Are you feeling stressed?  This has past year has difficult for many people. People have experienced changes with their jobs, families, shopping, and lack of interaction with other people. 

Stress often shows up in our body physically as tight neck and shoulders. Today, I want to share 4 things you can do to combat some of these problems. 

1. Do shoulder shrugs. Taking mini breaks for just 30 seconds can help prevent pain spasm cycles from developing or at least getting out of control.  Every hour or two simply roll your shoulders in a backward direction at a slow pace. This counters the forward posture that we hold our shoulders in. It helps to stretch our chest muscles and strengthen our back muscles. 
2. Be posture aware.  Do you find yourself slouching in you chair? Poor posture puts continuous stress on our neck, shoulders and backs.  Look at your computer monitor and try to adjust them to eye level. This may require putting something underneath it to raise it. If you wear bifocals, you may need to lower the monitor or raise your chair. Adjust your chair to minimize reaching out for your mouse. 
3. Walk.  Walking is a great stress reliever for our body. Walking even 15-20 minutes at lunch will relieve physical and mental stress. As the days get warmer, this should become easier to do.
4. Get adjusted. Last but not least, don’t neglect getting your spine adjusted. Improving joint motion can relieve stress/stiffness in the muscles and help improve your posture by bringing balance back to your spine.  

Don’t know how to get started? Call our office.  We have variety of services available to help you with posture, stretching, or pain relief.  We would be happy to provide a free consultation to discuss your needs.