Today’s post is from Shawna Lendzion Harbin, a massage and craniosacral therapist who specializes in working with parents!  Shawna has been bringing Seattle area individuals and families a sense of relaxation, physical ease, and mental clarity since 2004.

Have you noticed just how different life is when you’re really relaxed?  Not only do we enjoy ourselves more, but our problems are easier to deal with.  We don’t worry so much about the bills we have to pay or our conflicts at home.  Circumstances generally don’t aggravate us as easily and we’re much more stable when confronting life’s struggles.

So how can massage and craniosacral therapy help us get there?  

These two modalities specifically aid in calming our nerves and can even shift our moods to a more positive state.  Massage employs the power of touch and a soothing environment to achieve this while craniosacral therapy goes a step further.  Using a gentle contact, the practitioner accesses deeper and more delicate structures in the central nervous system and releases tensions found in the muscles, tissues, and bones within.  This also allows the cerebrospinal fluid – which protects, nourishes, and removes wastes from the brain and spinal cord – to flow more freely throughout these areas.  What we experience as a result of freeing up these restrictions is a profound feeling of peace and relaxation. 

By providing this greater sense of calm and mental clarity, massage and craniosacral therapy improve our ability to be more present to our kids, what they are saying, and how we choose to respond.  Parents find it easier to communicate with their teen and to make difficult judgements in a sometimes emotionally intense environment.  As we enjoy the benefits of a healthier nervous system, we can be more centered within ourselves and our kids will notice.

I have to say that the year I felt the best was the year I got a weekly massage (I traded it for weekly coaching). Bliss!

To schedule an appointment, please call 206.949.3834.

Q: Some days I feel so exhausted and discouraged that I don’t want to get out of bed.  I feel that God has let me down and that I’m letting down my family, and both hurt.  What techniques do you use to bring up your mood and energy?

A: Thank you for your honesty and open heart.  The 5 techniques below work well.  Feel free to tweak them to fit your personality.  It may take some time and certainly your continued efforts to bring yourself up on a low day.  If you need professional assistance, please honor that need and find someone to help you further.

• Gratitude Lists - every day write down at least 10 things that you’re grateful for. You don’t have to limit yourself to big things like being grateful for your health or your family - though those are good choices! Sometimes I write that I’m grateful for sweat pants or sushi or my pillow! Beyond that, each day be on the lookout for as many interesting events, happy coincidences, fun encounters or even close calls that surprise you.  
• Affirmations - We give ourselves so many negative messages and think they’re the truth, so it’s important to counter them with equally powerful, positive statements that affirm our self-worth and our ability to survive and thrive. You can find affirmations in books or you can create your own. One way to write an affirmation is to take a negative statement that you tell yourself on a regular basis and turn it around. For example, instead of telling yourself that you’re stupid or worthless or ugly you can affirm that you are clever or blessed or beautiful in every way. Another technique is to take one of your less charming attributes and state the opposite. Instead of saying, “I am judgmental,” you affirm “I am accepting of everybody and every situation.” Yet another technique is to create a statement that reflects your deepest dreams in present tense. For example, “I am an emotionally available parent.” (more…)