Today after the mad rush to get my three sons off to the Camp of Witchcraft and Wizardry (the 8- and 11-year-old are campers and the 17-year-old is working as head of Hufflepuff House), I went to get a massage. I’ve been seeing Sundar Diaz for years and if you are withing driving distance of Briarcliff, NY I strongly suggest making an appointment ASAP. He is much more than just a massage therapist. He’s a wise, intuitive bodyworker, and healer, and he’s one of the genuinely kindest people I know. The moment he saw me this walk in he could see the problem. He pinpointed a spot on my hip and said it looks like your IT band is locked up. All I know is it certainly hurts to walk and it’s clear that no amount of stretching has been able to fix it.

As he was going along, he also told me that my root chakra was blocked, while I’m not well versed in chakras the diagnosis made sense. I’ve been feeling very ungrounded lately and I struggle a great deal with fatigue which makes battle chronic depression a challenge. After Sundar unlocked my leg and released by root chakra he mentioned that he had done a lot of deep work and that I might feel an emotional release in the coming hours or days. It was funny that he mentioned that because after a previous massage, I felt a burst of anger so intense and ended up having a terrible argument with him husband, David. So, before I left today, David made a point of telling me he loved me, and I was his favorite person. When I asked what made him say that he said, he just wanted to remind me in case Sundar releases a lot of pent-up anger again.

Emotional release during massage is not uncommon. Our unexpressed emotions don’t magically disappear. They become trapped in our body. Many people have reported unexpected emotional experiences after a deep-stretch yoga class or a deep-tissue massage. I once had a burst of panic while getting a foot rub at a reflexology place on Columbus Circle. I was so freaked out I abruptly ended the treatment and ran out. Luckily, I had paid in advance. I left Sundar feeling refreshed, happy, and hopeful that I was finally going to be able to heal the IT problem that had been bothering me so long.

This brings me to another tip that can shore you up to stave off depression, treat physical pain and illness and better yet do preventative care. Pain and ignored medical issue add to our emotional vulnerability and make it more difficult to tolerate life’s ups and downs. Go the GP, the dentist, the eye-doctor, and the dermatologist. Get that breast exam, the pap smear, the colonoscopy. At my last visit, I mentioned to my doctor that I didn’t feel like I had time to take a whole day off for a colonoscopy. I have so many clients struggling and I don’t want to cancel on them. She said it will be a lot worse if you must find time to schedule chemo appointments. Message received. I’m caught up on almost everything now, and I encourage you to do the same.