And relax

I've been a bit poorly this week. Not diseased poorly, worn out and excessively pummeled by massage therapist poorly. My chiropractor likes to assure me that I'm not a hypochondriac, although she adds that I'm not the best at managing stress. I can't help feeling there isn't a huge divide between those two descriptions but I take it as a relative compliment. Still, while I work on integrating more calming things into my life, it does mean I carry a lot of stress in my body, which my deep tissue massages pry out of me. Hence, poorly. Monday I got to the point of feeling as if I had a brick on my chest, and I'd had pains in my ribs and stomach, so my massage therapist worked there and of course this released the emotion trapped there and it was a whole thing. Afterwards I felt emotionally great and physically entirely wrung out. This is not uncommon after deep tissue massages (so googling informs me) but it's not pleasant. I had to go to my classes on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings so by Wednesday afternoon all I was fit for was to lie on the couch, drink lots of fluids and watch home makeover shows. It's only today I feel less like I have the flu, so it was pretty epic. It was a good reminder to rest fiercely, stretch, breathe, and watch home makeover shows. Here's the quick sketch I made this afternoon, while sitting in the temporary BC sun with a cup of tea and a hot cross bun.
(Consider this image copyrighted because if I ever have some kind of practice, this will be my logo!)