Massage Monday : Treat Yourself

Happy Labor Day!

These long weekends are great for relaxing, catching up with friends and family, and grilling out.  Know what else an extra day off is good for?  Pampering yourself!

When's the last time you had a massage?  A facial?  A spa pedicure (and I don't mean the $20 mall special)?  

We spend so much time taking care of everyone else, and often neglect ourselves in the process.  We take care of our families, significant others, homes and jobs.  Sometimes life seems so rushed and there's not a lot of 'me' time.  

When we neglect ourselves, put ourselves as a last priority, we're shorting what we are able to give to everyone else.  You can only give 100% if you have 100% to give.  Mark off a half hour or an hour just for you every day.  You deserve it!  And so does everyone in your life.  Give yourself a day, or at least a few hours, once a month, to do something just for you.  Take a bubble bath, get a massage, go lay by the pool, read a book.  Just have some you time!  

You'll get much more done in the long run, if you take the time to cater to yourself!

For more information on massage contact us at Rejuvenating Touch!

727.342.0772

Relax@RejuvenatingTouchFL.com

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twitter.com/RejuvTouch

Massage Monday : continuing education

Part of keeping my massage license current, is taking CE (Continuing Education) courses.

In Florida, LMTs (Licensed Massage Therapist) are required to renew their licenses every odd numbered year by August 31st.  In order to do so, we have to complete 24 CEUs (Continuing Education Units) or one CEU for every month that they have been licensed if it is their first renewal period.  12 of those CEUs must be live, in class, hours.  6 of the CEUs are required - Massage Ethics, Florida Law, HIV and Medical Error Prevention.

Basically, we have 2 years to complete these courses...and I waited until this weekend...16 days before the deadline.

I am such a procrastinator!!  

In my defense, CEs are incredibly expensive and time consuming.  I just found myself putting it off...and off...and off...until it was almost too late!  I have a list of a few different courses I'd like to take.   Pre-natal, Touch for Health and Reflexology to expand my repertoire.  Swedish, Deep Tissue, Hot Stone, Sports and Chair to grow in the modalities I currently provide.  Unfortunately, when you put things off to the very last minute, the options greatly decrease.

I did the same thing last cycle.

I swore I wouldn't leave it to the last minute this time.  I planned on taking courses I was genuinely interested, a few CEUs at a time, so it wouldn't be too much of a financial or time constraint.  But, life is expensive...time is fleeting...and I'm not much of a planner.  So, here I am.  Again.

With not much time left, I sat down at the computer on Friday to see what my options were.  Of the courses I was interested in, Touch for Health was the only one with any available courses in my area.  Unfortunately, I would have to take two to fulfill my live hours requirement and still find the mandatory courses as well as 6 other CEUs to finish.  Oh, and did I mention those courses are being held on the 30th and 31st?  Talk about cutting it close!!  Not to mention expensive!!  Had I gone that route, I'd be spending upward of $600...not to mention my license renewal fees!

I decided to go a cheaper route.

Last cycle, I took a course from Massage Online Professor.  The instructor, Karen, offers the full 24 CEUs in one shot.  One price.   You go for one 12-hour seminar that covers 2 courses and the rest of the curriculum is online.  I didn't want to go that route again this year because I really wasn't interested in the course topics she was offering this year...but, when push came to shove, it was the best choice.  

For less than 1/2 of what I was would have paid, I fulfilled all my requirements with more than 2 weeks to spare.  

Whew!  That is a weight off my shoulders!  Now I need a massage to rid me of the stress my procrastination caused!

Have you ever put something off so long that you had to settle for a lesser option?  How do you handle procrastination?

For more massage info...

call - 727.342.0SPA (0772)

email - Relax@RejuvenatingTouchFL.com

facebook - facebook.com/RejuvenatingTouchFL or facebook.com/RejuvenatingTouch

twitter - twitter.com/RejuvTouch

Struggling

I'm struggling.

I'm struggling financially.  I'm struggling emotionally.  I'm struggling physically.  I'm struggling spiritually.  I'm struggling in my career.  I'm struggling to stay afloat.  I'm struggling to maintain my sanity.  I'm struggling to maintain my optimism.

But I have faith.  I have a God who loves me.  A God who is always with me.  A God who will never leave my side.  A God who will carry me when I can no longer walk...and I'm just about there.

Financially.
I've made a lot of wrong choices in my life.  I've often done what was convenient or what fulfilled my selfish desires of the moment and shrugged off the consequences.  The consequences ALWAYS catch up.  Sometimes the next day, sometimes years later...but there they are.  My financial situation is clear evidence of that.  I am awful with money.  To say I have poor money management skills would be a gross understatement.  I'm working on it, and I'm doing better, but I've gotten myself into such a deep, narrow ditch.  It's going to be a long time and a LOT of hard work before I am back on solid ground financially.

Emotionally.
I'm drained.  As most of you know, I broke up with my boyfriend about 5 months ago.  Or rather, he broke up with me.  I am crushed.  I was so certain about him.  About us.  So now I'm left feeling jilted. I have been having a really hard time with this.  I am SO thankful for the amazing support I have from my friends and family.  I have spent the majority of my quiet time not being so quiet.  I am angry.  I am sad.  I am heart-broken.  I just keep praying for God to take this hurt from me.  It's more than I can bear.  I'm just so tired.  I don't want to cry anymore.  I don't want to care anymore.  It's too much.

Physically.
I am in the worst shape of my life.  Over the last 2 years, I have gained over 30lbs...and I am not carrying it well.  I have started (and quit) p90x 7 times now.  I don't know what my problem is.  I don't know why I can't won't stick with it.  I want to be in shape.  I want to feel better about how I look.  I want to fit into the clothes I own.  I want to feel confident in a bathing suit again.  I know I need to just get off my couch and do it.  I know it's not going to happen overnight.  I really need to find some motivation...and keep it!


Spiritually.
With everything else that's going on, it's just been really difficult for me to keep my eyes on God.  I know that He is the way.  I know that He is the one who saves me.  I know that I am nothing without my faith.  It's just hard.

I don't think I've ever struggled this much in so many areas of my life at the same time.  I feel like I'm at such a low point.  The only place to go from here is up.  Wish me luck and say a prayer for me if you think about it.

when it rains, it pours

So just when I thought it couldn't get any worse...I go downstairs to take the dog out and get the mail before class and my car is hooked up to a tow truck. Apparently my car is an eye-sore and the apartment complex wants it towed. Yeah, it's a little smashed up, but it drives perfectly fine. I don't have $2,500 to fix it!! So I give him $50 to take it off the tow bed. I don't have $50 to spare. I guess it's better than paying $150 to get it out of the lot.

So then I look inside the car...my whole dash is ripped out. No more cd player. More money that's needed to go into the stupid car.

I don't know what i'm going to do. It's like everytime I blink someone else wants money. I'll be living on the streets in no time at this rate. I just want to crawl in a hole and die.