Becoming An Expert
What you may not know, since I have been slacking in the newsletter writing department is that I now have two different teaching positions. One of them is in Columbus, IN and the other one is in Bloomington, IN.
I have yet to begin teaching, however, I have gone to both schools and sat in on several different lectures–different topics and usually a different instructor. I never really thought of myself as an expert on massage or muscles or anything of that nature, until I sat in on these classes. To these students, the instructor is the expert because they know far more than the student at this point. The instructor has sat through the same classes that these students have, has learned the same muscle anatomy and has also had the same confused “I wonder if it will ever make sense,” that these students have.
I had totally forgotten how confused I was when I started massage school and sitting with my instructor about 6 months in and asking if any of this stuff was ever going to make sense to me or not. She assured me that at some point it would all ‘click’ and begin to make sense. I was pretty doubtful at that point. But she was right, at some point, it all started to make sense. And now, because I was patient and willing to continue learning and then being patient some more and continuing to have hands-on experience and being patient even more, I am now considered an ‘expert’. A lot of the stuff makes sense to me (yes, I will admit that there are still a variety of things massage that I will always struggle learning, no matter how many times it read, re-read and re-read). I figure that I will always be learning and learning, no matter what.
While it is true that I feel that I am expert in massage, there is one thing that I would like to be more of an expert at; that I feel that I am always in the novice stage of learning. That would be listening to and paying attention to my body and what it wants and needs at any particular moment. I always think I do such a fantastic job of paying attention until something happens and then I feel blind-sided. Because my body is always working and functioning and there are so many things that are going on all at once, sometimes it is hard for me to be the ‘expert’ when it comes to my body. I don’t always pay attention to what is happening with my body for a variety of reasons, but I do want to strive to do a better job. It really is one of the things that I will be learning and learning and learning on a second-to-second basis.
It is easy to recognize when you are hungry or thirsty or tired, but how about when there are other things going on. Do you recognize when you are angry or sad or happy or excited or afraid? Do you pay attention to the tightness in your gut and recognize it as possibly fear? Anger? What about that headache that seems to show up every time you have something stressful going on? How about the pain that is in your low back? Shoulder? Have you taken the time to check in with your body and see what is really going on with it? Are you your own ‘expert’?
I like to think that I am my own ‘expert’ but sometimes I forget and run on autopilot until something happens that brings my attention back to me. When I am clenching my jaw, that is a good indicator that I am either angry or afraid. When my throat feels tight that is an indicator that I am sad or possibly angry. Again, I will always be learning and always striving to be my own ‘expert’ when it comes to me.
Are you your own ‘expert’? Do you listen to the subtle signals that your body is giving you? Clenched teeth? Tightness in the stomach? Headache? Low back pain? Shoulder pain? Your emotions play a significant part in your overall well-being. They have a huge impact on how your body functions. If you tune in to any particular part of your body, you would be amazed at what you may learn.
Become your own ‘expert’.
DISCLAIMER~~This article is not meant to replace the advice of your physician, psychiatrist or counselor and is for informational purposes only.