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Navigating the Vulnerability of Major Career Change
Eight years ago I would have rated my job satisfaction as low, perhaps nonexistent. Now that I reflect on my second career as a Registered Massage Therapist with five years of practice under her belt, I can say the opposite and have a few thoughts on overcoming the upheaval and stress involved in changing careers.
The Parallels Between Dog Training and Rehabilitation
If you’ve worked with people in an exercise setting for any period of time, you’ve either knowingly or unknowingly been working in the field of skill acquisition. Webster’s Dictionary defines a “skill” as “a learned power of doing something competently: a developed aptitude or ability”. I’ve been thinking to myself lately, what exactly is “competence” as it concerns skill acquisition? In the past, I would have preferred a rigid definition, but I’m in a place in my career where a softer version makes more sense.
From Excitement to Overwhelm: Building Your Own Business
Picture this, you step off the stage at graduation, ready to take on a new career (along with whatever else the world throws at you). You go home feeling charged and ready for the incoming challenge. Personally, I found the transition terrifying.
Preventing Compassion Fatigue in Caregiving Professions
If you ask someone in a caregiving profession why they chose their field, you’ll often hear them say in response that they want to help others. Working with people that require care on a near-daily basis can be predictably challenging at times, particularly if the caregiver is struggling to maintain a sense of harmony between the various aspects of their own lives. Left unchecked, this consistent disharmony can lead to compassion fatigue.
The Autonomic Nervous System’s Role in Corrective Movement Strategies
A sympathetic nervous system response happens when a person is under a real or perceived threat; the autonomic nervous system mobilizes cellular resources necessary to engage a fight or flight response. An inefficient movement strategy (meaning biomechanics, the way we move our bodies) can be perceived as a challenge to the nervous system, resulting in a real or perceived threat which can create a heightened sympathetic drive (Kobesova et al., 2020).
The Impact of Sleep on Concussion Recovery
For as long as I can remember I have always needed a lot of sleep. If my sleep is disrupted, it affects the rest of my day. When looking a determinants of health, recovery, and stress management, sleep always seems to be in the conversation. Concussions are no different.
Massage Therapy for People with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Carpal tunnel syndrome is a condition characterized by tingling, numbness and pain in the hand and fingers (particularly the thumb, index, middle and ring fingers). These symptoms are often the result of median nerve irritation in the wrist or forearm. Systematic reviews have also shown that manual therapy combined with multimodal care can improve symptoms, decrease disability, and improve function for patients who suffer from carpal tunnel syndrome (Huisstede et al., 2018).
How Death Doula Training Helped My Massage Practice
I’ve taken a number of death doula courses, and they’ve all shared useful practices. My favourite practice that I’ve adopted into my own life is keeping a “beginner’s mind”. I’ve found it particularly helpful- not just in end-of-life work but also in clinical practice as a massage therapist, and in life in general.
Heart Rate Variability in Concussion Recovery
The topic of stress is one at the forefront of concussion management. Whether it’s sub-symptom physical exertion or cognitive stressors, it appears that addressing these two components of stress can lead to positive outcomes for people who have suffered from a concussion. One of the difficulties with stress is it’s hard to manage.
Commitment and Acceptance Therapy in Concussion Rehabilitation
Picture this: it’s a cold December day in 2016, the wind blows strong, the snow is deep, and the sliding conditions are perfect. I decided to go down the hill with my Grade 4 class at the time. It was great fun until I banged my knee and laid on the ground recovering. At that exact moment, one of the big kids came down the hill and slammed into the back of my head with their knee flexed, and I felt instant pain.
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