Simple Stretches to Relieve Stress
These stretches help relieve your stress, but they can also boost your mood, improve your work performance, relieve headaches, reduce neck pain and reinvigorate you from any stresses in your life!
First, what you need to do is breath. Take a few seconds before you do the stretches to try a few breathing exercises. Close your eyes and just focus on your breathing. Inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth. Repeat this about 10 times for one set. Try this for about three sets before you start your stretches. It will put you in a more relaxed state!
Shoulder and Neck Stretches: The first stretch has you sitting in your chair. Plant both feet on the floor about shoulder-width apart. Put both your hands behind your neck and interlock your fingers. Now tilt your head towards the floor and press your shoulder blades together. You’re going to want to hold this for about 10 seconds and then release. Do this three more times.
Cat Pose: This move you will start on all fours. Begin with a straight spine and your head facing the floor. When you exhale, curve your back by rounding your spine up. You’ll end up looking at your belly button. Now slowly inhale and on your next exhale return to your starting position.
Arm Stretches: Again, you’ll want to be sitting straight in your chair with your feet on the floor, shoulder-width apart. With your fingers interlocked in front of you, stretch out your arms. You’ll want to rotate your wrists until your palms are facing away from your body. Hold this for 10 seconds before you raise your arms above your head for another 10 seconds. Now do this three more times.
Lower Back: Sitting in your chair, lean forward and grab your ankles with both hands. This move lets you feel your lower back stretching out! Again, hold this for 10 seconds and repeat three more times.
Leg Stretches: From your sitting position, raise one leg and straighten it before you. Hold this for 10 seconds before rotating your foot to the left and then to the right. Repeat this with the other leg. You’ll want to do this five more times with each leg.
