A quick hello to let you know I’m still here and can’t wait to work with you again . . .
Two quick ways you can use reflex points at home to help manage anxiety. Let me know how they work for you.
Archive for the ‘self care’ Category
I’m still here . . .
In covid-19, Massage, personal, self care, Uncategorized on May 10, 2020 at 4:17 PMreally listen … don’t hashtag
In Business, covid-19, CT, landscape, self care, Uncategorized on April 6, 2020 at 7:44 PMToday was one of the tougher ones. We are all facing our own challenges and changes, ups and downs. I’ve confided to friends how hard it is to be living alone through all of this. No physical contact with another soul, no one to talk with in the middle of the night, when the anxiety often shows up. No other income to rely on. They tell me how hard it is to be stuck at home when they are fighting with their partners, when the kids just told them they suck for the hundredth time, and the dog just ate the meal they cooked when they had to leave the room for five minutes. We are all riding a roller coaster.
I am self-employed and single. When I was forced to close shop on March 15th, and stopped having any income source – I still had two properties to support. Home and business expenses kept coming, and I started a slow, quiet panic. I knew I’d be OK – for a short time… but for how long? Most small businesses, as I’m sure you know by all the people asking you to not forget them during this crisis, run on very small margins.
I filed for unemployment as, for the first time, self-employed folks are eligible to apply with the new Pandemic Unemployment Assistance. I got word that my claim was approved and filed my first one yesterday. When I checked on the dollar amount this morning, it was …. ZERO. I applied for one of the SBA disaster loans. My claim number was 3,302,753,XXX. A friend told me that number represents the number of claims that have been filed. Even if that’s not possible … Yikes! Didn’t leave me feeling very hopeful.
So, I did what I do. Cried for a few moments, and once I got it all out of my system, began looking for other solutions. Then took a walk. In the woods. It never ceases to be a healing source for me. As I walked down the trail, these tiny landscapes kept catching my eye. I had to get down on the forest floor to make this image. Look at all the growth that’s going on there! Saplings, blades of grass, flowers … It brought me so much hope for some reason. Maybe it’s the restorative effect of spring, trusting in the cycle of life, regrowth, and rebirth. These small shoots having the courage to find their spot in the larger forest. Or maybe it was just crawling on my knees to get eye level to this scene that reminded me to change my perspective in general. The image isn’t in focus … but neither are our lives right now. Everything is a little fuzzy. And that’s OK.
I’m sharing this in hopes it reaches someone else who may be in similar shoes. To let you know you’re not alone. It can be tough to repeatedly, sometimes mindlessly, hear
#we’re all in this together –
when, while yes, we are all staying home in a united effort to protect the collective health and well-being of all – no situation is the same. And I think people really need to be seen. Witnessed. Acknowledged. Not just thrown a hashtag.
To some this is an inconvenience. It’s hard and a struggle, but they are working from home, maintaining an income, and will largely be OK. To some people it means being in danger. There are many in domestic violence situations right now who are living their days in fear. To some it means not being able to buy food for their children. To some it means losing their livelihood. I’ve already witnessed small businesses closing for good. Not just temporarily during this pandemic.
Please know wherever you are, however you’re felling – it’s OK. It’s OK to have decided you’re going to get in shape to run a marathon during this time – and it’s also OK if you’re going to eat cookies and binge watch TV. Nobody else knows how your new life is really affecting you – except for you. So please don’t compare yourself to others. Try to find ways to be gentle and kind to yourself, and reach out if you’re feeling alone. And try to really witness the people who reach out to you. Don’t just throw them a blanket statement of how we’ll all get through this. That’s not going to look the same for anyone. You may not be able to fix anything for them, but acknowledging their personal struggles throughout all this may help them feel held, truly connected, truly seen, and bolstered up to trudge forward.
Keeping Quiet
In CT, landscape, local artist, Manchester, personal, Photography, self care, Uncategorized on March 26, 2020 at 4:22 PMSelf-care for me today meant … walking in the woods, taking pictures, saying hello to strangers and their playful puppies and … reading poetry. What did it look like for you?
Keeping Quiet
by Pablo Neruda
“Now we will count to twelve
and we will all keep still
for once on the face of the earth,
let’s not speak in any language;
let’s stop for a second,
and not move our arms so much.
It would be an exotic moment
without rush, without engines;
we would all be together
in a sudden strangeness.
Fishermen in the cold sea
would not harm whales
and the man gathering salt
would not look at his hurt hands.
Those who prepare green wars,
wars with gas, wars with fire,
victories with no survivors,
would put on clean clothes
and walk about with their brothers
in the shade, doing nothing.
What I want should not be confused
with total inactivity.
