Overworked: Physical & Emotional
Being Physically Overworked
I’m sure this is a very common mistake most Massage Therapist make entering the career field after schooling – AND it still happens!
I took on a ton of massage work early in my career. Not only was I working at the Physical Therapy Clinic full-time, I was also seeing clients during my ‘off’ time. I didn’t realize what a toll I was putting on my body – It was too much! I was able to maintain that amount of massage work for a few years, but soon I realized I was hurting. My body was hurting, especially my thumbs and hands (which is your money maker as a Massage Therapist)!
How to Avoid Being Physically Overworked
It’s easier said than done, but the answer is to work LESS! Knowing your physical limits and sticking to them. That may mean you are doing less massages during your workday and/or workweek OR you may need to decrease the amount of pressure you are constantly performing at during your massage sessions.
Also, adding in adjunct modalities to take the pressure off you is totally acceptable. Further training is Assisted Stretching, Cupping, or adding in Foot Scrubs are all examples of beneficial add-ons for any massage service.
Being Emotionally Overworked
This was certainly something I never considered…I knew about physical burn-out, but emotional? Constantly creating and holding space for your clients emotional state is very taxing. Working on clients all day and aiding in their healing sometimes will have a negative impact as a Massage Therapist if you let it.
Some days I would come home so exhausted and not just from the physical excretion, but also from being emotionally drained.
How To Avoid Being Emotionally Overworked
The easiest way to do this is by safeguarding your own emotional boundary. I would make (and still do) an emotional wall with my own energy and create your emotional boundary. This will help you keep separation and reduces the amount of emotional baggage the clients could be, unknowingly, potentially dumping onto you during session.
Trying to a One Size Fits All Therapist
Trying to accommodate all of the varying types of massage techniques, pressures, and different styles of massage is exhausting! When you are constantly massaging and working on all types of clients with varying requests, you are spending too much time and energy accommodating ALL of these clients.
Find YOUR Specialty – What is your Massage Niche?
Take the time to develop what your style or niche (within your scope of practice, of course). You will soon find out what you like to do and what you don’t like to do, then narrow it down from there.
For myself personally, I don’t like doing super deep / firm pressure, but I was great at localized deep tissue techniques that didn’t need firm pressure because of all my years of training under the Physical Therapist. My massage niche is efficient and effective massage work that is still relaxing. I’m able to scale up or down the amount of localized work depending on the clients’ needs.
Focused On Money
I know, I know…Money is VERY important! And not to say that you shouldn’t be aware of being able to make money as a Massage Therapist, because you can make a decent income with this trade, but I’m talking about the mindset. After I left the Psychical Therapist Clinic I went to work for a massage franchise (we moved to a new area and it was the best option for me at the time) where I started at $17 per service hour! I was able to get bonuses and gratuity, so my average hourly rate was closer to $30, which was a livable wage for me within my dual income household back in the early 2000’s.
About 9 months into my employment there I started viewing client’s sessions only has a paycheck and I stopped being grateful to be apart of their healing journey. The shift happened when the ‘dollar sign’ above the clients head was the only thing keeping me there. I lost connection to the art of massage therapy and, subsequently, the connection to my clients.
Stay Connected to Your Work
I truly believe that the shift in your money mindset changes the way you perform massages, and if your massage work is lacking…
Guess what? Your clients feel it too!
So, why would they come to you for massages when there’s something they can’t explain keeping them from enjoying their experience with you? The answer is they won’t.
Stay in-tune and connected to your work. Keep gratitude in your heart for every massage and for every client. This gratitude keeps you in the right mindset and financial gains will follow.
Candice McCaleb LMT 