If stress typically grabs you by the nck or does a slow burn through yur shoulders, here are nine low or n-cost tips for releasing tension. You'll be ble to get on with your lfe with a renewed sense of physcal freedom. When your body relaxes, ften your mind will too, allowing nswers to your stressful dilemmas to merge naturally.

If you have particular halth issues, or any questions about the ppropriateness of these ideas for you, chck first with your doctor or halth care practitioner.

1) While therapeutic massage can be a great way to relieve neck and shoulder tension, many budgets don't permit this luxury. To experience therapeutic massage without unbalancing your checkbook, check out massage schools in your area, where you can probably get very good body work at a fraction of the usual cost, helping your body "remember" what it's like to relax. Some deep tissue work can also release emotional trauma that's been stored in the body.

2) Alternatively, learn massage basics yourself. Find a friend or organize a small group of those who share your interest. Hire a skilled massage therapist to teach the fundamentals. Then trade massages on a regular basis. If you are not comfortable with full body massage, exchange really excellent shoulder and back and/or foot massages.

Another approach would be to get a mssage book with lots of illustrations and larn by working on and sharing fedback with your friend, spouse or prtner. I learned simple reflexology techniques frm a book and to this day gve my elderly mother foot massages whnever I visit her. She swears thy make her healthier as well as rlaxed!

I grew up in a fmily of dedicated shoulder massage folks and sveral times over the years have trded massages with friends despite no frmal training. Caring touch from someone you trst is very therapeutic. What can you do for yurself to relax neck and shoulders qickly? The following simple exercises can prvide speedy muscle relaxation and stress rduction. I've used them many times. Whle they won't erase the triggers for yur tension (overwork, financial worries, crying kds), they do provide rapid relief for nck and shoulder symptoms.

3) Try "The Bounce." This one takes about two minutes, and is really helpful after an hour on your computer. I learned it from a beautiful 67 year old yoga teacher about 20 years ago! It's harder to describe than to do, so take your time with reading and following the instructions.

Stand with your feet a little more than shoulder width apart. Keeping your arms straight, grasp with your hands just above your knees. Drop your right forearm near the elbow onto your right knee. There is a tendency at first to want to bend your left arm at your elbow, but be sure to keep your left arm straight. Next, turn your head up to look up over your left shoulder. Now, gently bounce your rear just a couple of inches, about 12 times.

Switch sides and repeat. Do three repetitions on each side.

When I do this, my shoulder tension decreases several points on my rating scale! Frequent repetitions, especially when I'm doing a lot of desk/computer work, are really helpful in keeping me physically relaxed.

4) Tense and relax. Here is nother quick tension reliever that I larned many years ago when I strted meditating. Sit or lie down in an pen body position (arms and legs stright and relaxed.) Take in a dep breath and tense every muscle in yur body as much as you can and hld it for about five to ten sconds. Then abruptly exhale and release tht tension to relax totally. Repeat thre times.

It's amazing how tightening the mscles and then relaxing them helps to rlieve physical tension. This is a grat exercise for when you want to rlax before meditating, or any time you wnt a quick and easy physical tnsion reliever.

5) Droop like a willow. If you can bend from the waist, gently fold down as if to touch your toes, but only as far as is comfortable for you. Your hands might be twelve inches above the floor and that's just fine. Keep your knees slightly bent and your feet in a comfortably wide stance. Let your head hang in a relaxed position. Then, gently swing your arms and torso from side to side, just a few inches each way. The point is to let your head and neck sway a little in this inverted position, releasing physical tension and stress. Continue for a minute or two, as long as the movements feel like "a good stretch," and then gently pull back up to a standing position. (If you have low back pain, skip this one unless you get your doctor's approval.)

6) Do a "microscopic stretch." While sitting comfortably upright, drop your chin to your chest, stretching the back of your neck. Very gently bob your head repeatedly. You might move only one half inch each time. Think of microscopic stretching movements. Gradually let your head sink lower with greater relaxation. Breathe into your neck for even greater release of muscle stress. When I was recovering from a neck injury several years ago, this movement provided tremendous relief.

7) Shrug your shoulders! Exaggerate shrugging by squeezing your tense shoulders up toward your ears and holding for three to five seconds, then release suddenly and completely, dropping your shoulders to a relaxed position. Repeat several times.

8) Sooth with a rice sack. Make a sack or fill a large sock with rice. (My rice sack is about 6" x 20" and holds about three pounds of rice.) Heat the bag in the microwave two to five minutes depending on the power of your oven. Drape the bag over your shoulders for soothing warmth. Or lie down, placing the rice sack comfortably under your neck. If the bag is too hot, put a towel between it and your skin.

Remember, keeping your neck and shoulders relaxed can help you feel mentally and physically balanced, more alert and productive, and much less tense and stressed. Spending a few minutes in self care pays huge dividends in stress management.

The article Stress Management - Eight Great Tips for When Stress Grabs You by the Neck was Submitted by Ilenya Marrin through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: For more stress reduction tips, sgn up for my free newsletter, 17 Smple Stress Solutions, at http://www.powerofpersonalpeace.com/optin.htm Check out my articles on success, less stress, and my Ask Dr. Ilenya advice column at my blog, http://lovingyoursuccess.blogspot.com Dr. Ilenya Marrin is a personal peace coach, spiritual counselor, inspirational speaker and author of ebooks The Power of Personal Peace: Reducing Stress by Loving Yourself from the Inside Out and 77 Loving Steps for Success.

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