Life is what it is about…
If we were not so single-minded
about keeping our lives moving,
and for once could do nothing,
perhaps a huge silence
might interrupt this sadness
of never understanding ourselves
and of threatening ourselves with
death.
Now I’ll count up to twelve
and you keep quiet and I will go.”
Take Mini Breaks
In community, Massage, self care, Uncategorized on March 24, 2020 at 10:10 AMI’ve been talking with fellow small business owner friends about ways to offer our services online. A lot of people I know sell products, so they can keep doing that via Etsy or their websites. Yoga studios are recording their classes and sharing them on YouTube … I’ve been so grateful for this!
While I can’t give you a massage online … we CAN keep talking about self care. It is especially vital right now to take mini breaks from any stress you may be experiencing.
What’s an activity that you find restorative? I love the combination of spending time in nature with photography. It calms me right down. Look for the light. Focus on any hope you can find. Acknowledge all that IS working, all the good that IS showing up. Stay in the moment and know that RIGHT NOW you do have everything you need.
May you be well. ♥
MAY YOU BE WELL
In Massage, self care, Uncategorized on March 13, 2020 at 1:57 PMTo the community of Massage Therapy clients at Tania Palermo Studio on Main:
During this time it continues to be valuable to find ways to reduce stress, calm your nervous system and boost the immune system – and regular therapeutic massage can help you achieve these goals.
I want to assure you that the health and sanitation practices we are all being asked to follow now, have been set in place in my office always, and will continue to be followed diligently. This includes things like washing and sanitizing sheets; blankets; towels; face cradle covers; etc. Disinfecting surfaces you or I may touch like door handles; tables; stools, etc. I have always, and will continue, to wash my hands and use hand sanitizer both before and after your massage session – and ask that you do the same.
For your part: please reschedule your session if you are feeling unwell. Come to your massage mindful of your own wellness and cleanliness, wash or sanitize your hands before and after our time together, refrain from touching your face, use a Kleenex if you need to cough or sneeze, etc., and drink more water after your massage to keep tissues well hydrated and functioning with ease.
Along with continuing to receive therapeutic massage, I recommend doing whatever is possible, within your means, to boost your immune system, lower your anxiety and keep you focused on wellness.
For me that means things like:
Walking outside – the fresh air lifts the spirit, movement is wonderful for the body and spending time in the woods or at the ocean actually reduces stress levels. You’ve heard me speak of Shinrin-Yoku before, which is the Japanese art of forest bathing. They actually use this as a form of preventative medicine and it is proven to reduce stress hormone production, lower heart rate and blood pressure, boost the immune system and plain old made you happy. At the very least it can’t hurt, is free to do and will make sure you feel less cooped up and isolated during this time when we are all being asked to stay home.
I’m also paying attention to:
How much sleep I get. Things like using lavender essential oil at night can help promote a more restful slumber. I’m drinking more water, practicing yoga, doing meditation to raise my vibration and keep me focused on health, and increasing the vitamins and mineral I’m taking. I tend to go for naturopathic, preventative measures first – which means I’ve been including more elderberry syrup, Brazil nuts, spirulina, zinc, vitamin c and other vitamins and minerals into my daily routine. Do your own research on ways to support yourself and know that operating from a place of calm and ease is a way to be kind to your body and immune system as it supports you through this time.
May you be well. May you be at peace. May you be happy. May you be filled with loving kindness.
Tania
ONE WEEK – 10% OFF
In gift certificate, Indulge, Manchester, Massage, Refresh, self care, Specials, Uncategorized on December 2, 2019 at 10:27 AMBecause you deserve it … one week only … online gift certificate special. Take 10% OFF gift certificates for 30, 45, 60, or 90 minute Therapeutic or Swedish Massage sessions.
It’s not just a treat, it’s a treatment. Give your friends and family the gift of healing hands, a compassionate heart and an intuitive mind this holiday season. Leave them feeling rested, restored and at peace with a massage!
Photo by Lucie Liz on Pexels.com
Online gift certificates for massage are on special for ONE WEEK ONLY. From 12/2/19 – 12/9/19 take 10% OFF gift certificates for 30, 45, 60 or 90 minute Therapeutic or Swedish massage sessions!
