Why you need massage for longer…

Recent research in the US has shown that clients receive the more benefits from massage if they have longer treatments. You may think reading this that it’s a veiled sales pitch. As a therapist I’m committed to ensuring that my clients have the best treatment plan possible to relieve and if possible, treat the condition.

The study focussed on neck pain, and involved 228 patients with chronic neck pain being divided into five groups, with each group receiving a different “dose” of massage over a five-week period, including a control group who did not receive any treatment and were put on a waiting list. The result was startling; that there was no difference in outcome between those patients who received a thirty minute treatment two to three times a week and those who received none.

Interestingly, patients who received an hour long treatment two to three times a week showed a marked improvement in movement and pain reduction. Patients who received an hour of massage twice a week were three times more likely to show an improvement in their condition than the control group and five times more likely if they had an hour long massage three times a week.

Even though it may be cheaper to book in for shorter treatment sessions, in the long run it seems to make more sense to book in for longer treatments, which may mean you feel better quicker. And who doesn’t want results now?!

If you are in the area, I am offering an hour long neck, back and scalp massage for £20, using tension busting Neal’s Yard Remedies oil to soothe away pain and ease emotional tension.

Please contact me at handsonholistictherapies@googlemail.com or on 07714 026681.

10 reasons to have a pamper party…

As part of my job as an holistic therapist, a good way to get the products that I use out of my treatment room to bring them to the attention of the masses is through pamper parties. I really enjoy getting out and about and being welcomed  into the houses of my lovely clients, their friends or sometimes complete strangers who are looking to have a good time and be pampered in the comfort of their own home inexpensively. I completely rate the Neal’s Yard products that I use, which have thirty years of proven results using organic ingredients. I would not be able to use them in my treatments and sell them unless I believed in their benefits 100%. I love getting friends and strangers together, and especially hearing the laughing and joking whilst I am upstairs giving someone a facial, massage or foot treatment.

Looking to try something different? Here are ten reasons to organise a pamper party (like you need any more convincing) –

1) Often we can go weeks or months without seeing our friends or some family members. Organising a pamper party is a good way to reconnect with people you haven’t seen for a while, as you get the chance to chat, drink and be merry whilst one person at a time gets the mini treatment of their choice.

2) If you find it difficult to find the time to book in for a massage or treatment for whatever reason (children, caring responsibilities etc), I come to you so you can still keep an eye on any kids or family members that need attention. You organise the food and guests and I will turn up and do the rest, so you can relax and enjoy yourself!

3)  If you’re like me, I love cooking but often don’t have the time to do it. Having a pamper party and being a host is a good way to get the chance to finally cook up a storm or the Thai feast you’ve been meaning to do for ages. A lot of people (including me) take great pleasure in hosting parties and enjoy seeing other people having a good time and loving their food/hospitality.

4) If you’re bored of your skincare routine or it’s just not working for you anymore, you can try out products in your own time and find out more about the ingredients, ethics and benefits without being rushed. I can do a skincare consultation for each attendee which identifies problems and selects the most appropriate treatment for them. You can also choose to learn how to do a mini-facial, where I demonstrate on a willing victim so everyone gets to learn.

5) Everyone at the party gets to choose their own treatment, and can have more than one treatment each if they so desire. Normally I offer mini treatments so I have the time to give everyone a treatment, which usually involves a facial, back massage or foot treatment. I can discuss options with you beforehand and you can even create a mini treatment menu so that your guests can choose! I also do angel card readings which can also be incorporated.

6) I can tailor a party to suit the people attending. Neal’s Yard  has many different product ranges – I have done Mother to be pamper parties for expectant mums, who can try the specially tailored mother’s products (massage oil, Mother’s balm to get rid of stretch marks) and also the baby products which are completely organic and the only thing I would use on my baby! There is also a men’s range if a group of guys want to get together to be pampered!

