In this episode, we are diving into why so many massage therapists experience burnout. And we're going to uncover the truth that no one's really talking about, because it turns out it's about much more than just overwork. Welcome to the Conscious Practitioner, the podcast helping massage therapists align with purpose, create deeper client transformation, and evolve your practice, even if you feel stuck. I'm your host, Dr. Jess, and each week we address your biggest practice challenges from boundaries to burnout and everything in between.

Together we uncover the inner blind spots behind these outer struggles and when we master them you transform from a skilled practitioner to a truly impactful one. In today's episode, you'll discover how to recognize when burnout isn't just physical, but a sign of something much deeper, the surprising way disconnection from your purpose really does drain your energy, and practical steps to reconnect with your calling and re ignite your passion. Let's get started. So, Have you ever had one of those weeks, maybe months, and if you're anything like me at all, maybe a year or so where you feel like your energy is just gonzo? You wake up, you're already tired, you're dragging yourself to your appointments, and by the time your last client leaves, you're way too wiped to even think about making dinner, let alone any kind of self care. Sound familiar? Well, if you're a massage therapist, you've likely been there. What makes it even more frustrating is you've probably tried all the right things to fix it, right? You've taken breaks, you said no to a few extra clients, you maybe splurged on a massage yourself, right? Well, I mean, let's be serious. How many of us are actually splurging on a massage ourselves? But no matter what you do, the exhaustion keeps creeping back in. So what's going on? Now here's the truth. Burnout isn't just about doing too much. It's about doing too much of the wrong things. Things that aren't aligned with who you are and why you started this work in the first place. And until we get to the root of that, really to the bottom, to the core of that why, no amount of rest is going to solve the problem. Now you see, let me, let me just say this up front. Burnout is complex, right? There's many layers. There's overwork, there's lack of boundaries, there's underlying health issues. I'm not trying to say that burnout is just this one thing. But, in my experience, one of the biggest reasons wellness practitioners burnout Is something we really don't talk about and it's it's this disconnection from purpose It's this disconnection from a real profound why now I myself I'm I'm a pretty big fan of old boy Viktor Frankl in this book Which you should probably read if you haven't man search for meaning and he talks about this thing called logo therapy I mean, he doesn't define it as logo therapy in the book He defines that much later on after he escaped the concentration camps He And that's just the point, because the book is about his experience as a psychologist in a Nazi concentration camp, Auschwitz of all places. And within that, he determines in his belief and opinion, which I believe is the case, that meaning really is the fundamental motivation that keeps us going, that gives us energy, that gives us life. So that's really what I want to talk to you today about. And you know what? I've been there. I've been there more than once. A few years ago in particular, I hit a major wall in my practice. I was seeing clients back to back, and on paper, everything looked perfect. My schedule was full, had a steady income, and my clients, well, they all seemed happy enough that they kept coming back and referring other people to me. But inside, inside something super drained. I started dreading certain appointments and even questioned if I had really chosen the right career. I thought, man, I just, I just don't like this. I'm just not enjoying it. One day after a particularly exhausting session, well, I, I, I broke down. I just sat there at my desk, slumped in my chair, tears in my eyes. I felt like, I felt like my body was made, was made of a soggy, wet towel. Now, now, not one of those cozy, warm, hot towels that we use in treatment. No, no, no, no. No, I'm talking about like a heavy, wet towel. The, the type that's been used to like clean up a Flooding sink or something like that. I mean, I just, I just felt bleh. Right? Maybe you've been there too. Dense, wet, cold, just soggy. And in that place, in that state, I just, I just couldn't imagine how I was going to continue to do this for the rest of my life. No, that was one of the moments in my life where I truly realized something had to change. I've had a couple of those for better or worse, but that one was particularly profound. The problem wasn't my clients. It wasn't my schedule. It wasn't even my workload. The problem was I'd been ignoring my deeper calling for years saying yes to work that really didn't light me up in any way. And staying in my comfort zone was seriously suffocating me. So that's when I realized that burnout wasn't just about getting more rest, it wasn't just about nutrition, which are super important. It's also a sign that I really needed to realign. When we're disconnected from our purpose, even the smallest tasks, they can feel monumental. The resistance builds up, and over time, the resistance starts to look like exhaustion, frustration, and even resentment. And that's such a terrible feeling, when we start to feel genuine resentment towards the people we're supposed to be caring about. So then, how do we start to shift this? Well, the first step is to reframe burnout. Instead of thinking of it as failure, see it as feedback. Your body, your mind, your spirit, your entire being, they're all trying to tell you something. One