How often do we avoid things that would be good for our health or help us to practice self care? I almost didn’t go through with what you see in these pictures below from the Wunder Life Gut Check Summit.
Walking up to a massage booth and signing up for a 20 minute massage is not something I would normally do because of my hyperhidrosis.
I was self conscious about being sweaty, both on my hands and on my back. When I told Wendy from Front Range Community College School of Massage Therapy about it, she looked me straight in the eyes and said, “Don’t worry about it.” And then she watched my jaw drop when she told me has a client with hyperhidrosis. She knew what it was!
Do One Thing Every Day That Scares You
I’m always telling you to do one thing every day that scares you, to stop avoiding life because of hyperhidrosis. So who would I be if I didn’t practice what I preach?
I signed up for the massage (and got the signup sheet all wet) and then walked around until it was my turn. When I arrived back at the booth, Libby (pictured on the right) had a stack of paper towels for me! This was not something I asked for. They just magically appeared.
The expertise and compassion from Wendy and Libby today absolutely floored me. I could cry over it.
People with hyperhidrosis so often avoid or flat out strip activities from their everyday lives. Why? Because they don’t feel worthy of being touched. Because they don’t want to gross other people out with their excessive sweating. Because they don’t want to have to worry about one more freaking thing that could make their sweating worse.
Related: My First Non-Sweating Massage
Stop Apologizing
Today, I practiced some self care and stopped apologizing for how my body behaves. The massage was worth it and helped me to release some of the angst I usually feel in my sweaty body. 10 minutes after my massage, my number was drawn and I won a one-hour massage!
Moral of the story? It’s perfectly acceptable to give your hyperhidrosis the middle finger. Ask for what you need to help manage your hyperhidrosis.
When you are vulnerable and forthcoming with others, you might just find a surprise stack of paper towels waiting for you. Or a free one-hour massage.
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