Issue link: https://www.ascpskindeepdigital.com/i/1542457
Expand your offerings safely with Advanced Esthetics Insurance at ascpskincare.com 83 W hen you embody a passion for beauty and wellness, you have an opportunity to embrace a lifestyle filled with creative expression, empowerment, and transformation. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) refers to the true source of beauty and wellness as being a result of our inner balance, health, and vitality. When we attend to and invest in our emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual health, our natural beauty shines through. The work of estheticians is physically and emotionally demanding. It requires standing or sitting for long hours, performing repetitive tasks, and using your hands for intricate work. One study found that approximately 58 percent of beauty professionals experience neck pain, and a high percentage also report hand, wrist, and shoulder complaints. And, no surprise, additional research demonstrates that 40 percent of beauty professionals report chronic low-back pain. 1 To take optimal care of others, it's necessary for us to take optimal care of ourselves. The expression "self-care" is not new to your ears. Yet, despite all the research and all the social media posts and podcasts dedicated to better sleep, better mobility, and better mindset, many beauty professionals still feel burned out and overwhelmed with stress or exhaustion. What would be the simplest, easiest, most friendly thing you can do today to attend to and invest in your inner radiance? We have some ideas on how to get started. EXPERIMENT IN YOUR BEAUTY LAB Most of us know at least one self-care act that reliably makes us feel better. Do you give yourself a daily dose of these glimmers? Or maybe you're unsure where to start or want a larger catalog to get your shine on? We encourage you to practice by reimagining your life as a beauty laboratory, ready for experimentation. There's no need to perform dozens of techniques or to spend hours at the gym to see immediate gains in your capacity to radiate beauty and wellness. Research at Harvard University explored how changing your physical posture can create a cascade of hormonal and physiological changes in just two minutes. 2 When exploring and building your repertoire of radiant self-care, allow for at least two minutes. Give yourself and your body a chance to notice if what you're doing actually feels good. Try out the techniques in this article like you are performing an experiment: Did this stretch relieve my neck, back, wrist discomfort? Does that practice generate greater ease or flow in my thoughts, feelings, and sensations? Some of these recommendations may be helpful or not—that's why a curious attitude of experimentation will provide insight into what most nourishes you. NECK RESET Forward-head posture is the clinical term that describes the behavior of holding and moving our heads in front of our chest. You might've also heard it referred to as "tech neck." This forward- head carriage is also a reliable recipe for neck pain. One of our favorite ways Build your personal healing repertoire to provide better care by Heath and Nicole Reed Reset for Relief KEY POINT Give your body at least two minutes of therapeutic self- care movement to release tension and radiate wellness.