Why massage when the world is on fire?
a case for supporting your body when everyone needs support
This went out to my newsletter subscribers on a different platform, so here I am sending it to you in our little Substack land! That said, if you’re in both, this may be a repeat. Since I wrote it and am here sending it again, more terrifying shit storms have popped up here in the disunited states of america. Too many disgusting things to address at once so I’ll just say I hope you had a nice Easter and 420 and everyone incarcerated for weed related offenses should be immediately released! And big love to every neurodivergent and autistic babe who had to listen to this week’s vitriol and lies from RFK in order keep the anti-disability spoke of the fascist machine turning. Sigh.
Hi there,
I had an interview yesterday and with most massage jobs, giving a massage is the main part of the interview process. This person LOVED my massage. Someone who’s been giving and receiving massages regularly and professionally for nearly 20 years was sort of blown away, complimented my talent and intuition and technique. I don’t know how transparent or protective I’ve been about this truth, but finding solid footing with my massage work in the Bay Area has not been easy with all my personal life changes that brought me here. Having less than lackluster success has made the little self doubt gremlin take over more than once so it felt really thrilling to get a boost and validation that I am actually, quite good at what I do.
I usually feel pretty solid why massage matters for us individually and collectively but self doubt can lead to other negative self talk and the ‘why does massage matter when the world is on fire?’ is a reasonable question for clients and therapists alike.
I'm a bit at a loss for words about the state of things. In many ways, if you're someone who has been seeing the writing on the wall that we have been barreling towards fascism, it isn't a surprise. And yet, the layers of rights being taken away from us are happening at a mind bending speed. I often touch on the political but I don't claim to be a political educator or content creator. So I won't go into detail about the anti trans bills and violent rhetoric, ICE agents abducting visa carriers (and citizens!) and disappearing them, women having to be passport holders to maintain their right to vote, billionaire oligarchs manipulating the market and threatening social security in order to fill their overflowing greedy coffers. I mean what in the actual fuck. Probably you already know these things but I actually want to make a case for why you should still get bodywork even though it may seem pretty futile alongside such pressing issues.
Here's my reasoning:
Apathy is the biggest movement killer. The ‘what's the point? it’s all already so terrible.' is the best way to let them win. Tending to your garden, literal and metaphorical (your body) shows a belief in a future worth fighting for. I’m not being hyperbolic when I say I believe this is magic!
You can't fill from an empty cup. As resources become more strained, basic necessities get more expensive, our friends, neighbors, family members, and our own damn selves, will continue to need help. Watching our systems crumble before our eyes, it will be the Gofundmes, mutual aid, fundraisers and small connected actions that get many of us through these times. You are allowed and need to replenish yourself. Even nowadays. Perhaps especially. Massage with a trusted provider is nourishing to so many layers of our systems.
This is VERY stressful. The mental anguish of watching genocide and people being deported and feeling helpless to it is also a kind of violence. It makes sense we fall into a puddle and feel like a drop in the bucket won’t help so we stay fried and immobilized. Massage is incredible for stress relief and supporting nervous system regulation. Laying down for an hour or more while someone else entirely tends to our body can do wonders for our systems. The practice that we are allowed to receive and ask for what we need is valuable on its own, but also when our body isn’t in survival mode, when we can come to a true resting state, there isn’t a system in our body that doesn’t benefit. When our nervous system is in the parasympathetic mode (rest and digest) rather than sympathetic mode (survival mode) our digestion, immune function, heart rate, circulation, breath, and mental clarity all are improved. When times are more stressful, you are still allowed stress relieving tools.
Massage helps us imagine possibility. If we believe there’s no way out of destroying the planet with war and fossil fuels and letting billionaires turn our country into a christofascist empire for the rich, well then it will be so. When we are able to rest we are afforded the possibility of imagination, a way out of capitalism, a way to fight climate change, regulate fossil fuels, a way to organize ourselves and build a society that doesn’t include detention centers or regulating women and trans peoples’ bodies. Massage helps us imagine possibility.
Interpersonal relationships thrive when we have more emotional regulation coping tools. There’s a great video going around right now about how prioritizing community is annoying and I really appreciate the truth and love in this. It’s inconvenient to take a friend to the airport at dawn, attending a pal’s art show when you’d rather watch tv at home. Helping a friend low on spoons clean their cat’s litter box or do their dishes. It’s ok that these things are a little annoying! Rather than doing the thing and feeling drained or annoyed and then letting some sneaky passive aggression emerge, come get a massage. Massage is amazing for the plain ol’ irritable grumps. Did I mention conflict resolution? If we are going to support one another and stick by each other, we are going to experience conflict. I have found it’s nearly impossible to be accountable when constantly activated or unable to access a sense of equilibrium. We all mess up sometimes, come get a massage so you can be accountable to yourself and your people.
And then of course there’s the physical reasons for massage! Trying a new workout, wanting better range of motion, managing pain relief whether acute or chronic, having someone to troubleshoot and problem solve about a new odd pain. Whether it’s to support or prepare for long hours of walking or standing at a march or rally or being a new parent carrying a little one, you are allowed to get help to address physical pains. Overwhelmingly doctors don’t have a ton of tools for soft tissue or muscular issues. And to be clear I am pro doctors and definitely go to way less school than them! But they generally don’t study fascia like I do and they certainly don’t spend an hour or more touching it and wondering, ‘hm I wonder if you stand with your knees locked or always carry your purse one one side or get on and off your bike the same way and maybe that pattern is contributing to your pain?’ I am very good at this! Let me touch your connective tissue and talk about your body habits so you can be in less physical pain and fight fascism. I truly believe this is important work.
It’s so nuts we are in this revolutionary moment in time and having to just keep going to work in order to make ends meet. I have been stuck in my own sads about my personal woes: housing uncertainty, dead dad admin is still ongoing, my spa job is ending, wondering where my work of silly little pots and sweet massages plug in at a time when so much is at stake. But I absolutely believe in my heart of hearts that making art and being in our bodies so we can be with each other in these absolutely traumatizing times, is vital, crucial, and world changing work. I needed the reminder of why it matters so writing it all out to remind you too, was its own medicine for me. So thank you for being here.
And as always, if money is a limiting factor to booking a massage, I always offer sliding scale no questions asked to anyone who needs it. I also love trading and bartering.
Let me know if you have any questions!
❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥
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Thanks for reading!
By your side,
Meghan
I have been a licensed massage therapist since 2016. That's nearly a decade of being alongside people and their experiences in their bodies in this tough, beautiful, and wild life. It's something I absolutely love doing.
p.s. here's a little dose of good news I enjoyed reading!