Have you ever gotten completely lost in your own troubles while performing what is supposed to be a relaxing facial? When you are preoccupied, your client is not receiving your personal best—and no one wins in that scenario.
Staying present in the treatment room
If you find yourself simply going through the motions while at your skin care facility, follow these five tips that will help you stay present and allow you to maintain a positive connection with your clients.
1. Tap in at the beginning of the day. How you face the day starts from the moment you pull off the covers. There are so many things that can happen to negatively impact your attitude and influence your daily performance at work. If you wake up feeling worried or anxious, try the following to help ease the tension. First, arrive to work a few minutes early, and take time to prepare your room and the details for the day. Nothing adds to your stress level more than rushing to prepare for a service. Secondly, take three-to-five minutes of quiet time before welcoming your first appointment—sometimes that’s all it takes to settle your mind and transition into your day.
2. Direct your thoughts to the present moment. If you are in a treatment and notice your mind beginning to wander, try consciously bringing your attention back to what you are doing in that precise moment. Ground yourself by paying special attention to the physical movements and motions you are performing on the client. Often, when stressful situations preoccupy the mind, your thoughts are either dwelling on the past or jumping ahead to the future, rather than remaining in the present—and that is the place you need to be during a service.
3. Remember, your client is a person. Your client is more than just an appointment time. During the initial consultation, try to find a unique connecting point in order to build a relationship with them and decrease your chances of disconnecting in the future. When clients come in for a service, they have needs and expectations, and your job is to not only meet those expectations, but to exceed them.
4. Take a break. There is nothing wrong with taking a day off. If you are feeling abundantly overwhelmed, stressed and mentally drained, you may need to take some time for yourself. Sometimes the stress of life can make it nearly impossible to give quality treatments to clients. An occasional mental health day to take care of yourself is OK and should be encouraged by management—especially if it means better performance. A day off may be just what the doctor ordered to help re-energize and recharge for work.
5. Employee assistance programs (EAPs). Some employers offer EAPs to help team members deal with problems that might adversely impact their work performance, health and well-being. EAPs provide specific help for various life situations and are usually offered as part of an employee’s benefit package. EAPs can include short-term counseling and referral services, and address a variety of concerns, such as substance abuse; emotional distress; major life events, including births, accidents and deaths; health care concerns; and financial or nonwork-related legal concerns. If available, take advantage EAPs—these services are usually free to employees and their household members.
The key to unlocking your mind is taking care of yourself. Whether you verbalize your stress or not, clients are susceptible to your feelings and emotions. They can easily spot a skin care professional’s tension and, although you should not sweep problems under the rug, it is not fair to bring them into the treatment room, either.
is a licensed esthetician, professional beauty writer and business owner. She holds a master’s degree in human resources development, and enjoys researching, speaking and providing professional commentaries on pertinent topics impacting today’s skin care professionals. She can be reached at [email protected].