Guide · body · 3 min read
Releasing tension you did not notice you were holding — a plain-language guide, when you have just finished work
By mid-afternoon most people are holding their shoulders, jaw and hands without knowing. Here is a two-minute check.
Start here
Here is what tends to work, in the order that helps most.
The gap right after work is the easiest one to use.
If you only do one thing from this page, do the first point below. It is first because it removes the most friction for the least effort.
What helps
Drop your shoulders by a centimetre. Not a shrug in reverse — just let gravity do the work.
Uncurl your hands. If you have been typing, your fingers are probably still curved around an invisible keyboard.
Start with the jaw. Let your back teeth part slightly. Most people hold their jaw closed all day and only notice at night.
What to do when it does not work
Check whether your tongue is pressed against the roof of your mouth. It usually is.
Change position every thirty minutes rather than trying to find the perfect posture. There is no correct way to sit for eight hours.
Stand up and walk to another room once an hour. Not for exercise — just so your body remembers it has legs.
Questions people ask
Do I need a standing desk?
Only if you will actually change position. A standing desk you stand at for four hours is no better than a chair you never leave.
Why does my jaw hurt in the morning?
Often clenching or grinding during sleep. That is worth mentioning to a dentist, who will recognise it immediately.
Written for people who want the practical version. No accounts, no tracking, no newsletter wall.
If this is not the angle you need, try Working in a noisy place without losing your mind — what works and what does not, if you are sceptical about all of this, Do you actually need eight glasses of water, without the usual advice, if you are sceptical about all of this or When grief arrives out of nowhere, without the usual advice, when you are on your own.