Welcome...
. . . to the Braun Healing Alternatives website!
My name is Nancy Braun. I am a National Board Certified Massage Therapist. I am licensed in Illinois and Missouri to provide therapeutic massage to patients/clients. I have a very simple philosophy when it comes to how we treat ourselves.
Quite simply, and I speak from experience, we take better care of our car than we do ourselves! We will do just about anything it takes to keep our car in good shape.......adding fuel, having the oil changed, washing/waxing the car, and rotating the tires. Why? We want to keep our car running as smoothly and efficiently as possible, so it doesn't quit. But, when it comes to our health, we will endure all kinds of abuse such as lack of sleep, poor food choices/portions, lack of exercise, and suffering from dangerously high levels of stress. Funny, the vast majority of our society shares this perspective.
Perhaps conducting our own "Multi-Point Inspection" of our lives could be helpful. Stress Management Tips features a written exercise for you. I want to share an excerpt with you below in the hope that it will guide and assist you in the innumerable ways it continues to help me.
I received a letter a few years ago saying "how grateful a person was to know someone who has so much compassion for others and acts on it.....now, if only they could beg me to turn more compassion on myself, and realize if I did so, my desire to turn compassion on others would multiply in results!" They went on to say, "Don't take that as a criticism, not at all! But, energy is meant to be taken in as well as let out". That one phrase has become my signature statement when it comes to encouraging others and myself to begin/continue making our health a top priority.
Those poignant words about energy have stuck with me to this day, keeping the letter as a reminder that I am worth all the effort, attention and respect I can show myself and SO IT IS WITH YOU AS WELL! Putting yourself first is not vain or presumptuous. It is merely "filling the cup to a point of overflowing". In this way, we can give from a place of abundance, rather than a place of emptiness and exhaustion. Regular massage therapy, among many other things, can help fill that cup. So, starting today, ask yourself the question "what would it take for me to feel nurtured each day?" Then, follow through on one thing a day and watch in amazement how your stress level will drop and you will begin to change your life!!
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