Self-Advocacy is Self-Love

Last Saturday, I treated myself to a massage. After my last massage, I got an email from the company asking for my feedback. At the end of the survey there was a free-form box asking if there was anything else I'd like to add.

In the box, I said it would be helpful if they would look into getting a table width extender to attach to the massage table. The tables are slightly too narrow for me, so I expend energy throughout my massage using various methods of keeping my arms from falling off the table. I'm not able to fully relax my muscles.

When I arrived at my massage appointment last weekend, my massage therapist said she got my feedback and understood where I was coming from. She hadn't been able to get a width extender yet, but she had set up two stools on either side of the massage table, each with a pillow on top. I climbed onto the massage table, and she positioned the stools to the side and slightly below my head. I was able to bend my arms slightly and rest them on the pillows.

And it was one of the most enjoyable massages I'd ever had. I was completely relaxed, my muscles accepted deeper pressure than usual, and it was less painful. Is this what a massage is like for everyone whose body is accommodated by the equipment? I might never have known what I was missing out on if I hadn't made myself vulnerable and asked.

Is there something your body needs that you might get if you tell someone you need it? Can your loved ones, care givers, doctors, or other service people do something small to make your life better or more comfortable? Do the bold thing and try asking for it; see what happens!