My journey with promoting self care…. And not doing it myself….
My thoughts on Infrared and the benefits.
Trudy Parolin, RMT – January 18, 2023
So, I’ve been kind of quiet about this because I’m a little embarrassed. I’m a big believer in both; people & things living up to their word.
The last 4 months of 2022, I didn’t take very good care of myself, as I was too busy caring for my patients and family… then BOOM! Ended up with a neck injury that had me suffering up to, and through Christmas as well as the weeks following! Hard lesson learned on my part – regular appointments are SUPER important – and that goes for me as well. Practice what I preach is my new motto! ;). As an RMT, I can not believe how hard it is to find a good massage therapist…. I am hopeful that I’ve finally found someone whom I can take under my wing and ‘teach the Trudy way’ to. This will allow me to finally receive the same treatments as my patients! I have purchased an infrared sauna blanket as part of my current & ongoing wellness plan. This is not a sales pitch, but I DO want to share with everyone my experiences with it. I had it up to 73° for 45 minutes the first time (I do not recommend this – for MY experience – I felt quite nauseous afterwards for about 30 minutes) so for the following session, I dropped the temp to 70° for 30 minutes and holy cow – a cool shower following and I have been feeling AHHH-MAZING!
The infrared lighting allows me to enjoy the benefits of an infrared sauna without the space. I have been using this 2-3x/week and have gradually increased the temperature and time. Honestly, from the inside out…. I feel so much better; I can’t explain it, but after a treatment… I just feel freaking AMAZING and the feeling LASTS!!! I want to tell you about this, because I WILL be recommending it! If you want to know more, let me know & I will send you off my personal write up on it!
My injuries that took me to the hospital with the pain (unbearable pain that is), led to an x-ray, that showed not only arthritis and osteophytes (bone spurs) in my neck, but my neck has started to arch in the wrong direction, and every muscle in my neck/back and shoulders had seized. I could not move my head let alone hold it up. It’s like it weighed 100lbs and to move it, I had to cradle it in my hands & gently – ohhhh so gently and cautiously move it into the position I needed it to go. I NEVER want to experience that pain again, let me tell you! So, I’m trying to save YOU from injury through my experiences. This brings us to what has become my new wellness protocol.
Self Care, Mental Restoration and Family Time. Sounds simple enough…
Self Care: Involves getting up early, using my Heat Healer infrared blanket for 40-60 minutes 2-3 times a week, cool to cold shower after, and I’m ready to take on the world. I’ve started to receive my own massages bi-weekly (if I’m feeling discomfort) or monthly as part of preventative measures. (And if those nights are cold enough – the hot tub)!
Mental Restoration: Just as important (& sometimes more) than the physical, mental restoration gives me my downtime to not think about work and focus on the present. We are constantly in a world of go-go-go, which is really not good – we need to focus on being in the here and now, not tomorrow, not yesterday, but today. As a Reiki master, I know the importance of this; it’s not optional, it’s essential. Do I even need to tell you about my stones? I swear, they really do have healing aspects to them – they really do vibrate! I’ve taught my husband how to feel the differences in vibrations – so as a non-believer… he’ll tell you!! They allow me to clear myself and my working space, so everything is positive for you.
These methods will allow me to continue to help others keeping the same attention and effectiveness you have all learned to know & love.
This brings me to Family Time. Family time is so very important – as many of you know, I used to work 6 days a week from 7am – 6:30pm and it was just too much. My own mind, body and spirit suffered, and so did the quality time for my family. We all felt it. My intention was of the highest, but it was just too much on me, thus the reason I no longer work Saturdays, and will take time throughout the year to restore. During those crazy times of year, I will always increase my availability for my current patients, but in doing so, must ensure I take care of myself too.
Wellness I’ve learned does NOT exclude me. It’s a very important part of my career in order to keep you, my valued patients safe & healthy too!
If you would like to know more about the infrared blanket, let me know & I will send you my personal write up on my unbiased thoughts about it.
With Gratitude always,
Trudy