{"id":2552,"date":"2020-04-15T09:00:19","date_gmt":"2020-04-14T23:00:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.amt.org.au\/?p=2552"},"modified":"2020-04-14T15:14:54","modified_gmt":"2020-04-14T05:14:54","slug":"direction-less","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.amt.org.au\/index.php\/2020\/04\/15\/direction-less\/","title":{"rendered":"Direction, Less"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Liz Sharkey<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It was a couple of weeks ago now that I first wrote about my COVID-19 roller-coaster. The wisdom of hindsight would indicate that back then I was functioning to some degree on adrenaline. A few weeks on, that initial adrenaline has worn of. I\u2019m guessing I\u2019m not alone when I say I am struggling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

I know I\u2019m doing the right thing for the community, for my family and for me by keeping my clinic closed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But most days consists of me putting on a happy face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I started out so positively. I was doing online workouts and watching online presentations for personal interest and professional development, the dog was getting walked 2-3 times per day (even in the rain) and it was kind of nice having everyone home for a family dinner every night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The trips to the shops for bread, milk and enough food for 3 teenagers was the highlight of my day and, being a mum, my days were often focused on making sure the kids were OK.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fast forward to now. I find it difficult to concentrate for much more than a 15-minute time block. I find myself easily triggered. The tears are never far from the surface and more than once I\u2019ve had a good cry in the bathroom before taking a deep breath, squaring my shoulders and putting my chest out to go back out to face the family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Deep down, I am scared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Like so many of us, I feel like I have lost my identity and I am not sure when I will get it back. I was \u201cLiz the Remedial Massage Therapist\u201d. That\u2019s what I did and it\u2019s only now I realise how much my identity was wrapped up in that. My clients sought me out, they were happy to see me, and I could use my skills and knowledge to help them. Who or what am I now?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Part of what is contributing to my distress is that I like to plan. I like schedules, I like hard copy calendars and, yes, I will admit it, I can be a control freak. I don\u2019t know how long this is going to go on. 6 weeks or 6 months. No one knows and that doesn\u2019t sit well with my psyche.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m also starting to second guess my career choice and I\u2019ve got a significant \u201c0\u201d birthday coming up later this year. I\u2019m really struggling with applying for government assistance and the thought of needing that assistance for a prolonged period of time is difficult to come to terms with. I feel guilty applying for assistance. I\u2019m not as badly off as many others out there because my husband\u2019s still working, but I feel a little useless not contributing to the family finances. Maybe I need to get up off my butt and find a new job? Trouble is, I can\u2019t see myself doing anything other than what I was doing 6 weeks ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

So what now? This is where I\u2019m supposed to make the grand statement about how I\u2019m going to fix these things. I\u2019m just not sure how. I\u2019ve given plenty of advice to my kids to stay connected, stay focused and stay active but it\u2019s much harder to practice what I preach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All I can think of right now is to acknowledge what\u2019s going on. Acknowledge that I am struggling. Stop hiding in the bathroom to have a cry. Let my family see that it is OK to not be OK. For all I know, they are doing the same thing as me. Let my friends and colleagues know if I\u2019m having a bad day. I don\u2019t have to explain it, don\u2019t have to have a pity party, but say that I\u2019m finding it bloody hard. Not all the time, but for an hour here and there or a night of tossing and turning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I need to set myself a daily schedule so I have a reason to get out of bed before 9am. I need others in my household to hold me to account for that. If I\u2019m the only one that knows what my daily schedule looks like, it\u2019s easy to pretend I am sticking to it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The K\u00fcbler-Ross model of grief<\/a> tells us there are 5 stages (or 7 depending upon your reference). Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and Acceptance. I\u2019m really hoping this is a process I\u2019m going though and that acceptance is the light at the end of the tunnel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Until I get there though, I will try to follow the advice I have been giving to others: Be gentle to myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

**********************<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If any of the issues that Liz has discussed in this article sound familiar and you\u2019re not sure what to do, please re-read Tim Clark\u2019s latest article <\/em>here<\/em><\/a>. It\u2019s packed to the gills with useful information and resources.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

About the Author<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Liz Sharkey is currently a stay-at-home mum, trying to feed a house of teenagers without having to visit the supermarket 3 times a day. When school starts back, she will be trying her hand at being a teacher’s aide. Liz is spending her downtime watching massage training DVDs and wistfully dreaming of the day she may get to try these techniques on her clients.<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

