Overcoming Anxiety: Hillary Arrieta of The Heeling Hut Barefoot Massage On Five Effective Strategies for Mental Well-Being
An Interview With Nancy Landrum
Stay on schedule. Scheduling daily activities and tasks can help you manage your anxiety, especially if you schedule time for things like movement, a massage, healthy eating, and sleeping.
Anxiety seems to be the dis-ease of our times. More people than ever are taking medications to help them cope with stress. Nearly everyone I talk to is consumed with anxious feelings that hijack any pleasure they could be getting from their lives. The pressure to “produce” combined with a perception of “not enough time,” combines to create anxiety, self-doubt, frustration and resentment. Resentment, then, is often taken out on your closest, most important relationships. As a part of this series, I had the pleasure of interviewing Hillary Arrieta of The Heeling Hut Barefoot Massage and Wellness.
Hillary Arrieta is an industry educator and the author of Press Here! Ayurvedic Head Massage for Beginners, A Practice for Overall Health and Wellness. She is also the creator of Steady Yeti Barefoot Massage Wax and the owner of The Healing Hut Barefoot Massage, where she specializes in Ashiatsu Barefoot Massage in Plano, Texas.
When she’s not working with clients, she teaches massage and yoga/meditation, participates on local massage education advisory boards, and writes for various publications on related topics of expertise.
Hillary has over 20 years of experience working with clients and teaching massage therapists. Hillary has had the honor of teaching as an approved instructor for the Center for Barefoot Massage since 2018.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive in, our readers would love to “get to know you” better. Can you tell us a bit about you and your backstory?
Yes, thank you so much for having me! By profession, I’m a licensed massage therapist specializing in Ayurvedic wellness treatments and barefoot massage, where we use our bare feet instead of our hands to give deep tissue massages.
I spend my days helping people reach their stress and pain management goals, giving them relief from the effects of anxiety, depression, and burnout.
I love my work and enjoy traveling, cooking, and being active. I’m also an animal lover and have two Great Pyrenees and two cats.
As a successful person in your field, have you or do you experience anxiety? And if so, how do you manage, reduce or eliminate anxiety so you can work efficiently and enjoy your non-work hours?
Yes, I got into the massage and wellness profession shortly after being diagnosed with generalized anxiety in my late teens. It changed the trajectory of my life. Anxiety conditions are complicated. There are many factors involved, and people experience them differently. One of the initial ways I sought to manage my anxiety was by finding a calm environment to work. Massage and spa are very sensory to soothe the nervous system. It was a perfect fit! As I evolved into owning a business and teaching, different demands were placed on me where my anxiety can become overwhelming. I love to do something active to move the tension it creates out of my mind and body. When I’m having issues with anxious thoughts, I have to make changes to my lifestyle to make sure I’m doing things that will support me and help me manage my stress.
Have you gone through a period of time in your life where you felt as though you were drowning in anxiety? If so, please share your experience and what you perceive as the reasons.
Yes, like many people, the pandemic kicked it up for me. I think health concerns are something that can be a trigger for me, and a pandemic sets the stage for anxiety to run rampant. One of my clients talks about that time as having a general sense of free-floating anxiety everywhere. I agree! Most people had some sense of it during that time.
What or whom did you lean on to help you cope with anxiety?
My community of peers going through the same situation helped keep me grounded. My family also significantly impacted me during that time.
What lessons did you derive from that dark period of time, that serve you now?
I learned that people are kind and helpful. I feel grateful for others and connected to a community that wants to lift each other up.
Do you have days or circumstances that still cause excessive stress?
Yes, managing my stress is something I’m always going to be working on.
What are your dependable “go to” strategies that you use to restore balance to your emotions?
Movement, whether going for a walk, taking a yoga class, or spending time at the gym, is an integral part of my strategy to manage stress. I also lean into my strict sleep schedule. It’s a game-changer.
Please name five tips, practices, beliefs or affirmations that you recommend to anyone going through a highly stressful time.
1 . Stay on schedule. Scheduling daily activities and tasks can help you manage your anxiety, especially if you schedule time for things like movement, a massage, healthy eating, and sleeping.
2 . Become strategic with caffeine. Stimulants can create excess stress. Make sure you know your limits.
3 . Slow down. It’s easy to get overcommitted to different activities. Be careful not to overdo it.
4 . Take a breath. Find a meditation and breathing practice that supports you. I love the iRest Yoga Nidra meditation protocol.
5 . Cut it off. Set limits — if things are getting too stressful, have a plan B and C. Ask for help from a friend, seek advice from a counselor who specializes in anxiety disorders, and enlist the support of your doctor if you need medication. There’s nothing wrong with using all the supportive resources available.
On a scale of one-ten, if 8–10 was your former, chronic level of anxiety, how would you score your usual level of anxiety today?
I idle at around a 7, but it fluctuates depending on the situation.
Do you have daily practices that support you in maintaining peace, calmness or balance in your life?
I get enough sleep and focus on healthy lifestyle rituals to keep me feeling balanced. My workspace is very serene, and I aim to create a comfortable space at home. I love soaking in a warm bath before bed and having slow mornings when I’m not starting my day in a rush.
Was there any particular saying, person, or book that taught you the skills that enable you to escape or avoid the higher levels of anxiety that used to plague you?
I love to use poetry in my yoga pod classes, so I’m always looking for beautiful, inspirational words. Beauty gives me hope and reminds me of deeper, richer experiences that life gives us rather than drowning in the tiny details of what’s happening in this moment that might be causing stress or discomfort.
Thank you for sharing your wisdom with those who are reading this article. Are there also other ways you are sharing your wisdom?
Yes, I teach workshops and write a blog at www.theheelinghut.com
Wonderful. We are nearly done. Is there a person in the world, or in the US, with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. :-)?
Wow, what a great question. Many people who would fit this situation have passed on, like Anthony Bourdain for his adventurous life experiences and Leonardo Di Vinci for his love of nature and art. I would never pass up a lunch with Oprah!
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)
It may seem obvious, but if I encourage people to get massage therapy regularly, it could change the world. People are starving for the benefits massage therapy provides, like connection, quiet time, and pain relief. It can change the quality of life.
How can our readers follow your work online?
Thank you! The best way to keep up with me is to visit my website at www.theheelinghut.com and follow the social media links.
Thank you so much for joining us. This was very inspirational.
About the Interviewer: Nancy Landrum, MA, Relationship Coach, has authored eight books, including “How to Stay Married and Love it” and “Stepping Twogether: Building a Strong Stepfamily”. Nancy has been coaching couples and stepfamilies with transformative communication skills for over thirty years. Nancy is an engaging interviewer and powerful speaker. Nancy has contributed to The Washington Post, Huffington Post, Authority, Medium, Yahoo, MSN, Psych Central, Thrive, Woman’s Day magazine, and more. Nancy is the Founder of the only one of its kind online relationship solution, www.MillionaireMarriageClub.com. Nancy coaches couples across the globe in person and via Zoom. Nancy’s passion is to guide couples and families to happy lasting marriages where children thrive and lovers love for life.
