(All Client’s Names have been changed for their privacy) 

 “If you’re tired of Portland, you’re tired of life”. And, if you live in Portland, you’re probably tired of hearing people tell you that. Why? Because sometimes you are tired of Portland – or any bustling, busy metropolis – and that’s okay.

City fatigue impacts us all in different ways. Whether you dread your daily commute, stare at your screen for eight hours a day, or spend what seems like every other evening at leaving drinks down the local, it’s part and parcel of living in a city. However, there’s millions of us who manage it every day, so I sat down with some of my clients to find out how they work their wellness routine into their lives.

Whatever which way you wellness.

Wellness and self-care manifests itself in a million and one ways because everyone has their own way of deliberately taking care of their mental, emotional and physical health. Some people self-care by ensuring they get an 8-hour sleep each night, others try and go to the gym three times a week, and others will soak in the bathtub or make sure they eat one thing they really enjoy every day.

Wellness and reading lamps.

One of my clients, Mary, is a mental health social worker who likes to use exercise to help her unwind after a long commute and an even longer working day. ‘I travel 47 miles by car every single day to my job helping adults recover from mental ill health. When I’m not working, I embrace the countryside that surrounds where I live and take my dog for a big walk most evenings.’ And a wellness routine can be as simple as that – purposely taking the time to do something that feeds your mind, body and soul.

Another of my clients, Jane, can’t stray as far as the countryside, as she’s got two children to keep an eye on. But, when she’s got time just for her, one of the things she loves to do is simply sit down with a book and drift away from it all.

Massage for everyone.

Discovering what wellness ritual works for you takes time. If you’ve only got a limited number of hours to spend on you, then sometimes it makes sense for you to choose something which helps you hit more than one of your self-care goals.

No bones about it, we’re big believers in the power of massage as a wellness route. And, according to my clients, they are too. Take Kelly, for example. She’s a professional photographer who spends hours and hours a week lugging around heavy equipment on her back, leaving it ‘full of knots’. Not only does her deep tissue massage help treat work-related injuries, it also gives her the time to herself she craves on a schedule that suits her. ‘It’s so relaxing to be able to have a late-afternoon massage and go straight to bed.’

Investing in yourself.

For civil servant Rob, massage isn’t just a great way to look after his body, which gets pushed to the limits in the gym. ‘I view looking after myself – which includes massage – as an investment in me as a person’. When you spend every weekday in an office working on projects that make things better for others, it’s only right that you also zone out and make space for bettering yourself too. Rob cycles everywhere and his body is pretty beat up. Rob leaves my table relaxed and worked over.

‘My hour of Almost Bliss Massage’
‘Portland exhausts me’ says my client Katherine. ‘The pace of this place can leave me feeling rushed off my feet and it can cause problems with my health. One day I had a horrific headache, needed a “treat” so I booked my first Massage with Danielle and I haven’t looked back.’ Even though Portland tires her out, Katherine still plucks for massages that send her into slumber. ‘I usually choose 90 minute Deep Tissue Sport Massage treatments, that have just the perfect amounts of extreme deep work followed by moments of relaxing intermezzo’. ‘That way I slither off Danielle’s delicious table, go home and crawl straight into bed without seeing anyone else’. Mom-of-two Jane is also a fan of the 90 Minute Deep Tissue treatment – ‘It’s my hour of bliss! I have it once a month, while the kids are at home with dad’. ‘Moms are people too! If I don’t take care of me, who will’?

And that’s the thing – the pursuit of wellness shouldn’t drain you, it should refuel you. That’s one of the reasons I created Danielle’s Table Massage – to help you Move Better, Feel Better, Live Better.

Craving a bit of “You Time”? Discover and book a massage in Portland, HERE!