Last week, I was chatting with a new reflexology client who told me she hadn’t had a treatment in 11 years.
Eleven years.
Not because she didn’t enjoy reflexology. Quite the opposite. She told me she’d always loved it and found it incredibly beneficial.
She simply hadn’t got around to it.
Life had happened.
In those 11 years, she’d had a child, built a family life, navigated work, responsibilities, school runs, appointments, shopping lists and all the other things that quietly fill our days and weeks.
As we talked, it struck me that this isn’t really a story about reflexology.
It’s a story about all the things we keep meaning to do.
The book we want to read.
The friend we want to call.
The exercise class we’d like to try.
The hobby we’d love to restart.
The walk we promise ourselves we’ll take tomorrow.
The treatment we’ve been thinking about booking for months.
Most of us don’t consciously decide that these things aren’t important.
We simply get busy.
Life moves quickly and, without realising it, we become experts at putting ourselves at the bottom of the list.
I see this often in my reflexology practice.
Some clients book their next appointment before they leave. Every four weeks is ideal for maintaining balance and making regular relaxation part of their routine. Once it’s in the diary, it tends to happen.
Others fully intend to book.
They tell me they’ll check their diary when they get home.
They mean it.
But then a busy week turns into a busy month and before they know it, six, seven or eight weeks have passed.
Not because they don’t want to come.
Not because they didn’t enjoy their last treatment.
Simply because life got in the way.
And if we’re honest, that’s something many of us can relate to.
We often think self-care has to be extravagant or indulgent. Something we earn after everything else is done.
But what if we looked at it differently?
What if taking care of ourselves wasn’t a reward, but a form of maintenance?
Just as we service our cars, attend dental appointments and keep on top of household jobs, perhaps our own wellbeing deserves a place in the diary too.
Not because we’re falling apart.
Not because there’s something wrong.
But because life feels easier when we take care of ourselves consistently rather than waiting until we’re exhausted.
Whether that’s reflexology, yoga, a walk in nature, a coffee with a friend or simply an hour of uninterrupted quiet, the activity itself matters less than the decision behind it.
The decision to make yourself a priority.
So if there’s something you’ve been meaning to do for yourself, perhaps this is your gentle reminder.
Not next month.
Not when work calms down.
Not when the children are older.
Not when everything else is finished.
Now.
Because if we’re not careful, the weeks become months, the months become years, and one day we find ourselves saying, “I can’t believe it’s been 11 years.”
And that’s probably longer than any of us intended.
If you’ve been thinking about booking a reflexology treatment, I’d love to welcome you.
Treatments take place in my peaceful treatment room in Thelwall, and mobile appointments are also available across Lymm and the surrounding areas.
Sometimes all it takes is putting one hour aside and giving yourself permission to pause.