TIP 84
MASSAGE THE MACHINE
The more high technology around us, the more the need for human touch.
Only the person who is relaxed can create, and to that mind ideas flow like lightning.
Most folks have overly busy, stressful lives. A massage is a truly fine and wonderful thing, and it may be the only time you give yourself a chance to totally relax and unwind. There are all different types of massage—sports, therapeutic, Reiki healing, shiatsu, acupressure, foot reflexology, and more. I used to enjoy the super-intense, beat-and-pound-the-muscles-into-submission kind of massage. Then I discovered Reiki massage. Reiki deeply relaxes the muscles without causing them to tense up and resist. Now I don’t get the beat ’em up massages because I’ve noticed the difference. Find a massage therapist who is sufficiently skilled to apply just the right amount of pressure to relax your muscles.
Getting a massage is a superb way to combat the stresses of hectic modern living. Aside from the immediate and obvious benefits of being more relaxed, I have noticed other changes in myself. It is now easier for me to meditate on my own (I was too busy to meditate before, and when I tried it, I couldn’t relax enough to meditate—a sorry case). Another curious benefit is that my intuition is getting much stronger. Perhaps it is more accurate to say that my intuition was always there, but I wasn’t relaxed enough to listen to it. Now, I often get flash insights that are right on target. We all have intuition, but we may not be relaxed enough to hear it (Tip 57). My personal trainer is amazed that I rarely get sore, stiff muscles even after a very intense weight workout. This is thanks to the weekly massages that keep my muscles flexible. If I skip my massage, I notice the soreness in the muscles. Russian athletes have long known and practiced the competitive advantage of sports massage. Davis Phinney, U.S. Olympic cyclist, says, “At our level of competition, there is such a subtle difference between winning and losing that you need every advantage possible. Massage is one of them.” It is also a competitive advantage in your business life. If you are serious about being happier and more successful, get a regular massage, at least once a month if not weekly.
Try different massage therapists until you find the one who works for you. You should feel completely comfortable and at ease with your massage therapist. A skillful therapist works differently with different people, adapting her touch to your unique needs. During a massage you may even release pent up emotions that you’ve been holding back in tense muscles. It is perfectly normal to have a good cry on the massage table, and many massage therapists provide a safe and protective space for these natural emotional releases to occur. You will feel transported away from your worries and concerns, and afterward you will feel both physically and emotionally nurtured and rejuvenated.
A regional marketing director hired me to help her make it through a challenging career transition. She was training a replacement to run her old department, training for her new and bigger job, and moving a family with two teenage daughters, a dog, and a bird to another state. I said that she was going through three of the major life stressors at once and would need to take extreme measures to keep her health and vitality intact. She mentioned, rather wistfully, that she had heard Bob Hope had a massage every single day, and that must be heaven. I promptly gave her that as homework. Coach’s orders: get a massage every single day. She was a bit shocked at this unusual assignment. Raised a Catholic, she wasn’t sure if she could take all the guilt of doing something so purely selfish. I encouraged her to give it a try for one week. The next week she came back and said that the massages were exactly what she needed. It was the only time during the day that she had completely to herself. She would let her mind wander, and difficult problems would sort themselves out. I gave her the same assignment the next week and the next week after that. After three weeks of daily massages, she reported that she never thought she’d be saying this, but she was beginning to feel that she’d had enough massages. Now she feels satiated with a weekly massage.
Another client, Edward, had been without a girlfriend for over a year. I recommended that he get a massage because he wasn’t experiencing enough physical touching. Part of being human is having a need to be touched. Anyone who doesn’t have regular, close physical contact with another person is not getting enough touching and is missing a critical element of health and well-being. Edward started treating himself to a weekly massage, and a few months later he met a woman. They have been dating ever since. If you don’t need it, you are more likely to attract it (Tip 43).