The physical and mental effects of COVID led home working.
Working with people, I see patterns and trends come and go. Newly formatted old fashioned concepts begin their next cycle and I see areas for development and enquiry.
Since March many people have started to work from home. They come to me as massage or therapy clients and there are a new set of presentations that might be familiar to you too.
Tension through the neck and shoulders.
A clamped jaw
A pain in one glute (buttock)
Brain fog
Fatigue
Weight gain
Mood swings
Gastrointestinal problems
The physical symptoms are partly to do with the change in movement. People will
Sit at their makeshift desk without thinking about the ergonomics of their setup.
Tip: Try to sit on an upright
chair .Raise your laptop to eye level. Sit squarely with your feet flat on the floor, upper legs parallel to the floor. Place a rolled up hand towel at your lower back .
Every 45-60 minutes .stand up walk around and rotate your arms backwards ( back stroke swimming) This will allow your shoulders and hips to release.
Don’t work when curled up on the sofa as one side of the spine and hips will be strained.
Try to offload at the end of each day. If you don’t have someone to do this with, try writing the annoyances down. Shoulder, neck and jaw pain is often a mental block as well as a physical pain. When we “shoulder” a burden, taking on a responsibility without the resources to make changes, the energy remains in that area of the body. Likewise when we have to “bite our tongue” to avoid hurting feelings or for confidentiality, the tension remains in the neck and jaw.
In these current times where much is unknown and plans change frequently, there is much tension in these areas.
Tip: gently massage your neck , stroking downwards from ear to collarbone. Use the tips of fingers to draw circles at your jaw. Allow these muscles to relax.
If you’re looking for tips on wellbeing or would like a personal consultation , in person (Berkshire UK) or online do get in touch.
