 One of the MOST frequently asked questions is, “How often should I come in?” Now, while I still believe there is a very personal and individual answer for each unique human, let’s delve into some guidelines that may help. I harp on this concept of “attunement”. Getting to know yourself and what exactly it is you need. We are all in a different place on that journey and it can be hard to know what you need at times. Times when you are grieving, depressed, anxious, these are times when it’s helpful to have an idea of what your frequency could be to aid as a coping strategy in your recovery. I generally have an idea of what my frequency should be when it comes to all of the forms of bodywork/recovery I participate in, but have created a bare minimum standard that keeps me in line with my priorities that can serve me when I’m not sure or don’t know what I need as well. I started receiving a somewhat regular massage around 12 years ago. Initially I was your classic “wait till everything hurts and I feel like I might die” client. There is no judgment for that version of Tiffany or for you if this resonates. I share this to explain that a 60/90 minute session would provide me with some relief, but soon after I would feel very similarly. I wasn’t taking good care of my body and was expecting a massage every few months to bring me back to life. That was unrealistic. While the massage was helpful, I was operating from lack and deficit and one session every so often was not enough to keep my body in the shape I wanted to operate from. At the time, I was walking dogs, practicing yoga and kickboxing and cycling several times a week. I was taking a LOT out of the tank and not putting enough back in. Many of us operate from a standpoint that our bodies are separate from us, especially with language like “my body is attacking me”, “why is this happening to my body”, “it just happened overnight”. These feelings are valid, but as it turns out, our body and brain and spirit are a fully integrated unit. Sometimes there is some disharmony in that unit. It can be helpful to shift that perspective to “what does my body need to feel harmony?”. This kind of shift usually doesn’t happen overnight. For me, it was a combination of consistent therapy and bodywork that created an enormous shift in my outlook and my body and my awareness of what I needed to succeed. I never thought that at almost 40 I would be seeking to be a professional pickleball athlete, but life has served me an opportunity and here we are. I’ve always loved pickles, so why not? Bodywork is not best served a la carte. What I mean by that is what you do at home is of ultimate importance as well. Learning where your problem areas are through bodywork and addressing them with your own activity practices is the ultimate path to healing and thriving. For me this has taken a vast combination of therapies: chiropractic, massage, stretch, physical therapy, acupuncture, dry needling, yoga, pilates, weightlifting, boxing. So. Many. Things. My sense of self and what I need has led me to this diverse array of activities and recovery. Your journey could be completely different, but being open to and curious about what you need is the key ingredient.  So, what does all the above mean? I really want you to work toward knowing what you need and when. It is so empowering to know and trust yourself about your body. You will always know more about yourself than I do, period. This blog is meant to guide you if you are at the beginning of your journey, at the middle, or just want some practical guidance on frequency and timing to consider. If you are in a high stress environment I recommend a frequency of 2-4 sessions a month. Examples of a high stress environment include: a high stress job, grieving, loss, recovery from injury, experiencing chronic pain, experiencing a musculoskeletal condition, an athlete, experiencing high level anxiety or depression, or any combination of the above (cuz we complicated humans). I wouldn’t recommend anything that I myself don’t participate in. I receive weekly massage, biweekly stretch, biweekly acupuncture and monthly therapy. Is that expensive? You bet. I have come to the conclusion that I am my best investment. My health and well being matter to me more than an extra vacation, remodel of my house, eating out, a fancy car. These are my financial priorities based on my values. You have to decide what yours are and what you value most. If you are in a lower stress environment I recommend a minimum of 1 session a month. This can help you understand what your problem areas are and can provide you with the fantastic benefits of improved circulation, sleep, mobility, clarity, connection to self. Many times my monthly clients, heck, even my weekly clients will say “I had no idea that was tender” in reference to an area we are working. This is a great way to learn what your movement patterns are and where you need to focus your own energies and practices. Where we feel pain is rarely the area where the pain or dysfunction originates. If you are unable to afford even a monthly session, then budget a bimonthly session. Having some sense of predictability and scheduled recovery is really impactful for your body and brain. Time gets away from us and we go 6 months, 1 year, even longer sometimes between care. This can create frustration and shame and a slew of other feelings about our bodies. How much time do I need? This is also a question I field frequently. My recommendation for timing is as follows:
If you ever have any questions about your frequency or how much time you might need, just reach out! I’m here to help be your guide as you grow in your relationship with yourself! 