7) Getting married soon? Have a pamper party before you go out for your hen party! The usual times for the party are on a Saturday afternoon or in the evenings. You and your guests can choose a treatment and then have your make up done with Neal’s Yard’s fantastic cosmetics range. I can also link up with friends who do hair so you can get both your hair and make up done before you go out. What’s not to like?

8) If you host a party you get free and discounted products! Even for inviting your friends round you get a host gift (right now you get to choose between a Petitgrain and Lemon body lotion or a luxurious Detox Toning Oil ) Then you get up to £100 free shopping and 50% discount on products based on your guests’ purchases. For example if your guests buy £300 worth of products you get £40 worth of products free and £60 worth at 50% off! It’s really that simple!

9) I guarantee you’ll fall in love with the products after you’ve tried the range at the party. Each guest gets a goody bag with free samples and information regarding skin types and up and coming offers.

10 ) My final reason for deciding to have a party is for your own good. Research shows that getting together socially and in groups is beneficial for wellbeing and raises happy hormones. Having a good laugh and being pampered at the same for very little cost is surely a win-win situation!

If you are interested in hosting a pamper party at home or at the treatment room, or becoming part of the NYR team please don’t hesitate to contact me on 07714 026681 or at handsonholistictherapies@googlemail.com.

Mother’s Day and Spring Special Offers/News

Hi from Hands-on Holistics!

I hope you are all well and starting to enjoy the warmer weather.

Luckily the clocks go back soon giving us that precious extra hour of daylight! Sunlight is vital to our health and wellbeing, which is why we can suffer in the winter months. Lack of sunlight or lux is the reason for conditions such as Seasonal Affective Disorder (S.A.D). Even twenty minutes outside at lunchtime can greatly increase your lux exposure, which is essential to keep our Vitamin D levels up, which protects us against cancer, boosts our immune systems and keeps our bones healthy.

It’s nearly Mothers Day and what better way to thank her for everything she does than a relaxing treatment or a lovely gift set or product from the Neal’s Yard organic range.

I use Neal’s Yard products in my treatment room and wouldn’t be without them now, the skincare has sorted out my skin after years of breakouts and the organic body care gives me peace of mind that I’m not using harmful chemicals on my skin.

Mother’s Day/Spring treats

The new Rose and Pomegranate Bath Oil (£14.75 for 100ml) contains essential oils known for their soothing and balancing properties. Damask rose, patchouli leaf, cedarwood and bergamot combine with organic pomegranate and apricot oils to create a fragrant and indulgent treat.

Organic Gift Collections

These cute little gift bags contain two 100 ml bottles to nourish and reinvigorate the body and soul. Right now they have 30% off!

Herbal Bath Collection (Seaweed & Arnica Foaming Bath – 100ml/Aromatic Foaming Bath 100ml) Was £13.00 now £9.10

English Lavender Body Collection (Bath & Shower Gel 100ml/Body Lotion 100ml) Was £12.00 now £8.40

Rose and Geranium Body Collection (Shower Gel 100ml/Body lotion 50ml) Was £14.00 now £9.80

There are other gift sets that are also discounted – please see the attachment for further details. If you need any more information on the products please do not hesitate to contact me.

To order please go to my online shop:

https://uk.nyrorganic.com/shop/Debbie_S

Spring treatment special offers:

Neal’s Yard Power Berry facial £20 (45 mins)

This facial is a great anti-oxidant treat for tired skin. The Power Berry range contains a berry mix good enough to eat – acai, blueberry, cranberry, and grape. The facial involves a double cleanse, tone, exfoliation, face mask and and facial massage which will leave your skin glowing and impossibly fresh-looking!

Honey, orange and mandarin massage
£25 full body (1 hour)
£15 back massage (40 mins)

This massage uses the Bee Lovely range which contains organic honey as well as orange and mandarin oils. It’s extremely gentle and relaxing and uses a variety of massage techniques, including acupressure and aromatherapy,as well as Thai techniques.

