Guide · body · 3 min read
Releasing tension you did not notice you were holding, in plain terms, when you are waiting for something
By mid-afternoon most people are holding their shoulders, jaw and hands without knowing. Here is a two-minute check.
Start here
This is not complicated. It is inconvenient, which is why most people skip it.
Waiting is dead time you can spend on this instead.
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
Check whether your tongue is pressed against the roof of your mouth. It usually is.
Start with the jaw. Let your back teeth part slightly. Most people hold their jaw closed all day and only notice at night.
Drop your shoulders by a centimetre. Not a shrug in reverse — just let gravity do the work.
What to do when it does not work
Stand up and walk to another room once an hour. Not for exercise — just so your body remembers it has legs.
Change position every thirty minutes rather than trying to find the perfect posture. There is no correct way to sit for eight hours.
Uncurl your hands. If you have been typing, your fingers are probably still curved around an invisible keyboard.
Questions people ask
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 What to do when you wake at 3am — a calm, practical approach, when you are not in the mood, When the inner voice will not let something go, when you need something unremarkable or A morning routine that survives a bad night, in plain terms, when nothing else has worked today.