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You open your eyes and your body jolts with excitement. You throw your toothbrush in your kit and you kiss your puppies, hairless puppies (kids) or lizards or whatever creatures you may have and you’re off. Maybe you’re in the back of the plane, maybe you sprung for first class, it doesn’t matter: it’s vacation baby. That time when you get to do all the things you want to do when you want to do them. Maybe you’re a planner, maybe every moment is accounted for. Maybe you are a “themer”, you have a plan-lite with ideas of how you want the trip to go. Maybe you just straight up wing it, knowing you will have a good time no matter what happens. Perhaps you are a combo of all three. It doesn’t matter how you do vacation, whatever floats your time off boat, hell yeah, get it! We went to Kitchener, Ontario this summer, a town near Toronto, Ontario in maple-y delicious Canada! It was magical. We had a theme, “water features”, and boy did we water feature. I like to move and do activities on vacation but also rest and recover. My good friend and colleague, Rachel Graham, hosted us and took us on a magical adventure of her province, it was simply providential. We kayak/floated the Grand River nearby to Kitchener, got soaked on the “maid of the mist” at Niagara Falls (the Canadian side is indeed prettier), visited Lake Ontario, Huron and Erie, and even drank water everyday. In addition to the glorious water features and a completely new experience of being kissed by the sun instead of horse whipped, we lifted weights every morning at her gym, hiked in the forest, played pickleball, did a mobility class in a gorgeous park, experienced a food tour in Toronto, met some of her family and friends and ate some delicious foods. It was a perfectly balanced vacation for me. I got to do all the things that I love while also trying new things and having ample time for recovery. I never felt rushed and had such a wonderful time with Chris, Rachel and all the Canadians we came across.   In addition, during a traffic-filled moment that could’ve had us annoyed and stressed, we enjoyed some fun Canadian wildlife and also birthed our recent social media project - “Reconsider this Corner”. We took a challenge and made it an opportunity to discuss concepts that matter to us and why they should matter to you. What a gift! Needless to say, it was hard to say goodbye and come home, even though I love my life and work and activities in Texas.  Since I was a child I have had what I call the “post vacation bluesies”. I can vividly remember crying at the pool when I was 8 years old after coming home from a fun visit with a friend one summer. Some folks get these, some do not. Some people come back from vacation ready to hit it and get back into their routines. For me, returning has always had a tinge of sadness and even a touch of depression. However, over time, I have learned what can help me personally when I come back home. My vacation/post vacation strategies are fairly simple, but I’ve discovered they really help me not to derail. Rachel and I talked about “attuning to yourself” in one of our recent - reconsider this corner - posts on Instagram. What we mean by that is learning about yourself, knowing what you need and when. It’s a lifelong journey and ever changing, just like we are. It can be rewarding and even fun to do this. Instead of feeling like a victim to your circumstances you can learn how to help yourself by knowing what you’ll need, sometimes in advance! So, what do I do? I model my vacations similarly to my home life in some way and entirely differently in others. I don’t schedule anything. My life is very structured, planned and scheduled at home, and I love the break from that. I wake up every morning, spend 10 or so minutes seeing how I feel and then start making decisions with myself, partner and whoever I’m traveling with on what the day could hold. I’m flexible if things need to shift and stay open for fun that can spontaneously happen. You may like to lay about on vacation, that is totally up to each individual, and laying is nice! For my mental health, I love doing something hard, especially in the morning, to get my day started off. Travel days are my body rest days and the rest, I like to move and groove. Sometimes in similar ways that I move at home, but I like to change it up in some kind of way. Try a new gym, try a new class, challenge myself or take it easy depending on the day. Secondly, I limit my drinking to a day or two and I don’t overdo it. I’ve found that alcohol can really derail my mood if I overdo it, and I want to be able to enjoy my vacation. By limiting my alcohol intake to the middle days of a vacation, I give my body a chance to recover from the travel before increasing the load of toxins it has to process. The same goes for the back end. I don’t drink in the few days leading up to my return so my body can again reset before travel and be ready to return to my at home routine. I choose mostly similar foods to my normal diet and have a few things out of the normal so as not to shock my system too intensely. I discovered that feasting also has a big impact on my mental health and makes me feel sluggish and sad. I limit the fun choices so I can feel good and do all the things I want to do.  These are my strategies that help me keep my balance on vacay and also ensure a smoother, less blues-y return to home. I also pre-plan self care for my return. The day after I get back I get a massage and adjustment to help workout the travel kinks and whatever new patterns emerge from different styles of activity. This also helps prepare me for my return to work by enhancing my sleep, my bodies ability to recover and grounding me. I ease back into my life by reducing my workout schedule a bit that first week back, maybe I lift slightly less weight, or spend 1 day less at the gym. Whatever feels right. By planning for it, I mentally don’t view the lessened schedule as a failure, but as a planned easing back in. How you view things makes a huge difference in how your body responds to them. You can feel peaceful and at ease knowing it was part of your plan. Now, all of these things said, some of this might work for you or none of this might work for you. I am simply sharing my experience as a potential format for how you can think about what does/doesn’t work for you when it comes to vacation and returning to your life. Please enjoy the Canadian photo dump! Happy end of Summering friends (or if you live in Texas like me, happy next 3 extra months of Summering).      |
AuthorTiffany Miller Archives
October 2024
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