Geranium and Orange Foot and Hand treatment (£15 for 45 minutes)

Pamper your extremities with a deeply indulgent hand and foot massage, incorporating reflexology and massage techniques. Shea nut butter, olive and pumpkin seed oils combine with geranium and orange essential oils for an uplifting and skin softening session.

Please do not hesitate to contact me using the details below if you have any queries. Please don’t forget to follow me on Facebook and Twitter for my latest special offers and product offers.

Hopefully I will see you soon!

Debbie

Debbie Stokoe VTCT ITEC FHT
Hands-on Holistic Therapies and Coaching
19 Duke Street
Darlington
DL1 7RX

Opening hours: Evenings from 6.30pm and weekends

07714 026681
handsonholistictherapies@googlemail.com
facebook.com/handsonNE
Twitter: @HOtherapiesNE

100 Days of Happiness Project

A friend of mine send me the link to this the other day and it was perfect timing. I was finding myself getting dragged into work stress, family stress, business stress and just about all other types of stress going. I wasn’t exercising and was focussing on the negative.

The Project is a great way to bring your focus back to the positive and remember the small things that add to your happiness levels. It’s also a fast way to work the time into your schedule to be grateful for what you have – all you need to do is tag or send a photo of something that makes you happy for 100 days. Simple!

Share your photos via Facebook, Twitter, instagram using the hastag #100happydays. Or if you would prefer to keep things more private by sending pictures to the project email address – myhappyday(at)100happydays.com

Enjoy your 100 Happy Days and extend it forever! I would love to hear about how your are participating!

http://100happydays.com/

 

Spring Update + Special Offers!

I hope you are all well and not too badly affected by the weather.

Welcome to the Spring Newsletter from Hands-on Holistics! I don’t know about you but I am feeling a bit down in the dumps with the cold and dark nights. I’m doing lots of things to try and improve my mood, so I thought I would share my tips with you to help get you through until it gets a bit warmer…

Top five quick fixes to feel better…

1. Have a good laugh with friends – it’s all too easy to get up in the dark, go to work all day then come home and want to hibernate – I know – I’ve done it. I didn’t feel very good and arranged to see friends more often. I feel better! Easy!

2. Buy yourself some flowers – you’ve seen the little daffodil pots, put them around the place and you’ll feel better!

3. Get out for a walk – even if it’s grey outside, fifteen minutes out of the office or the house has been proven to boost your energy.

4. Swap fizzy drinks and coffee for herbal tea or hot water with lemon for a week for a detox – the Vitamin C will keep away colds and we all know water is good for us!

5. Have an uplifting holistic therapy treatment! Especially if you feel run down and like you have kept going running on empty for a while. You will feel more relaxed, less achy, have improved sleep and take some time out for yourself.

Special Offers

(Until end of March)

Hot stones back massage – only £15! (50% off) 40 mins

Neal’s Yard Winter Skin facial – only £15! (50% off) 40 mins

Thai foot massage – only £10 (50% off) 30 mins

NEW: Therapy Taster Nights

Haven’t seen your friends for a while? Sick of hibernating? Get your friends together and come to Treatments at No.19 for a catch up and pamper. We provide the drinks and nibbles, and each group member gets a twenty minute chair massage and a twenty minute reiki taster session, as well as an Angel card reading. You also get to try all of the lovely Neal’s yard products and get a goody bag with samples to take home. All for the special introductory price of £15 each (Until the end of March). Call or email to book or for more details.

I also do pamper parties in the comfort of your own home! Only £10 each per treatment for an inexpensive pick me up with friends.

I will soon be offering bamboo massage, which is fantastic to uplift your spirits and also very relaxing!

Finally I just wanted to mention the 100 Days of Happiness project currently happening around the globe. Do you have time to be happy? If you find that you are too busy to find the time to do things that make you happy, the Happiness project can help. Register and then every day post a picture of what makes you happy. You can choose which platform you share on according to your privacy wishes.

Let’s get happy!

http://100happydays.com/

Happy Spring!

