If you’ve seen me in clinic or on Instagram, you will know that the topic of ‘homework’ is a big one for me! Homework is literally what it sounds like, the work you do at home to support what we uncover and treat in clinic. There is only so much I can do on the table; there are no magic wands or magic needles. I can manipulate your Qi and Xue, but unless you do the work on your diet, lifestyle and emotions outside of your sessions with me, the results you see will be limited.

Think about it like coming to me with an empty cup and expecting it to be magically filled with chicken soup. That ain’t gonna work. I need you to bring the onions, chicken and carrot – I can bring the garlic and the water, but there’s not a lot I can do with the dust sitting at the bottom of an empty cup.

What Does That Have to do with Homework?

If you come to me wanting to reduce the visibility of crows feet and are also experiencing anxiety, what I want you to understand is that these anxious thoughts are causing you to squint excessively which will exaggerate lines around your eyes. I can work on these lines in clinic, but ultimately I’m going to need for you to practice some type of meditation, breathing or writing exercises to address your over-anxious thoughts and racing mind.

The bags under your eyes can be addressed with cosmetic acupuncture, but if you are constantly tired and do not practice good sleep hygiene, plumping up your skin for an hour on the table will bring limited results.

It’s All About You, Literally

While you may need someone to tell you to go to bed on time, you need to be responsible for yourself. It may sound harsh, but it’s the truth! You’re a grown-ass (wo)man! It’s not my responsibility to call you every night at 9:30pm with a reminder to start your pre-sleep routine; do your foot soak or tech-free journaling to ensure you’re getting adequate sleep that night. Why? Because I’m doing that mah damn self.

It doesn’t affect my life if you have pain, bloating, or bully-yourself syndrome, because I go home and I do the preemptive exercises. I also do the homework that I allocate for you, and have a team of practitioners to steer me in the right direction periodically, so that I don’t require constant treatment from others in order to maintain my own wellness.

Why All This Focus on Homework?

Our clinic model is to get rid of you as fast as f*cking possible (with results).

But I’m not responsible for what you do outside of the room. If you wanna lose weight or get rid of lines on your face, do the work outside clinic to make it happen. It’s my job to teach you the skills to take care of yourself on an ongoing basis. It’s not my job to be your babysitter, and who wants that anyway?

It takes a village to help you, and I’m part of that village, but I’m not the whole damn village! I have trusted practitioners that I work with, so if I recommend a counsellor it’s because I know that my treatments are only addressing part of what you’re facing. Or if I recommend that you see an oestopath or chiropractor it is because I think that would be a quicker (and long term cheaper) treatment plan for some muscular and skeletal pain in conjunction with what we are addressing. When it comes down to it, you’re your own Universe. You’re the only person who can truly look after yourself; not your partner, not your mum, not your acupuncturist.

That’s why “I” has one letter, it’s just one!

So before you come to clinic saying, “No, I haven’t done the homework”, you have to ask yourself, what kind of results do you want to get? Otherwise, you might as well set up a direct debit to my account and skip your appointment.

If you want to book in with me, think about how committed you are to your aesthetic and holistic health. If you’re looking to radically improve your beauty and your life, then come to see me!

As much as I rant, the homework I give isn’t hard. This is why I sell tools not products, because they are there to be used, not just sit on a shelf and look pretty.

Homework Examples Include:

• Soak your feet before bed to draw the Qi down and relax your mind and body into sleep.
• Use the jade dermal roller to tighten loose skin or bring back your skin’s glow.
• Facial gua sha with the jade gua sha tool to massage a tight jaw and bring Qi into the face.
• Add organic bone broth to your diet in the weeks leading up to your period, to make sure you have enough Blood available for menstruation.
• Once a day, write a post-it of one thing you appreciate or admire about yourself. Stick it on the wall where you can read over it, as a reminder of how f*cking awesome you are.
• Practice deep belly breathing to reduce stress symptoms, just three rounds of a 3 second inhale and a 6 second exhale will reduce stress and anxiety.

I Want Results for You

I do joke about clients bribing me with chocolate and baked goods when they’ve not done their homework. But rather than bribery, what I would love is you doing these small pieces of work at home, so that you can see the results that you want in as short a time as possible. And, more importantly, that these tools and tips can go with you throughout your life and bring you closer to wellness and happiness.