Prioritizing Your Own Self As A Solo Massage Therapist.
Boundaries, baby!
Welcome back to another Monday with the Mavens. We created the Massage Mavens blog to connect with and educate self-employed massage therapists working to grow as business owners.
It can be lonely working for yourself – and we’re here to remind you that while you’re in business for yourself, you don’t have to be in business by yourself.
While we cater our content to independent MTs, all massage therapists are welcome here; whether you run your own independent massage therapy studio, you contract in a clinic, work in spa, or you are still in school.
You cannot pour from an empty cup”
- an overused, but admittedly correct, piece of advice.
Raise your hand if you’ve ever tried to “Pour” from an empty cup.
If I could type hands-free, my own hands would be up. High.
It’s an all-too-common problem for massage therapists… especially those of us who are self-employed.
We get lost in the day to day grind of posting to our studio’s social media, networking and representing our brand in the community, cleaning our massage studio, stocking our massage studio, organizing our financials for tax-time, scheduling our sessions, not to mention actually giving massages…
So I’m just checking in today to ask how you stay at the top of your own to-do list; because when you’re self employed, if you burn out, the business fizzles, too.
Do you schedule out time in your day for yoga and sunlight?
Do you have a morning routine of walking the dog and drinking lots of water?
Do you schedule massages and acupuncture appointments well in advance so they’re a pleasant midweek respite when they finally roll around?
Do you keep your calendar capped at a sustainable schedule?
Do you part ways with incompatible clients before they drain you?
Do you have a supportive person / people in your life to turn to when business gets difficult, slow, or uninspiring?
All of these are things I’ve had to learn to prioritize over my years as a self-employed massage therapist. I’ve also had to re-educate myself that doing these things is not selfish; It’s necessary.
We cannot give our best to clients if we aren’t even giving our best to ourselves.
So. How do you ensure you’re giving the best to yourself?
Thanks for stopping by!
As always, we’d love to hear how our content has helped you improve either your studio, your mindset, or your revenue as a self-employed massage therapist.
Rachel Martin, LMT, is an independent massage therapist living in Denver Colorado. Having built her solo massage studio to capacity, she now spends her free time helping other massage therapists do the same. Check out The Bodyworkers Business Collective, Queen Street Marketplace, and The Techy MT to learn more.