Debbie

Loneliness can be fatal…obviously

Often when I’m doing my treatments I have clients who have quite clearly not had human contact for a while (widowers, people who don’t leave near their families or don’t have families). Often this isn’t discussed before the treatment but it might become apparent during it – some people can become very emotional or tearful even during an holistic therapy treatment and usually when you scratch beneath the surface you find that the person is not receiving affection or attention. As a single person without children I can identify with this, I see my friends a couple of times a week and get a quick hug but right now I’m not lucky enough to have affection lavished on me constantly. I live with my family but since I was a teenager we haven’t been very affectionate – a kiss hi or bye if I’ve been away, a quick hug, that’s it. I’m a tactile person and often feel down due to this lack of contact. Some people, like my sister aren’t bothered by it. I look at my Brazilian friends with kids, who come in from school and get mauled with kisses and cuddles no matter what their age. Even living in France, with the double kissing on the cheek I felt a lot closer to people. Maybe it’s a UK thing – we have traditionally been quite standoffish as a nation, a handshake denotes distance, don’t get too close. I’ve just been to see the film Her which shows first hand the effects of a disconnected, technologically driven society on personal relationships.

As a result, I wasn’t surprised at all to read an article in the Guardian today in which new research shows loneliness can be twice as bad for people as obesity. If you are over 50, those who reported being lonely statistically have a 14% greater chance of dying early. It was found that loneliness is linked to many health issues such as depression, heart problems and strokes. I can identify when it’s been said that the pain of loneliness is the same as physical pain. I’m not surprised that people struggle when they retire, even if they have an active social life. I met a lady who got depressed when she retired early, not realising how much she got out of her career and how stopping suddenly was not good for her, especially with her family living away.  Isolation can affect all of us at any age – look at bullied teenagers or single people working away from friends/family networks.

Holistic therapies and reiki helps people to reconnect emotionally with themselves, which makes it easier to be more open with others. Massage helps to reduce the risk of suffering from the health issues mentioned above by improving circulation, reducing anxiety and helping clients to sleep. A holistic therapy appointment is much more than the actual treatment when the clock starts ticking. I want to kn0w about my client’s lifestyle and give wellbeing tips to improve the quality of their lives. I want to know them as people and build a relationship of trust and confidence with them, laugh with them, share their pain and their triumphs. Being there for someone who doesn’t have family/friends around them is all part of the service, just like you would build a relationship with your hairdresser ( I tell mine everything). The lack of touch in our society today has no beneficial effects – depression is up and counselling and holistic therapy services are needed more than ever to being people back into balance. We have a responsibility to look after both our bodies and our minds  – through socialising, good nutrition, exercise, work life balance and holistic therapies play a big part in this.  Massage is perfect to help to restore the mind body connection, and gradually bring a client back into balance.

If you would like to book in for a treatment, please get in touch on 07714 026681. I am Darlington based in the North East but am able to do mobile appointments. Thanks for reading!

The Importance of Play (in a roundabout way)

Is anyone else sick of waking up with a to do list? I’m doing a life coaching course and one of its many handy offerings is to make one at the end of your working day so you feel calmer about the day ahead, instead of leaving it until the next morning. Well, that’s all fine, but I get to Friday, can’t switch off and end up doing one for Saturday and Sunday as well. A couple of seconds after I wake up the list is flashing before my eyes like one of those broken, intermittently flashing, buzzing neon signs. My diary is full of brightly coloured post-it notes, sometimes with identical lists on different pages; I’d forgotten that I’d already done that list. I don’t know whether it’s a blessing or a curse that my short term memory is so terrible, I know I need the list but I also know I need to stop “shoulding” on myself to do them!

We all need to get the tedious, necessary tasks out of the way so we can focus on the fun stuff without being distracted.  If I allow myself to get disorganised I lose money, which enrages me because I like to go to events and travel and not throw it down the drain when I forget to pay/cancel something and get penalised.  Do I really want to keep paying for a gym membership in a city where I no longer work? No thanks. With everything else going on, it’s easy to have a constant stream of things to do and forget to play. Play, you say? Come on, kids play, I am a grown up and therefore duty bound to do adult activities such as endless rounds of Come Dine with Me (this gives me stress because I am competitive) and somebody trying to drag me to IKEA. Have we forgotten the importance of play?

