Whether you have ADHD, anxiety, or just a tendency to multi-task within an inch of your life, the idea of being mindful or sitting down to meditate for ten minutes can be physically painful. As much as I would like to be a person who meditates, every time I try to clear my mind, I just become even more aware of the million and one thoughts zipping into and out of my head every second. However, the one place where my mind truly quiets is on the massage table.
Getting a massage was always something out of reach, reserved for the bougie elite blessed with disposable income, but a couple of months ago I was really stressed and carrying a lot of tension in my shoulders so I took advantage of the intro pricing at Massage Envy to get a $50 massage. When I tell you my life was changed, it's only because the English language cannot express the level of bliss I achieved.
One of the first things people say in introductions to meditation is to focus on the sensations of your body - the inhale and exhale, the temperature of the room, your weight on the chair, the movement of air on your skin. It's never worked for me before, but when I'm getting a massage there's enough sensory stimulation that I can actually ignore everything else and just focus on the pressure moving across my body. When there's a particularly tough knot to work out, I breathe with intention, inhaling and then exhaling slowly while consciously relaxing my muscles to let the massage therapist do their work.
This is different from every other physical experience I've encountered. On the rare occasions I exercise by going for a jog or following a yoga video in the living room, my mind becomes a litany of "When is this over, how many more steps, how many more minutes, this is terrible." Eating food is often accompanied by reading a book, watching TV, or mindlessly scrolling social media if I'm eating by myself or conversations when I eat with friends. Showering is spent thinking about all the tasks I have left for the day, fiddling with the temperature of the water to try and get comfortable, regretting the sensation of clean clothes sticking to damp skin. Even bedroom activities are filled with self-consciousness and judgment. "Does this feel good for them, do I look weird from this angle, this position is uncomfortable."
But during a massage, it is purely about my own enjoyment and relaxation. The variation in sensation between pinpoint fingertips or long slow forearm strokes across my back, the changing depth of pressure, the unwinding of relaxed muscles, the tensing of sore ones, there is nothing like it in the world. If I'm feeling super fancy, I'll ask for the aromatherapy lotion, adding a whole new level of sensory input through scent, something that's highly enjoyable for me. (Citrus, mint, and lavender are some of my favorite scents, depending on the day and my mood.) Since my first foray into the world of massage, I've invested in monthly massages, often saving them for weeks when I know I have a lot going on so I can carve out a guaranteed 60-90 minutes where I can leave all that behind and just do something nice for myself.
So if you struggle with quieting your mind and getting a break from the onslaught of random thoughts, maybe try a massage! (And if you're in my area, go see Yolanda, she's the best.)
**Not sponsored by Massage Envy, but hey, if anyone from HQ is reading this, hit me up.**
Comments