After working with my clients over the past eight years I have seen over and over again how we can push ourselves into busying our lives even if it causes us pain.

We bury the pain message our brain is sending and disassociate ourselves from that pain or body part, compensating and causing even further dysfunction, just to keep our routine going. Pain is an important message from our body and we need to listen.

As women we wear many hats and have many roles in life. We are professionals, we are homemakers, we are chefs, we are cleaners, we are mothers, we are wives, we are leaders, we are educators and somewhere in there we are ourselves. When life gets busy and chaos frequents our homes and lives, our self identity and health are usually the first to be set aside. We know what needs to be done to find peace and balance in our life but how do we find the time. Sometimes reaching out to our massage therapist, naturopathic doctor, energy therapist; our health care team, in times such as these gives us the support and reminder we need that we need to nurture ourselves too. We need to remember that first we must take care of ourselves, then we can take care of those around us.

I believe it is this imbalance that we somehow fall into that can cause disease in our bodies and by nurturing ourselves, decreasing stress in our lives or learning to manage stress differently we can help our bodies find balance and increase our inert ability to heal ourselves. Self care can be defined as personal health maintenance. It is any activity that we do with the intention of improving or restoring health and treating or preventing disease. Self care includes all health decisions we make for ourselves to get and stay physically and mentally well. A health care team can support a self care program enabling and empowering us to bring balance and wellness into our lives.

There are many approaches and "tools" to self care and your support team can suggest specific ways that are unique to you. Strengthening and stretching routines might help to manage pain and maintain range of motion and function in our bodies.

Breath awareness can help to decrease stress, pain and balance our bodyʼs pH bringing oxygen to our cells. Breath slows us down and calms our nervous system helping us to identify with our body. Warm baths can be a good "tool" to relax and let go of the days tensions, creating a quiet space to breath, slow our minds and meditate. Positive affirmations of love and encouragement can help to nurture the mental and emotional need. All of these self care "tools" are examples of how we can take care of ourselves and empower us to better health and wellness bringing balance into our lives. When we forget these tools or are unsure of what we might need for ourselves, consult a health care provider and they can support you on this journey to wellness.

Massage Therapy has many benefits. Affecting all systems of our body, massage therapy helps our system to find homeostasis and regain functional ability. With each massage therapy session, a registered massage therapist (RMT) will connect more with their clients; learning more about their needs a therapist is able to create and monitor self care programs helping to empower their clients to help themselves.

A sense of peace and well being is a healthy feeling. Listen to your body, take care of yourself, practice self care using the tools you have and find your path to wellness and balance in your life.