What most of us don’t realise is that we ignore play at our peril. Our busy working lives, family commitments, friends and financial issues mean above average levels of anxiety; many of us are prone to catastrophising and imagining the worst. We start to feel tired, lethargic, irritable and depressed and wonder why life has suddenly and inexplicably become a chore. Nowadays, more than any other time in history, we would do well to make time to play.

This can be an active or passive activity; active is good because it involves more participation if you immerse yourself in a new hobby, like pole dancing lessons or circus skills. Sometimes we don’t have the energy and just need something passive like comedy. Comedians certainly don’t seem to be doing badly out of a recession. We all know how important it is to forget the stresses of the day, have some friends round and laugh until you cry at their latest escapades, or just watch some brainless comedy. I have had to train myself to do this, because traditionally I would immediately head to a subtitled foreign film or a weighty book to forget about my day. The result: an even bigger headache. It makes sense to do those things when you feel pretty relaxed, if you enjoy doing those things at all.

Humour in the workplace needs to be actively encouraged and should even be enforced or written into the terms and conditions of employment contracts. I personally wouldn’t hire someone who didn’t have an identifiable sense of humour. It is an antidote against stress, pressure and will guarantee less sick days over time. Our productivity actually increases if we feel we can let off steam at work and are not constantly watching our backs. When will employers get this? Especially the larger institutions which are so bogged down with bureaucracy and protocol that finding something to smile about is nigh on impossible at times.

Should we expect to have fun at work or create it in our own time and just plough through the 9 to 5? Should we work for ourselves and create our own vision of what work should be like instead of having it imposed by other people? Or can people still have traditional careers and create their own sense of how work should be?

I think the majority of us who saw the photos of the Google offices just wanted to cry or scream “someone has Photoshopped those images” when we saw their slides and games, and the lack of conventional hierarchical organisational structures. I heard people saying “I don’t know how they get anything done” or “how do the managers stay in control when the staff are just running around doing what they want?”

I researched alternative workplace structures and laughed to myself. It seems obvious that encouraging time to play and switch off would encourage creativity. Some of these companies let staff use social media as much as they want as long as they get their work done. It’s all about trust and treating their staff like grownups. Or kids when they are in the middle of a Jenga battle in the office. Some killjoys retort “well, they are in a creative industry so it makes sense that they work like that.” I think that no matter what you do if you are given space to be creative or bring ideas to the table you will end up doing a better job. Happy workers who can have a say in their working practices are more productive workers.  Even a small child would realise that a negative, repetitive, politically charged work environment isn’t really conducive to increasing productivity or staff retention. In spite of all this, it still appears to me that organisations seem to increasingly favour overly complicated organisational structure, adding extra layers of control, especially at management level. My only answer to what I was seeing around me was to get out, because tackling it from the inside was a non starter. So down with to do lists (well, not too much as in a way they do help to allow time to play) and overly hierarchical workplace structures.

I had been thinking about these types of issues for some time; a few days ago I went to a theme park for the first time in years and remembered the simple pleasure of being so immersed in which ride to go on next or getting annoyed because the queue for the corkscrew was too long. I went back to being that kid that made damn sure she rode on all of the rides, just like the kid who on holiday had to try all of the ice creams on the hotel menu in a two week period. I reconnected with my inner child which is so often neglected in this rollercoaster modern world. I ate a load of junk and forgot about the constant niggle of guilt to eat healthily all the time. I got attacked by wasps trying to put rubbish in bins and ran around screaming and laughing because it seemed to be acceptable in that place. I played the bongos in the gift shop and did bachata dancing to African rhythms. No one batted an eyelid. It’s a shame though that sometimes we feel that we can only do this in designated places. I’m sure that we can incorporate play into our daily lives with a small amount of effort, without the need to pay theme park admission fees to recapture that feeling again.  Perhaps designated play spaces in towns and cities could have a major effect on wellbeing.

