Stress Management Stretching

Simple stretching exercises that relieve body stress and muscle tension is known as stress management stretching.

Stress and Stretching

Everyone encounters stress and stressful situations throughout their lives. For most, stress has become a daily part of their lives. It gives you headaches, sore shoulders, stiff necks and backaches as your body tenses as a reaction to stress. Learning how to handle the stress you face each day will help you to lead a happier, healthier, less stressful life.

One of the many tools we can use to reduce stress in our lives is stretching exercises. When we stretch our bodies we receive many benefits. These benefits include:

Stress hormone production is decreased as receptors in the nervous system are stimulated
The blood flow to the muscles is increased
Muscles and joints that are tight and tense relax
Joints experience a better range of motion
Flexibility increases
There is a reduction in feelings of stress, fatigue and anxiety
Mental alertness increases
Posture is improved relieving many aches and pains

Stretching exercises can be full body stretches or they can focus on a specific area of the body.

The Crescent Stretch

An excellent stretching technique for stress in the crescent stretch:

While standing or sitting, raise your hands over your head.
Interlock your fingers and as you exhale move your hands and arms to te right. Make sure to keep your shoulders back.
Take several deep breathes and inhale as you move your hands back over your head.
Repeat the exercise moving your hands and arms toward the left.

Do this exercise four to five times for maximum stress relief.

The Stress Triangle

When our body is under stress, usually the first area we feel the tension is the neck and shoulder muscles. This muscle area is often referred to as the stress triangle. This group of muscles reacts to tension by tensing and tightening. The following simple stretching exercises will help to relieve muscle tension in this area.

Bring your shoulders up as if you were trying to touch your ears, like an exaggerated shoulder shrug. Hold that position for 15 to 20 seconds and then relax. Repeat this as stretching exercise several times.
Face foreword with your shoulders relaxed. Look to the right by turning your head as if you are looking over your shoulder. Turn it as far as possible but still comfortable. Holds this neck stretch for 15 to 20 seconds. Relax and turn your head back until it is facing fall word. Repeat the exercise turning your head to the left side.
With your head facing fall word and your shoulders relaxed tilt your head as if you were trying to make your right ear touch your right shoulder. Hold that stretch for 15 to 20 seconds and then slowly relax. Bring your head back to its upright position and repeat the exercise tilting toward the left side.
Face foreword and drop your chin down into your neck. Hold that position for 15 to 20 seconds and then relax. For added stretching, place the palms of your hands on the back of your head and lightly push forward. A variation of this exercise is done by rolling your head gently to the right and then to the left by your chin is to your chest do this motion without any bouncing or jerking movements.

Each of these exercises can be performed in a standing or sitting position and can be done at home, the workplace or while sitting in stopped traffic. As you get used to performing these stretching exercises hold your position for up to 30 seconds and repeat each exercise from one to three times whenever you feel they are needed.