It’s early morning and the sound of plow blades scraping the street outside my bedroom window rips me out of my less than restful slumber. I spend the next 20 minutes trying to fall back sleep before my alarm goes off, hoping it will provide me with the quality sleep I need to get through the day. Just as I doze off, my alarm startles me awake and with it comes the thoughts: things left unfinished, things yet to be started, what I should have said, and worries about how everything will get done. Throughout the day I find myself struggling to focus on the task or conversation at hand as my mind wanders to what to do for dinner, replays a previous conversation, and how much I want to be back in my bed. Basically, my brain has too many tabs open. That’s where Reiki comes in.
Reiki is a powerful soothing stress reduction technique that uses a gentle healing touch or no touch at all to bring calm and relief to the body and mind. The results are similar to massage and include but aren’t limited to: better sleep, increased mental clarity, relief from physical aches and pains such as headaches and joint pain, emotional balance, and enhanced creativity. I like Reiki because it helps me close the tabs. During a Reiki session, it’s easier to focus on the moment: hear the relaxing music, feel the heat of the table and the softness of the blanket, taste the chocolate, and smell the essential oils. I prefer to close my eyes during sessions because it allows me to focus on my other senses. During a Reiki session, I feel my stress melt away and the tabs begin to close, one by one. It allows me to feel like myself again. So much of my day is focusing on the needs of those around me and Reiki is my time to focus on myself. Doing so allows me to fill up my cup. Reiki helps me take care of myself so I can continue caring for others.