Reinjecting play back into our lives doesn’t have to cost much, we just have to challenge the brainwashing that throwing money at the situation means more fun. I’m not saying that this is always the case but using our often neglected imagination can work wonders. By having fun and playing around we live healthier lives and research shows we are more successful at attaining our goals quicker as we feel lighter, more open and flexible. It really is all about balance. Now, where is my Ryan Gosling colouring book?

Be Here Now

You hear people say “there’s no time like the present” to motivate themselves or others to get things done.  Well, when you think about it, it’s literally true. Some people argue that the past or the future doesn’t exist, only memories or projections. Many of us habitually think about what has happened in the past or worry about things that haven’t happened yet. Doesn’t this get on your nerves? It is less painful to stay in the moment, but day to day how do we do this? Practitioners suggest a technique called “mindfulness”, where you keep your attention on what you are doing right now, even if it’s just washing the dishes or cooking dinner. If you really focus on shapes, smells, temperature, taste etc then you can distract yourself from over-thinking about the past or the future. Telling yourself “the past is done, you can’t change it” or “what’s the point of worrying, it hasn’t even happened yet!” can help your mind to become rational and not ‘catastrophise’ (a habit where you automatically worry about negative outcomes instead of believing in a positive result). Then being in the moment can slowly become an achievable reality and not some impossible state only attainable by Zen Buddhist monks.

SMART GOALS – motivation and goal setting

Most people have a multitude of obstacles that get in the way of achieving their goals – family commitments, financial issues etc. It seems so easy to be distracted these days, by social networking and the Internet in particular. It has been calculated that the average Brit spends approximately 15 hours a week online. Doing what exactly? Probably nothing that important!

How do we get through our to-do list with all these distractions? Get SMART! No matter how many times you decide to lose weight it is NOT enough to just say I want to lose weight. You need to use SMART goals to provide a framework – make the goal:

• Specific – (not “lose weight” but “lose 10 pounds”)
• Measurable – (“lose 10 pounds by June”)
• Attainable – (within the bounds of possibility)
• Realistic – (is it realistic that you do a marathon this year? Maybe start small and build up to it)
• Timely – (look at what is coming up – if it’s nearly Christmas is this a good idea? Set your deadline and stick to it)Most people can achieve their goals but they give up because they don’t go about it the right way – expecting things to happen NOW, or not having a defined plan, then giving up and believing things are not achievable, or trying to set too many goals at once.

Top 10 Happiness Tips

1. Get up, see the day as an event, be the best you can be. Look your best, wear your best perfume/aftershave, smile and be kind.

2. Appreciate nature. Go for walks/hikes. Go to the beach. Just be.

3. Read about NLP and submodalities. Learn how to reframe certainty and uncertainty and reframe your negative beliefs about yourself. It’s awesome.

4. Look after your wellbeing before you try to deal with others. Work out which foods work best for you. Drink lots of water. Allow yourself treats. We are human. Do fun exercise.

5. Remember you are very loved. Even if you might not feel it. If you are so inclined read about angels and guardian angels. It feels good to know there’s someone in your corner when you feel like you’re all alone.

6. Get inspiration from Pintrest, Twitter, photography sites, or get a pile of magazines and cut out what appeals to you. Make a mood board.

7. Make playlists on Spotify for every feasible situation – summer/birthday/cheer up/exercise. Look for new music and inspiration on discover pages.

8. We often think changing our external situation will sort everything out. Do the internal work and you’ll find this becomes less significant. Hire a coach to help you towards your dreams/goals. We can’t do it all by ourselves. It’s worth the investment in yourself.

9. Don’t let people trample on your dreams. Become immune to criticism and keep going.

10. Remember the amount of amazing books, films, comedy, photographs, music out there. Revisit things you liked in your childhood. Reconnect with that relaxed good feeling. Pamper your inner child!