{"id":3504,"date":"2021-12-22T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-12-21T22:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.amt.org.au\/?p=3504"},"modified":"2021-12-21T09:16:59","modified_gmt":"2021-12-20T22:16:59","slug":"amt-not-the-chairperson-summer-2021-message","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.amt.org.au\/index.php\/2021\/12\/22\/amt-not-the-chairperson-summer-2021-message\/","title":{"rendered":"AMT (not the) Chairperson Summer 2021 Message"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By YouJung Suh with Sharon Livingstone<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019d normally be reading words of wisdom by our Chairperson, Subhadra Gerard, about now but as Subhi is currently enjoying his holidays, Board member YouJung Suh has stepped into the breach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

\u201cAre we there yet?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I used to always ask my parents this question when I was little. Deep down, I knew that we weren\u2019t, but I was never a patient passenger in the car. Sitting at the back didn\u2019t help either as it only made me feel nauseous and bored. Not knowing how long it took to reach our destination was always a nightmare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This pandemic feels like those car rides. It has been uncomfortable, both physically and mentally. The days appear somewhat different, everyone says different things, but the situation remains the same. What\u2019s most concerning about COVID for me is how much it has divided our communities. Everyone seems to have conflicting views of the same elephant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I used to feel sick in the car, I would look out the window and take a deep breath in. \u201cFocus. Focus on what you can do to make this better,\u201d I would tell myself. The magical solution was always music. There\u2019s something about music that made the view from my window appear like a dream. It would put me in a better mood, and before I knew it, I was daydreaming. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

No, we aren\u2019t there yet. It might be over soon, but it might also take a while longer. I\u2019ve learnt that the more we anticipate an end, the longer it will feel reaching our destination. As the passed (photographer) Dan Eldon once said, \u201cThe journey is<\/em> the destination\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What COVID has taught us is that we need to take better care of ourselves \u2013 body and mind. Which means people need good massage therapists in their lives. But remember, before caring for others, look after yourself first. Continue to inspire your mind, be clever, and draw your limits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, play some plinky plunky music and focus on one amazing massage at a time. Eventually, we will reach our destination. Wherever we\u2019re meant to be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Thanks, YouJung!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As we wind down for the year, the AMT blog wants to acknowledge two groups of people whose efforts during 2021 have been mighty despite regular challenges and, at times, loneliness. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Each and every Massage Therapist in Victoria. <\/li>
  2. AMT Head Office staff.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    During 2021, AMT\u2019s blog featured articles reviewing new and massage relevant research, dealing with our own mental health, our biases, and taken a look at familiar and unfamiliar conditions that find their way into our clinic rooms. We’ve also introduced infographics to give a quick overview of how massage can help with common conditions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Trying not to play favourites, I\u2019ve narrowed it down to my Top 3<\/s>4 articles of the year:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Acknowledging the Differences<\/a> by Tyrone Tautiepa \u2013 an essay on culture, sexuality and philosophy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Am I a Fraud<\/a> by Liz Sharkey \u2013 Liz\u2019s battle with imposter syndrome resonated with many readers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Adding Value<\/a> by Daniel Wonnocott \u2013 a mix of common-sense and straight talking, a must read for new and experienced therapists alike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Not Just a Headache<\/a> by me \u2013 Sharon Livingstone \u2013 a topic close to my heart<\/s> brain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I\u2019m excited about the articles coming to the blog in 2022 and don\u2019t forget that if you have a topic you want us to write about or if you want to write an article to appear on AMT\u2019s blog, send us an email here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Thank you to everyone who has written or contributed to articles this year and thank you to you, dear reader, without whom I’d be writing nothing more than a shopping list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    My final wish is for a 2022 that is kind to all of us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    About the Authors<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
    \"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    YouJung Suh is an AMT Board member. YouJung came to Australia to complete her massage studies and when not in her Brisbane massage clinic, she’s curled up with Netflix or singing loudly in her car. YouJung will be spending her summer holidays detoxing from television and social media but we’ll believe it when we see it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

    Sharon Livingstone is a Sydney based massage therapist. When not in her massage clinic, Sharon walks in the bushland, trying not to choose a favourite bird or lizard or flower or marsupial. Sharon will be spending her summer holiday perfecting the blurry photograph while walking in the bushland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Cover image by Dan Counsell<\/a> on Unsplash<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    A reflection on the year that was.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3506,"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":[32],"tags":[106,121,10,62,570],"class_list":["post-3504","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-amt","tag-amt-chairperson","tag-massage-therapists","tag-massage-therapy","tag-sharon-livingstone","tag-youjung-suh"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.amt.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/2021-xmas-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1707&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3372,"url":"https:\/\/blog.amt.org.au\/index.php\/2021\/09\/03\/meet-youjung-suh-amt-board-member\/","url_meta":{"origin":3504,"position":0},"title":"Meet Youjung Suh \u2013 AMT Board Member","author":"admin","date":"03\/09\/2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Meet Youjung Suh, new AMT Board member.","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\/08\/Meet-the-Board.png?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.amt.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Meet-the-Board.png?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.amt.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Meet-the-Board.png?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.amt.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Meet-the-Board.png?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.amt.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Meet-the-Board.png?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2430,"url":"https:\/\/blog.amt.org.au\/index.php\/2020\/03\/04\/it-was-like-magic\/","url_meta":{"origin":3504,"position":1},"title":"It Was Like Magic","author":"admin","date":"04\/03\/2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Need some happy, positive stories in your life? 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