How To Massage Your Upper Body To Help Reduce Tension

By
Mercy Ekele
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Sometimes, you may feel stiff and sore after you wake up or get home from work. If so, your body may be growing tense and developing uncomfortable knots. Massaging yourself can help reduce these issues by loosening your muscles so you can relax.

Below are tips on how to massage your upper body:

Use your left hand to stroke your left shoulder and the left side of your neck, and vice versa. Gently but firmly work your fingers in small circles, starting at the base of your skull and working down towards the shoulders. When you feel a knot, work it out in small circles with your fingers, massaging clockwise and then counter-clockwise.

Read also: Tips To Give Yourself A Facial Massage That Will Result To A Brighter, Glowing Skin

Place the surface of one hand on your abdomen and gently stroke it in a circular motion. Then, use the fingers and thumbs of both hands to knead your abdomen. Gently use your fingers to stroke your lower abdomen in circular motions. If you’d like to stroke the sides of your abdomen, just roll over to one side and then the other to have better access to the opposing side.

Take a ball of any size, from a tennis ball to a basketball, and press it up against a wall with your back. Move your body back and forth and in circular motions to relieve the pressure from your back. Place the ball on different parts of your back, from your lower to your upper back, to relieve the tension from different parts of your body.

You can wear clothes for this. A foam roller will work best, but you can also roll up a large blanket, towel, or yoga mat in a pinch. Place the roller on the floor and lay face up on the roller. Position your lower back over the roller so that your shoulders and butt are touching the floor and you’re perpendicular to the roller.

  • Use your feet to help you move up and down the roller slowly, feeling the roller move up and down each of your vertebrae.
  • Gently roll up or down the roller until you find a trigger point or a painful area. Then, stay rolled over the area for at least 30 seconds. This will hurt a bit, but it will relieve the tension from the area afterwards.

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Photo credit: Getty