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The Rub: a Healwell podcast about massage therapy

Join Healwell in examining and bringing context to the world of massage therapy beyond the table. We have ideas. We have opinions. We want change, and that will only come with an understanding of who and what massage therapy truly is.

A variety of topics are up for grabs: history, philosophy, development, and all the other shiny things that fascinate us.

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Hypomania, Earworms, and Episode Delays

March 12, 20242 min read

The Rub: a podcast about massage therapy | March 12, 2024

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This week on The Rub...

Hello friends, traditionally, creators try to keep a certain distance from the people they create for, partly as a mental safeguard and partly because you're not listening to the rub to hear about my personal issues. However, I'm a big fan of learning in public and talking about struggles, so this short note is to tell you that this week's episode will be a bit delayed. 

Creating these episodes takes a lot of time and I have bipolar disorder, so it's common for me to experience hypomanic episodes in February and or March. I also have bouts in September, but the fall occurrences are less intense than the spring ones. People experience bipolar disorder symptoms in a multitude of ways, but my hypomania makes my sleep erratic, I talk very fast and I tend to hyper-focus on whatever topic my wheel mental of fortune has settled on. Practically speaking, this means I wake up between 2 and 4 am, read and think deeply about one random topic and have very loud earworms at almost all times, which can make it hard to physically hear and therefore listen to other people. In case you were Funkytown, an Ed Sheeran variety pack, and the theme from the new True Detective season are the most frequent visitors for this go round.

Sleep is always the trickiest part. People with bipolar disorder need sleep the same way we need water. Deficits accumulate quickly and have profound and immediate effects. When someone without bipolar disorder says they've lost a night of sleep, it's bad and we should all stop pretending it's a sign that you're the best hustler, but the sleep loss will correct itself.

When someone with bipolar disorder says they can't sleep, it's often a red flag. Also, people with bipolar disorder often don't have good sleep pressure. This means that when we lose sleep, we don't feel more sleepy. We continue to be awake and alert. You don't need to worry about me. I've done this enough times that I know the best way for me to cope is to take my medications as prescribed, get as much sleep as my brain will allow, not make any large purchases of non-returnable items and adjust my productivity expectations. I'm really excited about the upcoming episode. We had a great time rubbing elbows at a conference in California and I'm excited to tell you about it and to talk about things that you can do for your own conferencing adventures. Thanks for your understanding and thank you for listening. 

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Corey Rivera

Corey wants to know everything all of the time, and is lucky enough to be Healwell’s Education Coordinator so she has an excuse to do it. She designs content for the Healwell Community, hosts community events and always has another question. Corey has been a massage therapist since 2008. As a multipotentialite she has experience in writing, designing, organizing data, medical school and opera singing. Currently she owns two small businesses, enjoys video games and cartoons, and has a small stationary obsession. Corey is passionate about how humans communicate information and the profession of massage.

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Interdisciplinary

Interdisciplinary is a podcast about people who take care of people and all of the places and perspectives that lift us up. We love science, we love meaningful dissent, and we love to support our fellow human beings in creating a world that is just, equitable and loving beyond our own imagining.

We will be joined by compassionate, self-aware humans who are actively participating or are interested in participating in interdisciplinary care to have honest, uncomfortable conversations about topics like access, racism, death, ageism, ableism, and equity that address the intersection of being a human being and providing quality care, so that we can expand our impact, confidently navigate new challenges, and together create lasting, sustainable changes in healthcare.

You’ll always learn something. You’ll always laugh and you’ll come away better informed and with real things you can do in your own community and practice to create a more compassionate and collaborative system of care for all humans.

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