But I Can’t Afford a Massage!

But I can’t afford a massage or other luxury items, you say?

So here are two things I want to say about that statement.

First, there are real and tangible physical, physiological, emotional and measurable benefits of massage. Seriously. There have been loads of studies. Professional massage can manage pain, improve wellbeing, elevate oxytocin, improve mood and a whole lot of other amazing benefits. So it’s not really a luxury item. It fits into your wellness routine. Plus it feels good.

You deserve to feel good every day, not just on special occasions. Really.

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Wellness Tip No. 10 – Have a Massage You knew I would post this one, right??? Massage has so many benefits, helping many physical conditions, managing pain, improving mood and lowering stress. A regular massage is part of a wellness plan, not just a luxury experience (although there's nothing wrong with pampering massage either). If you're new to massage, find an experienced professional Remedial Massage Therapist who offers Health Fund Rebates, even if you're not in a Health Fund. This means that the therapist does professional training every year and has all of the required insurances. And it's okay to ask questions to find a therapist that's a good fit for you. Give massage a go, I bet you'll love it! #wellbeingandsoul #wellbeingtips #massageandsoul #massagetherapist #bluemountains #leura #decembertips #massageandsoulwellness #lowerstress #massagemonday #remedialmassage #healthfundrebates #mobilemassage #massage

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The second thing I want to say is that I work a few sneaky hours in retail, for a bit of variety around my massage work. Every single shift I see people overspend or make impulse buys. I try not to judge – after all I do it too – however, it prompts me to ponder how people spend or value their money.

I want you to be living the life of your dreams and using your money for maximum value and pleasure.

So here’s a task – what would your day, week or month look like if you had all the money you desired? Pull out a notebook and write it down. From morning to evening, work, holidays, cars, charities…. Everything.

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Wellness Tip No. 7 – Write Down Your Goals This is the tip I see pop up time and time again in order to succeed. And success feels good. So write down your goals daily, weekly, monthly and yearly. Write down action steps as daily goals. Workshop and review your goals regularly and keep them positive and actionable. E.g., if you want to stop eating junk food, your goal might be to eat two pieces of fruit and a vegetable as daily snacks or to make a batch of healthy biscuits for the week. Being specific helps with goal setting. You can rewrite your big goals daily as you figure out how you will achieve them. There's a kind of magic in writing it down and then tweaking words and phrases helps you achieve your goals one by one. You'll be amazed at how much more you achieve if you write down your goals daily. #wellbeingandsoul #wellbeingtips #massageandsoul #massagetherapist #bluemountains #leura #decembertips #massageandsoulwellness #lowerstress

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I do hope that a regular massage is on the list but what else? Dinners out? Theatre tickets? A gardener? New socks? A savings account?

The point of this exercise is to notice what’s important to you and what you think you can’t afford. Don’t feel bad if your income is low right now. We’ve all been there!

And now here’s the fun part. Start trialling some of your dream list. One way to do that is to begin letting go of extra expenses that are not benefitting you and making conscious choices in your spending.

Even if it’s only one massage, concert, art class or set of warm mittens a year. If you consciously choose how you spend your money, you will feel better about it.

And if you want to cut a few costs to redistribute spending on your dreams, here are some ideas:

Do you really need a family subscription to Netflix, Spotify or is the cheaper subscription enough?
Can you downgrade your internet plan?
Quit smoking?
Go onto a cheaper prepaid phone plan for a year when your phone plan expires?
Shop in bulk?
Save your gold coins?
Ask your family and friends for birthday money towards a massage, ballet tickets, yoga classes etc?
Eat meat-free a couple or nights a week?
Borrow books from the library?
Make a plunger of coffee rather than buy a coffee a day?
Become a one car household?

Or maybe you can earn a little bit more each week? An extra hour or two or a second, third or fourth job (if you’re like me!)? Enough to achieve a dream goal?

By the way, you could also go to a student massage or naturopathy clinic, or find some out of season holiday deals. You can achieve some of your dreams at a low cost.

Maybe after this exercise you’ve decided that you don’t really want to make changes. That’s okay too. I don’t expect my 94 year old grandfather to suddenly like massage. It’s just not his thing.

But I do hope you do some of the items on your dream or goal list this year. And if money has been an issue, I know you’ll get there one dollar at a time.