Massage Makes Me Happy

By Marshall Dahneke, Lynda Solien-Wolfe(LMT), May 10, 2017

Massage Makes Me Happy

By Marshall Dahneke, Lynda Solien-Wolfe(LMT),
May 10, 2017

A little more than 50 years ago, an insurance company in Worcester, Mass., faced a problem — after a series of mergers, acquisitions, and layoffs, employee morale had sunk to new lows. To lift spirits, the company paid $45 to a designer named Harvey Ross Ball. He spent less than 10 minutes whipping out a yellow-and-black mood-boosting graphic, now instantly recognized, the very first smiley face.

The round, grinning image has proven itself an enduring symbol of happiness. But in your hands rests an even more powerful tool for spreading joy through the world. That's right — massage has the potential to enhance happiness for your clients, for yourself, even for the whole world.

Defining Happiness

To understand how, it helps to know what we mean by happiness in the first place. Financial achievements, a thriving business, personal connections — all these marks of success might make you smile or feel satisfied. But they're not the same as happiness.

Happiness is truly an attitude, a state of mind. You can achieve happiness wherever you are, from the first day you start massage school to your 40th year in practice. Even if you face challenges —debt, stress, failure — you can rise above them to grab it.

As researcher, author, and positive psychology expert Sean Achor says, "Scientifically, happiness is a choice. It is a choice about where your single processor brain will devote its finite resources as you process the world." It starts with embracing the positivity around you — it's there, even in the darkest corners. From there, you can start shining your light around the room so others can see.

For a truly powerful illustration, consider this example from a recent talk by Marshall: There are two kinds of people in the world, those who brighten a room when they enter, and those who brighten a room when they leave. You'll no doubt be able to call to mind someone who meets each description — and thereby have a concrete idea of the difference between a person who fosters happiness and one who's ruled by pessimism and gloom.

Happiness doesn't mean ignoring obstacles in your path or pretending everything is going the way you planned when it's not. Rather, it's maintaining an open, curious attitude, always looking for the opportunities amidst the challenges. Rather than dwell on the unfairness or difficulty of their circumstances, happy people respond by accepting the things they can't change while actively working to make the world a better place in the ways they can.

The MT's Role

So where does massage fit into this picture? As a massage therapist, happiness is actually a critical part of the product you're delivering. The proven effects of massage — stress reduction, increased blood flow, improved range of motion — all make your clients feel better immediately. In the longer term, these benefits enhances people's ability to do the types of things that bring them joy — playing golf, picking up a grandchild, making it through the day relaxed and with less pain.

Of course, each of your clients makes the same choice to respond to their life circumstances in a positive or negative way as anyone else. But the fact that they've arrived at your table, actively seeking relief from tightness and tension, means they're at least making progress toward a positive mindset. And your touch can help guide them along that road.

In turn, your work provides the maximum power when you radiate happiness from within. If you feel a sense of passion for your purpose, gratitude for the chance to perform your tasks, and peace of mind about your own struggles, your clients will no doubt sense this in your hands. Their chances of leaving your session happier than when they arrived dramatically increase.

Bringing Happiness Home

All this can sound a bit lofty and theoretical. And you may wonder if there's really anything you can do about it. After all, aren't some people just born to be happy, while others are doomed to dwell in the dumps? While it's true some people are naturally more positive than others, there are simple, practical ways to incorporate more happiness into your life. Try some — or all — of these concrete steps, many of which we've touched on in previous columns.

Practice gratitude. Fostering appreciation for what you have trains your brain to focus on the good rather than the bad. Try keeping a gratitude journal, where you jot down a few things you're thankful for every day. Or take a moment to say a blessing before meals, in the morning, or at night when you go to sleep.

Meditate. Practices that enhance mindfulness, or a focus on the present moment, have been shown to relieve stress and anxiety and increase happiness. Lynda sets a mood of gratitude for her evening meditation by listening to Louis Armstrong's "It's a Wonderful World," then spending time in quiet contemplation.

Take your own medicine. You probably wouldn't have entered the field of massage therapy if you didn't believe it could improve people's lives. Stay connected to that mission, and enhance your own health and well-being, by regularly getting bodywork yourself. The experience will also tune you into the way the therapists' mood affects the clients' — you'll feel the difference in energy between a treatment from someone who loves what they do and someone who's angry or merely going through the motions.

Choose your company wisely. Of course, you can't handpick every co-worker, client, or family member. But as you move about your days, notice the people around you who bring light into a room when they arrive. When you have an option, choose to spend as much time with these people as possible. Seek them out for influential roles in your life — as mentors, close friends, business or personal partners.

Create memorable moments. Sure, money can buy you a fabulous trip. However, you don't need to wait for some future benchmark of financial success to seek pleasure. Can't go to the beach Hawaii? Take your lunch outside and admire the scenery at a local park. Crave a spa day? Cue up relaxing music and light a candle while you soak in a bubble bath, pampering yourself with luxurious scrub. These small everyday luxuries can make a big difference — and are available to anyone, almost anytime.

Manage your time. Setting reasonable goals and having realistic expectations of what you can accomplish makes the difference between finishing a workday contented and constantly feeling overstretched.

Mind your media. While staying informed is important and murder mysteries can be thrilling, watch how much negativity you absorb into your life through TV, social media, and other communications. At the very least, consider balancing out the bad with positive, uplifting sources of news and entertainment.

One other lesson the scientific literature provides us — the happiest people of all are those who have a sense of purpose, a belief that what they do makes a difference. As a massage therapist, this idea of serving others, of sharing joy, is built into your career path. That means happiness is always yours for the taking, if only you choose to reach out and embrace it — and that massage, in the end, really can make you (and the world) happy.