You Cannot Pour From an Empty Cup

By Marissa Lukas

Imagine you are lying on a soft bed, listening to the gentle sounds of music and nature, while someone attends to your every ache, pain, and area of tension, as you melt into a puddle of relaxation.  Wipe that drool off your chin and listen up!  This sounds heavenly, right?  Trust me, it is!  This is exactly what I did last Saturday, while my four children were home with my husband.  I had an hour to myself, in a mother’s paradise!

Why is it that one of the most important, yet most difficult things for mothers to commit to is making their physical, mental, and emotional wellness a priority?  I, for one, am guilty of this more often than not.  Massage therapy is a great way to practice self-care, and I encourage everyone to reap the benefits of massage!  

Beginning in pregnancy, a woman’s body undergoes many changes that affect the neck, shoulders, and back.  According to Erika of Eleight Massage Therapy in Joliet, regular massage can help and even prevent the neck pain, back pain, and sciatica that women often experience into the second and third trimester.  Massage can also help with a more peaceful sleep, as this becomes more challenging as pregnancy progresses.  

Now ladies, this doesn’t mean you have to wait until you are in the advanced stages of pregnancy to benefit from massage therapy.  In fact, contrary to the former belief that women in their first trimester cannot receive a massage, massage therapy is a safe and effective form of stress relief and self-care from the day of conception until the day of birth.

As you mothers of small children know, after the baby is born, the aches and pains of pregnancy give way to the tightness and tension from the hours of feeding, carrying, wearing, bending, and lifting to care for your babies and toddlers.  It is quite a physically taxing job to care for young children!  In addition, as much as the stress is physical, it can be emotionally and mentally taxing as well.  All that mothering is hard work!  How are you balancing your role of caring for others while also caring for yourself?

If you are pregnant and your body is miraculously growing, straining, and changing before your eyes . . . if you have been known to lug multiple children and a car seat across a parking lot like Cross Fit is your job . . . if the last time you felt pampered was when school was in session and you got to go grocery shopping sans kids, then consider treating yourself to the gift of self-care with massage therapy.  You know you’ve heard it before.  You cannot pour from an empty cup.  Make self-care a priority in your busy life.  You, Mama, are worth it!