Why you need a massage
Posted
Sep 19 2008, 02:46 AM
by
Donna Freedman
Rating:
Yesterday I spent 90 blissful minutes being rubbed the right way for a change. A licensed massage therapist dissolved painful knots in my neck and shoulders and loosened muscles that I'd strained while picking fruit.
Thanks to a student discount, the hour and a half cost $77, money that comes out of the "treats" section of my spending plan. Other people do dinners out, concerts, DVD subscription services, basketball games, fine wine. I do bodywork.
Even so, I hesitated to write about it because I was afraid that "massage" would sound elitist.
Some people consider massage a New Age affectation. More to the point, $77 sounds like a fortune to anyone who's struggling to make ends meet. If your utilities are about to be cut off, massage can seem pretty indulgent.
It kept me going
When I was at a low point financially, massage was not a priority. My funds went to rent, groceries, car insurance (I needed reliable transportation for a chronically ill relative), paying down my divorce-related debt, and helping family members who were in even worse financial straits than I was.
As stress accumulated, the shoulder injury from a long-ago car accident would flare up. My lower back spasmed until I walked bent at a 45-degree angle. My jaws were clenched so tightly that I could barely open them wide enough to admit a spoonful of oatmeal.
Stretching, ice packs, heating pads and ibuprofen from the dollar store kept me functioning after a fashion. But eventually I would deteriorate to the point where I couldn't lift my arms -- not good for anybody, let alone somebody who at the time was cleaning an apartment building each week.
So I'd pry $35 or $40 out of that month's debt-repayment money for an hour of bodywork, either at a local massage school or from a new practitioner offering special rates for first-time clients. The relief was so great that I'd wonder why I didn't do this more often. Probably because I thought that debt trumped pain.
These days, it's a priority
Now, I consider massage to be preventive medicine. Experts say that it increases circulation and helps reduce muscle tension and pain. Massage may also reduce pressure on nerves, lessen anxiety and promote normal joint movement.
I try to get a massage every six or seven weeks. When I get off the table I feel utterly relaxed, a state that lasts for days. In addition, massage practitioners have given me useful tips on stretching and on basic body mechanics like sitting, bending and walking.
Some insurance plans pay for massage that's prescribed by a doctor or chiropractor. Those who live in an area with a massage school may get very good prices on bodywork from qualified, supervised students.
If you have any kind of discretionary funds at all, I'd suggest you give massage a try. It's a chance to let everything go and focus on nothing at all -- kind of like meditation except that while you do it, a professional is working out all the ugly spots in your muscles.
I've gone into a session so bound up I could barely move, and afterward practically danced all the way to the bus stop. My body moves differently. I'm aware of the play of tendon and muscle as I put away groceries, sweep the floor, shoulder a backpack full of textbooks.
Massage reminds me that I actually live in my body. To me, that's a lot more satisfying than unlimited movies by mail.
Note: This week I'm hosting the "Women of Personal Finance Spotlight" at partner blog Wise Bread. you have a question or comment about personal finance and/or PF blogging, please follow this link. I look forward to hearing from you.
