It’s a reality that modern living is stressful. We constantly appear to be preoccupied with one thing or another. While being active is crucial, it is equally necessary to take care of oneself. We’ll show you how stress affects your body and which stress-relieving stretches really work.

What exactly is stress, and what does it do?
When you have too much on your plate––work, relationships, family, hobbies––or you have had a life-changing event, you are more likely to feel stress.
This is how.

When you are stressed, your body produces more of the stress hormones adrenaline, cortisol, and noradrenaline.

These compounds have the following effects on the body:

Increased heart rate and blood pressure
tense up your muscles
lowering your immune system and decreasing the digestive system’s function
Making you sleepy by increasing your attentiveness.
That is, stress impacts our bodies medically as well as mentally.

How do you deal with stress?

It’s the “flight or fight” reaction, which, although normally a survival strategy, may have a significant influence on your mental and physical health if it’s continual.
Fortunately, there are several methods for lowering stress and its impact on our bodies. These are some examples:

Meditation \sMassage
Changes in lifestyle
dietary modifications
Exercises for better sleep
For the time being, we’ll concentrate on the greatest stretches for stress reduction, but if you’re searching for something a bit different, simply click one of our linked articles above to learn more.
The Advantages of Stress-Reducing Exercises
Stretching, in particular, is a particularly effective stress-reduction method.

The first thing that stress reducing stretches accomplish is relax the muscles via a series of movements. If you’re experiencing stress in a certain region, you may direct your energy there to magnify the impact.

Stretching exercises also offer a secondary advantage, which is the release of “good” chemicals. Serotonin and dopamine, among other neurotransmitters, assist you deal with the “flight or fight” phenomenon, promoting good mental and physical health.
So, without further ado, here are our best stress-relieving stretches.

  1. Concentrate on your upper back and shoulders.
    Working hunched over a computer all day, moving big objects, or just having much too much to do? This is an exercise that you can practise anywhere to stretch your muscles and relieve tightness in your upper back.

Stand tall with your hands clasped behind your back.
Pull your clasped hands down while pressing your shoulder blades together.
Hold for 2-3 seconds before releasing and repeating.

  1. Remove the knot in your neck.
    Urgh! If you have a stiff neck, this is one of the finest stress reduction exercises at work you can do without leaving your desk.

To begin this workout, sit up straight.
Inhale deeply and move your head to the right until you feel a tug; hold for 2-3 seconds.
Breathe out and restore your gaze ahead.
Revisit the exercise by rotating your head to the left, then up and down, constantly paying attention to your breathing.
Repeat this routine as many times as required to relieve neck discomfort.

  1. The skinny on your lower back
    The strain might move down your spine into your lumbar area, leaving you stiff and painful. This workout will relieve your discomfort.

Sit on the edge of your chair or stool, knees bent at90°, feet flat on the floor.
Lean forward with your upper body.
Do this for 5-6 seconds until you feel the strain.
If you feel it, exhale and softly raise.
Rep as needed.