By Pete Whitridge

Welcome to September 2020. As life has rearranged itself, I hope that you’ve been able to make time in your daily schedule to care for your own health and wellbeing. For me, these recent months have been filled with uncertainty but also with joy and gratitude. Lee and I end most days with a bike ride and time spent sitting on the beach, grounding ourselves on the sand. We smilingly refer to this as a “solar infused quartz treatment”. This daily reset helps me center and focus. Quiet space, reflective reading time, volunteering and helping others, these have all become valuable components of my own self-care. Finding ways to take good care of yourself in the midst of so much change and uncertainty is important to remaining healthy. 

I’ve been reflecting on what my classrooms will look like moving forward. Will everyone wear a mask as required? Will we create a safe and nurturing space even though we can’t entirely see each other’s faces? How can we use our classroom time to deepen our massage skills as we encourage our clients to become more attuned to their parasympathetic state? As a teacher, my goal is to model health and wellness as we work together. We will wear masks, wash our hands, change our clothes. We will take breaks and have time outdoors. In addition, everyone will be encouraged to limit external distractions and to focus on themselves, paying attention to what feels positive and comforting.

I’ve been reading an interesting book called Good Chemistry by Dr. Julie Holland. In it, she outlines the vast network of neurotransmitters that help us to feel good and create connection with one another. The key molecule is oxytocin, produced in our brains, that allows us to trust and bond. It fosters attachment between mothers and babies, romantic partners, friends and even our pets. She shares her experiences as an attending physician in a psychiatric emergency room at New York University School of Medicine, and as a private practice psychiatrist. Her book echoed my intention to help my clients reconnect with their bodies, creating their own “good chemistry”, rather than trying to “fix” the issues in their tissues. I was interested as a bodyworker in this exploration of neurotransmitters and their effect on the nervous system. Here’s a quote from the book jacket, ” Good Chemistry puts us on the right path to forging true and deeper attachments to our own souls, to one another, and even to our planet, helping us heal ourselves and our world.” My takeaway from the book: take care of yourself; reach out to others (clients, neighbors …); create oneness through your meditations, by seeing beauty in the world around you, by volunteering in your community or by connecting with your loved ones.

If you’re comfortable with “in person” learning, I hope to see you at a workshop sometime in the upcoming year. Classes will be small and we will adhere to recommended safety guidelines offered by the Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards (FSMTB) and the Alliance for Massage Therapy Education (AFMTE). I am also offering the “Big 3” required classes online through the CEBroker.com system. Prevention of Medical Errorsand Professional Ethics are available now. The Florida Laws and Rules course will be online soon. These classes are video and short reading based with a quiz and evaluation at the end. 

Our next in-person class in Gainesville will be Therapeutic Strategies for Effective Pain Relief, to be held October 3-4. Please contact Lee Whitridge at bluemoonies@juno.com if you’re interested in registering. If you have questions about the class, you can call me at 772-332-6116 or email me at justaskpete@mac.com. Be well.