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A Meeting, a Massage and a Meal

By Friends & Family, Health, ThinkingNo Comments
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In response to my exposé report, the Head of Quality and Head of PALS (Patient Advice & Liaison Service) from the Northwest Boroughs Healthcare NHS Trust met with me to discuss my concerns around the care I received. I was uneasy about the meeting and anxious, but it went extremely well.

The Northwest Boroughs Healthcare NHS Trust have taken my report seriously and the feedback has been responded to with both top-down and bottom-up approaches.

The meeting couldn’t have gone better and I left feeling very assured that they had not only taken my concerns seriously, but responded to them appropriately. They are due to write a formal response to me in due course.

I followed this with a self-care treat of a 60 minute full body massage. This was relaxing and de-stressing. It was a GroupOn deal, I’ve never used GroupOn before, but it’s great for trying out new experiences or businesses at a reduced price. So check it out.

Yesterday I attended a meal to celebrate what would have been Alex, my younger brother’s 28th birthday.

Words that sum up my last few days: unease, anxiety, bravery, changing things for the better, relaxing, de-stressing, remembrance, celebration.

Blog soon,

Antony

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Review: A Marvellous Massage by a Masseur found using GuysWay

By Gay, Happiness & Joy, Health, ReviewsNo Comments
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GuysWay – The Ultimate Male Masseur Directory in the UK

Being a Reviewer has its perks. Like being offered the opportunity to review the experience of finding a Masseur on GuysWay and having a massage. Naturally, I jumped at the chance.

Within two clicks on GuysWay I had found a professional, gay-friendly massage therapist local to where I live. It couldn’t have been easier.

On GuysWay my first click was to select my geographical area, which resulted in a list of local Masseurs. The second click to select a profile of a Masseur that took my fancy. I had the option to make a quick phone call, text or email to book.

I booked with a gorgeous Moroccan named Saeed via email. As well as having a profile on GuysWay he has his own website where he offers his massage services. Saeed happens to be the Owner of GuyWay. On my arrival at his house, I felt instantly at ease with Saeed. We spoke a little about GuysWay.

Saeed was quick to reassure me that the order Masseurs are displayed on local listing pages are always random, meaning that no Masseur gets preference over another. He explained that he had set up GuysWay because he had seen a gap in the market. There were directories that were slightly sleazy and seedy offering additional services to massage, but no gay-friendly Professional Masseur Directories out there. I had to agree with this, prior to GuysWay, I had always found it difficult to find a good Masseur.

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Saeed’s Massage Room

Saeed led me upstairs to his massage room. The room had an air of comfort to it. Candles, low-lighting and background music created a calming atmosphere. I undressed, leaving my underwear on to maintain my modesty and climbed on to the message table. I had opted for a deep tissue massage.

Saeed started on my shoulders, working his way down my body using massage oil liberally. His hands were like magic. They were warm, muscular, applied the perfect amount of pressure and moved in rhythm with the music. The feel on skin-on-skin contact was stimulating, sensual and very relaxing. I found myself being transformed into a blissfully calm and carefree state. Throughout the massage, I had the option to talk or just lie there and enjoy.

The message was just what I needed. It left me feeling both relaxed and energised. It was fantastic and left me wanting to take Saeed’s hands home with me.

Afterwards I thought about the experience. I decided that massage is essential for everyone’s wellbeing. Massage has so many benefits. For me this massage helped to reduce my stress levels, enabled me to unwind and get a goodnight of restful sleep.

I’ll definitely be booking another delightful and marvellous massage with Saeed in the future. Hopefully making massages with Saeed a regular thing.

Review soon,

Antony

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Relaxation

By Happiness & Joy, Health, LifeNo Comments

Stress causes energy blockages within charka’s in your aura. These energy blockages can cause both physical and mental illnesses and lead to general energy depletion (tiredness).

One of the best ways to reduce stress is through relaxation. So here’s some ideas how I relax:

Off Loading
Having a good natter or “getting it off your chest” as the phrase is, does you the world of good. I’ve heard it refereed to as offloading. It’s important I guess that you don’t dump all the stress emotionally on the person though…so my best method instead are Relaxation Techniques.

Relaxation Techniques
First and foremost I must say that any relaxation technique will only work to de-stress if you take time out.

Environment
I usually start with my home. I declutter and tidy as mess only adds to my stress. I have the room decorated in a neutral colour, and put soft lighting on as well as candles and Sandlewood or Jasmine in the oil burner. In terms of the colour of your rooms, do think carefully about what colours you use when decorating your house. For example red, is a warm lovely colour but also represents anger and anxiety. Once your environment is suitable to relax in I normally go for a bath.

Bathing
I like a nice bubble-filled bath. A beautiful scent, that encourages relaxation. If possible you can also put a CD Player outside the door and play in some nice slow music. Then all you have to do is soak, simple. Try to slow your mind down. Maybe imagine a wooden chest, see all thoughts in your mind be sucked in to the chest and then it close and drop out of your mind.

Meditation
There are loads of different techniques and visualisations to meditate too. I find it difficult to do, so sometimes use a crystals energy to guide me. Usually a clear quartz. Although I must admit, I struggle to sit there and do nothing.

Massage
If your lucky enough to live with a partner, get him or her to give you some TLC. A shoulder rub, hand rub (the Dove hand creams are great for this!) are both lovely. If your lucky enough they may even give you a full body massage. But just remember you have to return the favour. Give and take. A friend of mine recently told me that she books a full body professional massage once a year at around Christmas time – what a good idea, eh? We should all treat ourselves me thinks.

Escapism
We all use escapism as a good relaxation method. Whether it’s a physical escape (on holiday or for a weekend away) or whether it’s in books (using our imagination) or films. It is sometimes needed to escape the stress for a short while. So if works very stressful consider taking a book to read on your dinner break.

One final thought….
Watch what you eat and drink! Some foods and drinks are psychologically good to relax with but have a stimulant effect on the body. Hence tensing your muscles up and getting your body working hard to digest them. My big mistake in this area is chocolate, being a recovering chocoholic. I love a bit of galaxy, but the sugar speeds up the body. Not what you want when your trying to relax.

I hope this has inspired you to go and chill out and have a relaxed evening.

Take care my friends,

Antony



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