How are you feeling about the temporary closure of your massage clinic? Does your experience mirrors Liz Sharkey’s or is it a bit different? <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2553,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[597,574,354,338,104,11,596],"class_list":["post-2552","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-professional-practice","tag-closure","tag-covid19","tag-grief","tag-liz-sharkey","tag-massage","tag-remedial-massage","tag-struggle"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.amt.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/overcoming-2127669_640.png?fit=640%2C450&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3697,"url":"https:\/\/blog.amt.org.au\/index.php\/2023\/04\/11\/top-gun-or-is-it\/","url_meta":{"origin":2552,"position":0},"title":"Top Gun: or is it?","author":"admin","date":"11\/04\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"There's a bewildering array of tools on the market for massage therapists but how do you sort the multi-function scraper from the gua sha tool? Liz Sharkey provides some guidance.","rel":"","context":"In "Clinical Practice"","block_context":{"text":"Clinical Practice","link":"https:\/\/blog.amt.org.au\/index.php\/category\/clinical-practice\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.amt.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/51818229810_72efab2d55_c.jpg?fit=800%2C600&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.amt.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/51818229810_72efab2d55_c.jpg?fit=800%2C600&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.amt.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/51818229810_72efab2d55_c.jpg?fit=800%2C600&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.amt.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/51818229810_72efab2d55_c.jpg?fit=800%2C600&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2917,"url":"https:\/\/blog.amt.org.au\/index.php\/2020\/11\/11\/working-from-home\/","url_meta":{"origin":2552,"position":1},"title":"Working From Home","author":"admin","date":"11\/11\/2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Massage therapists have been operating as work from home businesses way before everyone was forced to raid Officeworks in a pandemic but is it as easy as pushing the sofa over and setting up a treatment table?","rel":"","context":"In "AMT"","block_context":{"text":"AMT","link":"https:\/\/blog.amt.org.au\/index.php\/category\/amt\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.amt.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Screenshot-2020-11-09-171703.jpg?fit=960%2C698&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.amt.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Screenshot-2020-11-09-171703.jpg?fit=960%2C698&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.amt.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Screenshot-2020-11-09-171703.jpg?fit=960%2C698&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.amt.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Screenshot-2020-11-09-171703.jpg?fit=960%2C698&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2319,"url":"https:\/\/blog.amt.org.au\/index.php\/2020\/01\/29\/the-lonely-massage-therapist\/","url_meta":{"origin":2552,"position":2},"title":"The Lonely Massage Therapist","author":"admin","date":"29\/01\/2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Do you ever feel lonely as a massage therapist? Want to connect with other massage therapists? Liz Sharkey shares some tips and suggestions to get involved in the wider massage community.","rel":"","context":"In "Professional Practice"","block_context":{"text":"Professional Practice","link":"https:\/\/blog.amt.org.au\/index.php\/category\/professional-practice\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.amt.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/cactus-4771078_640.jpg?fit=640%2C410&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.amt.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/cactus-4771078_640.jpg?fit=640%2C410&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.amt.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/cactus-4771078_640.jpg?fit=640%2C410&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3481,"url":"https:\/\/blog.amt.org.au\/index.php\/2021\/10\/14\/5-tips-for-re-opening\/","url_meta":{"origin":2552,"position":3},"title":"5 Tips For Re-Opening","author":"admin","date":"14\/10\/2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Fearful of re-opening after lockdown? Liz Sharkey shares her favourite coping tips.","rel":"","context":"In "AMT"","block_context":{"text":"AMT","link":"https:\/\/blog.amt.org.au\/index.php\/category\/amt\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.amt.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/cat-912291_640.jpg?fit=640%2C426&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.amt.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/cat-912291_640.jpg?fit=640%2C426&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.amt.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/cat-912291_640.jpg?fit=640%2C426&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2512,"url":"https:\/\/blog.amt.org.au\/index.php\/2020\/03\/25\/the-unenjoyable-ride\/","url_meta":{"origin":2552,"position":4},"title":"The Unenjoyable Ride","author":"admin","date":"25\/03\/2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Who could have even guessed at the start of the year that we would all be on this rollercoaster? Liz Sharkey shares the ups and downs of a massage therapist's emotions in the middle of a crisis.","rel":"","context":"In "AMT"","block_context":{"text":"AMT","link":"https:\/\/blog.amt.org.au\/index.php\/category\/amt\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.amt.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Annotation-2020-03-24-152420.jpg?fit=949%2C533&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.amt.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Annotation-2020-03-24-152420.jpg?fit=949%2C533&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.amt.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Annotation-2020-03-24-152420.jpg?fit=949%2C533&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.amt.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Annotation-2020-03-24-152420.jpg?fit=949%2C533&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1310,"url":"https:\/\/blog.amt.org.au\/index.php\/2019\/01\/23\/what-is-success\/","url_meta":{"origin":2552,"position":5},"title":"What is Success?","author":"admin","date":"23\/01\/2019","format":false,"excerpt":"What makes a successful massage therapist? A full appointment diary? High profits? Happy clients? Liz Sharkey shares why some may see her as a failure but she sees herself as a success.","rel":"","context":"In "Clinical Practice"","block_context":{"text":"Clinical Practice","link":"https:\/\/blog.amt.org.au\/index.php\/category\/clinical-practice\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.amt.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/syndicate-1207270_1920.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.amt.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/syndicate-1207270_1920.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.amt.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/syndicate-1207270_1920.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.amt.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/syndicate-1207270_1920.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.amt.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/syndicate-1207270_1920.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.amt.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/syndicate-1207270_1920.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.amt.org.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2552","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.amt.org.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.amt.org.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.amt.org.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.amt.org.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2552"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/blog.amt.org.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2552\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2558,"href":"https:\/\/blog.amt.org.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2552\/revisions\/2558"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.amt.org.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2553"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.amt.org.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2552"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.amt.org.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2552"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.amt.org.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2552"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}