♥ They’ll love you for it. ♥
FOLLOW THIS LINK TO PURCHASE NOW
OR go to:
taniapalermo.com —-> click the “Online Booking” tab —-> click the “Gift Certificates” button —-> and choose the “Promotions” tab
You could be done with all your shopping in the next 10 minutes! :)
Summer Massage Special
In Indulge, Manchester, Massage, self care, Specials, Uncategorized on July 11, 2019 at 5:51 PMSummer is here. Yay! Vacations, beach time, dinners outside on the deck. We can get so busy spending as much time as possible enjoying the fresh air and sun, entertaining our children, catching up with old friends … that we forget to keep up our self-care routines. I’ve just made it easier for you to set aside an hour for continued “me time”. Today through August 31st, 2019 all regularly priced 60 minute Swedish or Therapeutic Massage sessions will be 15% OFF on appointments booked Tuesday – Thursday. Just use the secret code word “SUMMER” at check out.
Follow this link to book your next session now!
New Massage Series Pricing for 2019
In Indulge, Manchester, Massage, self care, Specials, Uncategorized on December 4, 2018 at 12:58 PMBeginning January 1, 2019 a new set of massage packages will be offered.
You will be able to purchase a series of three (3) Therapeutic or Swedish Massages at a 5% savings and a series of six (6) Therapeutic or Swedish Massages at a 10% savings. All of the new packages are titled “Self Care Package” and can be found HERE under the “Special Offers” tab.
All of the old package offerings will still be available for purchase through December 31, 2018 and will be honored until they expire.
20% OFF
In Business, CT, for sale, gift certificate, Indulge, Manchester, Marketing, Massage, self care, Specials, Uncategorized on November 26, 2018 at 1:23 PMNow through November 30, 2018 selected gift certificates for massage therapy are on sale! Take 20% OFF at purchase.
Newsletter – Week of June 24, 2018
In Business, CT, Manchester, Marketing, Massage, Newsletter, self care, Specials, studio on main, Uncategorized on June 22, 2018 at 4:39 PMMy next newsletter comes out tomorrow morning – and in it is a crazy good massage special for the month of July. If you want to sign up to receive future newsletters so that you’ll always know when a special is coming – send me a quick email to tania@taniapalermo.com – and let me know. All I need is your first name and a valid email address.
While you’re deciding … check out some of next week’s newsletter below:
Why I picked PTSM for my initial training in massage . . .
I lived in the PNW for many years – specifically Bellingham, WA [or B-ham as some locals referred to it]. When I got the itch to consider massage therapy as a career I made phone calls to lots of local schools. The first thing that drew me to PTSM [Port Townsend School of Massage] was that the woman who answered the phone was from New York!
Seriously.
I’d been missing the East Coast and I loved that she had an accent I was familiar with … and that she was a little – I don’t know the right words for it – maybe forward and loud. All the people I was surrounded by in B-ham were so laid back and nice I sometimes didn’t know what to do with myself.
That was not the deciding factor, of course – but it felt like serendipity and got me to drive out to the school for an interview.
Fun fact about my time there. Each weekend we had class I had to drive down the coast a few hours to get to Whidbey Island to then get on a ferry that took me over to the Victorian Seaport of Port Townsend. One of my favorite parts of the trip was crossing Deception Pass. I wasn’t a photographer then … but stopped as often as I could to take pictures and walk around a little bit.
If we had time before class started after getting off the ferry, my friend Charity and I would rush to the Tyler Street Coffee House to see if there were any scones available. Seriously the best scone I’ve ever had, and they only made them a few times a week, so scoring one was a treat.
The whole thing was an incredibly rewarding and life changing experience and I wouldn’t change it for anything. In fact thinking about it now is making me heart achingly nostalgic.
Hydration Recipe:
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Keeping hydrated is an important part of staying healthy. Water promotes cardiovascular health, keeps your body cool, helps muscles and joints work better and keeps skin supple. Here is this week’s hydration recipe:
Mango Pineapple Water
Ingredients:
1 medium sized mango, thinly sliced
1 cup pineapple, chopped
Water
Instructions:
Peel and slice one mango. Add 1 cup of finely chopped pineapple and water. Refrigerate 4-6 hours before drinking to allow flavors to infuse.
Bonus Tip:
Possible benefits of eating mango & pineapple:
Mango – may help to – promote clear skin; improve eye health; alkalize the body; & improve digestion.
Pineapple – may help to – aid immune system; support eye health; improve gut health [anti-inflammatory properties]; & strengthen gums.
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DIY Hand & Forearm Massage:
Too much texting?
Don’t worry.
Try this hand / forearm massage to help relax your muscles.
- Relax one arm, palm up, on top of your thigh.
- Push the heel of your other palm slowly along the forearm in the direction of your wrist.
- Use enough pressure to feel some heat, but not to give yourself a brush burn.
- Do the same thing across your open palm all the way down toward your fingertips, and again over the mound of your thumb.
- Repeat a few times, and switch hands.
I’d love to send you tips too. If you want to sign up for the next newsletter leave your email in the comments below – or send me a quick message at: tania@taniapalermo.com
