By Malissa Diener CA, MMT
October 2, 2018
You know the routine well…busy day grooming, handling cranky people and crankier pets, and all day your energy level is being sucked dry and drug down until you feel completely devoid of anything positive.
You finish your work and go home. You sigh deeply. This is your body telling you it doesn’t like the day you’ve had. things have to change. You cannot stay healthy and continue on this hamster wheel of tension and strife. That sigh is your body breathing; trying to push out the tension and negative energy.
But how do we incorporate some well–being into our crazy daily work routines?
We, as pet stylists, have frenetic days that don’t stop when we arrive home. many of us have work to do when we get home and have to support busy family lives as well. rarely do we have “me” time. Our bodies take the brunt of the tension and get sick and injured. Our minds cannot be still, and we struggle to find concentration and balance within ourselves.
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Whether we work alone or with coworkers, we need to put some balance in our work space. even if you are a house call groomer, there are ways to bring calmness and positive energy to yourself while you are out in the field working. I have put together 3 easy things you can do to help you shake off the tension during your day and let your mind be settled when you return home to decompress.
1. Make Your work station Or Your Car/Mobile unit Your personal Zone
When it concerns calming smells, these can be challenging places to navigate. If you are in a beauty salon setting, smells from the animals, the other groomers, customers, scented products and much more are bombarding your olfactory system with a pounding torrent of scent. Your brain is furiously trying to process them, and your body is internally responding to them like a confused child lost in an amusement park.
If you are in a mobile van or you are in your car and then in client homes many of the day, you still have this ideal storm of smells, just at different times.
You need to claim your space for your own mental clarity and to help you maintain your energy flow.
Simple solution: A USB diffuser for your car or mobile unit, diffuser jewelry or a regular diffuser for those that own their salon. I, as a house call groomer, take a small portable diffuser with me into my customers’ homes. I talk about this practice when I book appointments with them. If they don’t want it, then I always have my jewelry and my car diffuser. plug the tiny USB device best into your phone charger or computer or tablet, sprinkle a drop or two of your favorite essential oils on the diffuser tip, and voila—your work space all of a sudden becomes a sweet–smelling, sacred space.
I was shocked that I hadn’t done something like this earlier in my grooming career. As a certified aromatherapist, I always had my oils with and on me but didn’t start this practice until much later.
I recommend using an energizing citrus blend in the morning and soothing lavender or Ylang Ylang blends after those crazy busy days. always choose superior, high–quality essential oils (not fragrance oils) to diffuse. These oils will have a physical effect on your body and mind, as well as on those within your work space. You do not need to diffuse all day long. Do so for short periods of time and the long lasting effects will surprise you.
If you want to also destress after work, have one in your car for the ride home from the salon. It will be remarkable walking in the door to your house not grumpy and snippy, but feeling refreshed and ready to help with family tasks. adding diffusers to your home as well can help so much with everyone’s well–being, including your pets.
2. Be conscious Of Your Breathing
When we are stressed, we tend to stop breathing. Yes, we literally hold our breath. It is our body’s reaction to sensory overload. Our breathing becomes shallow, our heart rate rises and our body tenses up. We have to be mindful of what our body is doing.
Step back from the tension for a moment and take three cleansing breaths. Inhale deeply through your nose, use the count of four to draw in your breath, pull your stomach in, raise your ribs and drop your shoulders away from your ears. RELAX. try and hold that breath for four much more counts. now is a good time to set your intent if you haven’t done so already. If you already set your intent, then reset it now.
Setting your intent is giving your mind and heart a word or phrase to concentrate on daily. choose what you want it to be, like forgiveness or be present or love and compassion. This word is yours to choose. It is a point to focus on to bring your mind into that state and let your body release its self from the restraints that tension has put on it.
When exhaling, do so slowly through your mouth. Go ahead and make some noise with your breath. feel the vibration through your core andnull