of the workshops that I teach is about a whole body yes and a whole body no. It's talking about alignment by using the sense of intuition and your body is going to tell you, right? There's that great book by Gabor Maté, When the Body Says No, and it will say no. So your body, mind, and soul, they're giving you feedback that you're in the wrong direction, you're pointed towards the wrong star. Burnout isn't saying you can't handle this, it's saying this isn't aligned for you anymore. And it might have been, it might have been at one point in time, right? But it's not anymore. Let me give you an example. I had this coaching client who was a massage therapist and she was specializing largely in deep tissue work. And she was really, really good at it. And she managed to be able to do it for long periods of time without sustaining physical injuries, which is not something we can all say. And she actually loved the technical aspect of it, but she felt completely drained by the end of the day. So we dug a little bit deeper, because it wasn't the physical part of it. She was tough, great body mechanics, all that good stuff. And when we dug, she realized that she really didn't actually want to do it anymore. She wanted to shift into more gentle, restorative work. In fact, this happened coincidentally not too long after a workshop in Cranial Sacral. Now, for those of you craniosacral practitioners, you know, it's pretty gentle stuff and it tends to be pretty profound. So, with the deep tissue stuff, it often left clients feeling really amazing after a session, right? We all know that just massage look after somebody's had some serious work done. She knew that there was something more to helping her clients than just releasing another knot. Now the cool thing is the moment that she started to make the transition, her energy, it started to come back and her clients started to notice a difference too. And that's the super cool part. She had this entire clientele that expected, or at least she thought they expected her to do a specific type of treatment, and that's this deep tissue stuff and really work on those knots. And yeah, some of them did, but quite frankly, the bulk of them supported her decision and really loved the new direction and felt the genuine shift in her ability to treat. Now, this is why reconnecting with your purpose, it really matters. When your work aligns with your deeper values, energy, well, it flows. You stop feeling like you're pushing a boulder uphill, right, the Sisyphean battle of consistently rolling that same boulder up every single day. And yeah, you know, like Sisyphus, we might still be pushing a boulder to up the hill, but the difference between having a purpose and not having a purpose is we start to find joy in the process again. So then, what can you do to reconnect with your purpose if you're maybe even flirting with a burnout? Maybe you're already there. Here's, here's three actionable steps that can get you started. Number one, reflect. Take ten minutes today, not later, not tomorrow, but ten minutes today, and journal about what originally inspired you to become a massage therapist in the first place. Ask yourself, where am I falling out of alignment with that vision? Number two is, Do a practice audit. Write down which parts of your work feel super fulfilling and which parts make you feel drained. Look for patterns. Are there certain types of clients or certain types of sessions or treatments that leave you more energized? And what about the other ones? Why don't they? And lastly, start small. You really don't have to overhaul your entire practice overnight. Maybe it's about saying no to one client who really isn't a good fit. Yeah, that's, that's hard. I get it. But it's about exploring a new modality that excites you. And small shifts, they really, really can make a big ripple. And here's the thing. You really don't have to be perfect about it. This whole process, well, it's just that. It's a process. It takes time to work through. But every step you take towards alignment, every step you take where you're oriented to your deeper why, is a step toward more energy, more passion, more fulfillment. And I can guarantee it's also going to lead to better therapeutic outcomes. There's just something about treating your clients and your patients when you're in a place of satisfaction that tends to make a bigger difference. So with that, I want to say thank you so much for spending your time with me today. I know time is precious, and I am truly grateful you chose to share yours with me. So to wrap things up, Burnout really isn't just about overwork, it's often about misalignment. So look at what feels draining in your work and start seeing burnout as feedback rather than failure. Small shifts create big ripples. Whether it's auditing your practice or saying no to something that doesn't feel aligned, every step towards purpose really counts. And reconnect with your purpose. It transforms not just your energy, but your entire practice. When you align your work with your deeper values, it feels less like a struggle and more like flow. And this last question I want to leave you with is, what's one small way you can reconnect with your deeper purpose this week? Is it rediscovering what excites you about your work, saying no, do something that drains you, or maybe taking a single step towards a practice that feels more aligned? Whatever it is, know this, it doesn't have to be perfect, but it's So long as you feel happy with the process. Now, if this episode resonated with you, I would love it if you'd share it with a fellow therapist who might be struggling. And don't forget to subscribe for more insights like these. Thank you for listening to The Conscious Practitioner. Until next time, be well, my friend.