it as a vital and necessary way to invest in my health, and if I wanted to continue the things I loved to do, I needed to slow down and enjoy my life (present time).

Our society encourages us to move faster and do more (at whatever cost), telling us to fill our 24 hour day with as much productivity as we can possibly pump out. We are expected to skip meals and function on little sleep. We our constantly struggling to reach our material goals while forgetting about our SELF. Our energies become thin as our collective expectations grow thicker. We live in a culture in which the media encourages us to look as young, healthy and vibrant as long as possible, yet research has proven that upwards of 90 percent of disease is stress related. And perhaps nothing ages us faster internally and externally than modern day, high stress. Can you say "contradiction?"

So my advice to all my friends and family is to slow down. Budget time for yourself, because calming the stress response, in our faced paced world is the key to longevity and a very healthy, happy, stress free life. 

Therapeutic massage and bodywork can be a powerful ally in your health care regime and has been proven to have profound effects on your total body and mind. For more information on the many benefits of massage and bodywork or to schedule an appointment, please visit http://www.theorganicalbotanical.com