𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙢 § 𝙘𝙡𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙮 .

10 tips to calm down and relax in less than a minute

1// catch your breath
☾close your eyes and inhale for three seconds from deep within your diaphragm, and exhale for three seconds. repeat three times. ☾

2// pectoral door stretch
☾ please your elbow and forearm on the edge of an open door frame. make sure the elbow placement is just shy of shoulder height and stretch the chest forward. hold for 3-5 seconds and repeat the movement three times with both arms. ☾

3// focus breaths
☾ focus on something you want to happen or feel - even if you don't deeply feel it yet. for example, "today i am beautiful" or "i am going to rock this interview." close your eyes, take a breath and say the words. it will penetrate. ☾

4// posture breaks
☾sit up tall, focus on your scapulae (shoulder blades) try to get them to touch each other and then shift them down as far as you can, hold for 5 seconds, relax & repeat. ☾

5// wall angel exercise
☾sit down on the floor against a wall. lean your back flat against the wall, put your arms straight down by your side then raise your arms up, as if you were making a "t". you can you come up further only if you could maintain a flat back against the wall. ☾

6// relax break
☾lay flat on the floor with your knees bent, inhale deeply and allow your body to relax into the floor. ☾

7// muscle tension release
☾to relieve tension, lightly row or hold a tennis ball where you feel tightness in your muscles (not on a bone or tendon) for 5 seconds. this works really well to release tension in the shoulders. ☾

8// releasing tension headaches
☾ for tension headaches try to focus on your jaw. focus on on clenching your teeth and allow the jaw to relax. it is important for people with headaches to just gain awareness of jaw tension. also placing a "boo-boo pack" (a child-size gel ice pack) along the jaw can help relieve some of the pain. ☾

9// take a little walk
☾ get up off your chair and walk around the desk. take a quick but deliberate walk to the water cooler and drink a sip of water. this will help increase circulation and get your body moving more during the day. it could be coming to break up the tension that can come from sitting in one place especially since we spent so much time in front of our screens! ☾

10// music break
☾play 30 seconds of music and move. try to just let go completely if you have a secret space to do so! this will put you in a great mood and help keep you moving throughout the day. ☾