Rainy Day Restoration: A Love Letter to Massage Therapists

It's been raining all weekend and I didn't have any clients on Saturday.

My bills are coming due.

Previously, that sentence would have sent me into a spiral of panic and guilt. I would have been posting last-minute availability. Feeling like a failure because my schedule wasn't full.

But this Saturday?

I took that time and caught up on 3 months of paperwork and expenses, transferred some money, realized I had enough money, and paid my bills.

I have realized having an abundance mindset and financial systems in place, I don't have to panic about the empty slots.

The Rainy Day Trap

Here's what most massage therapists do when the schedule lightens up or the weather keeps clients away:

We panic. Empty slots feel like lost income, like we're falling behind, like we're not "real" business owners if we're not constantly booked.

We fill the void. We frantically post last-minute availability, offer discounts, or say yes to clients we normally wouldn't take just to feel productive.

We feel guilty. If we're not actively working on a client, we feel like we're wasting time, being lazy, or not doing enough to build our business.

Sound familiar?

The Shift: Rainy Days Are Invitations

What if I told you that rainy days aren't problems to solve but invitations to accept?

Your body has been holding space for others. Your nervous system has been firing while others relax. Your hands have been working. Your heart has been giving.

Rainy days are your body's way of saying: "Your turn."

And here's the truth we don't talk about enough in this profession: Restoration isn't laziness. It's injury/sickness prevention and longevity.

You can't pour from an empty cup. But more than that, you can't build a sustainable practice if you're running on fumes, guilt, and the fear of an empty schedule.

5 Self-Care Practices for Rainy Day Restoration

The next time the weather keeps clients away or your schedule opens up unexpectedly, try these instead of panicking:

1. The Financial Check-In

This is what I did this Saturday, and it changed everything. Here is what I do: I print out my statements and itemize my business expenses—even my Amazon (I have found over $100 in returns that they said I didn't return) and my PayPal and Venmo. I have canceled monthly subscriptions that I no longer use. See where you can automate savings (I have separate accounts for each expense) and bill paying.

2. The Body Scan Self-Treatment

Lie down. Set a timer for 15 minutes. Starting at your feet, slowly scan up through your body and ask: "What needs attention here?" Your thumbs? Your low back? Your jaw? Don't fix it yet, just notice. Then choose one area and give yourself a myofascial unwinding treatment. Find your restriction. Hold the restriction until it releases and sends you to another location on your body. Slow. Intentional. Compassionate.

3. The Energy Clearing Ritual

Light a candle. Open a window (even if it's raining). Balance your chakras starting with earth chakra, then root, sacral, solar plexus, heart, throat, third eye, crown and star chakra. Tune into each chakra as you balance—some need more time than others to balance.

4. The Nervous System Reset

Your nervous system has been in "caretaker mode" all week. Give it permission to rest. Try this: Lie on your back with your legs up the wall for 10 minutes. Breathe slowly. Notice where your mind wanders, then bring your attention back to your breath. I like to think about inhaling LOVE and exhaling LOVE. This isn't indulgent. This is maintenance.

5. The Permission Slip Practice

Write yourself a permission slip. Literally. "I, [your name], give myself permission to rest today without guilt. Empty slots are not failures. They are breathing room. I am enough, even when I'm not working." Sign it. Mean it.

Today's Power Thought Card from Louise L. Hay I drew was "I release all fears and doubts" (I picked the same one at the women's retreat in the beginning of the month... hmmmm). "I now choose to free myself from all destructive fears and doubts. I accept myself and create peace in my mind and heart. I am loved and I am safe."

Why This Matters More Than You Think

I used to think that hustle equaled success. That if I wasn't fully booked, I wasn't good enough. That rest was something I'd earn after I "made it."

But here's what 24+ years in this profession has taught me: The massage therapists who last aren't the ones who work the hardest. They're the ones who learn to work with harmony and listen and respond to their body's needs.

Burnout doesn't announce itself. It creeps in during the moments when you ignore the rainy day invitations. When you push through exhaustion. When you treat empty slots like emergencies instead of opportunities.

Your body is your business and YOU are the CEO. If you burn it out, you have nothing left to give.

An Invitation

If you're reading this and thinking, "This sounds nice, but I don't know how to actually give myself permission to rest," I want you to know something:

You're not alone. And you don't have to figure this out by yourself.

On November 22nd, I'm hosting Selfish Saturday, a half-day retreat designed specifically for massage therapists who are ready to put themselves first (at least for half a day).

We're going to practice restoration together. Not as a luxury, but as a necessity. Not as something you earn, but as something you deserve because you are magnificent.

If you need permission to put yourself first, consider this your permission slip.

Because rainy days aren't interruptions to your business.

They're invitations to remember why you started this work in the first place.

Ready to stop feeling guilty about rest? Text Goddess Wendy 616-566-1437 for more details

Your body has been asking for this. It's time to listen.