Can the pandemic shorten your career?

Can the pandemic shorten your career?

by Alicia Doucette

In today’s current global pandemic, many people are finding it difficult to keep up with the new protocols and rules. It is not different for massage therapists. The new massage therapy protocols have changed the way we allow people to enter the treatment space, provide treatment, and clean the treatment space. Even with increased time between massage treatments, it can be challenging to ensure all the protocols are followed, write treatment notes, and do the small self-care tasks that allow us to keep providing massage to our clients.

It is important to remember to still hydrate between treatments, especially since working in a mask can make you feel extra warm while providing treatment. Specific stretching between treatments can be a useful tool to keep muscles supple during a workday. Feeling rushed between treatments can increase general stress, and that can build throughout the day.  All these things can impact the physical, emotional, and vocational wellness of a therapist over time, possibly negatively affecting the longevity of a massage therapist’s career. 

Massage therapy is an excellent tool to promote self-wellness, and massage therapists should consider taking advantage of it for themselves. Setting up a regular trade with another massage therapist is one way to promote longevity in a massage therapist’s career. Also, taking the time outside of the workday to engage in physical, social, or spiritual activities can help relieve overall feelings of stress, thus promoting wellness.

Massage therapy is a challenging and rewarding profession; it is important for a therapist to find how to manage their own wellness to achieve longevity in their chosen career.