Face It: Massage Points to Do Yourself

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Updated on July 3, 2009

Do you know what the most stressful thing in your life is? The chair.

Most of us sit strapped into to our office chairs for a good portion of our waking hours. Hunched over a computer, our bones and backs begin to ache. Then what do we do? Why, we sit in a car for a nice long stretch (which involves no actual stretching), just in time to get home and plop our desperate behinds down on the sofa.

No wonder massages feel so great. We’re in dire need of some appropriate pressure relief! Of course, exercise helps tremendously. A little daily exercise – even a brief, brisk walk – helps to lubricate your joints, clear toxins from your muscle tissue, burn calories, restore those happy hormones in your brain, and relieve tension and pressure. However, there are things you can do from the (dis)comfort of your office chair to relieve pressure and physical tension throughout the day. We all know our bodies hurt, but even your face can get tense after staring at a screen and scrunching your nose while you’re crunching your numbers. Here are some fun, indulgent, easy tips to try. If you don’t like them, don’t point a finger at us. (Get it? Sorry.) The best thing to do when you’re stuck in a cubicle? Focus on your face and neck. For your lower body, you’ll need more than a few hopeful pokes. But a little upper-body love can leave you feeling mentally restored and visibly refreshed.

1. Start by stroking the whole face. Use both hands and work up the neck, out across the cheeks, then glide gently inwards, work up and out over the forehead. Finish by applying gentle pressure to the temples.

2. Stimulate the skin by using the back of your hands and loosely rolling your fingers up the cheek. This can also be used on the neck and under the chin.

3. With your thumb and forefinger, gently pinch the skin along the jawbone and under the chin. This is very stimulating and helps prevent a double chin.

4. To release tension around the eyes, firmly squeeze the eyebrows with your thumb and forefinger. Always work from the bridge of the nose towards the temples.

5. For tension in the neck and shoulders make firm circular movements working up either side of the neck then out across the shoulders.

FACE MASSAGE TIPS FROM: Holistic Online

*reesie Flickr Photo (CC)

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