Keep The Wrists Loose!

LongIsland.com

STRESS REDUCTION This article is long overdue. I've been asked for help with this on so many occasions and I simply have not stopped to write down what I say. These little tricks and practices ...

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STRESS REDUCTION

This article is long overdue. I've been asked for help with this on so many occasions and I simply
have not stopped to write down what I say. These little tricks and practices have helped many people.
I hope that you try them and that they are equally as helpful for you.

It seems that sitting is really taking its toll on us. With our hours at the computer, either keyboarding
excessively, or using the mouse excessively, we've developed some chronic and deeply annoying pains.
Often people tell me that those pains are in their wrists, but as time as passed, the pain has expanded
to include the arms, fingers upper back and neck.

Well, this happens to me on occasion as well. And it happens because I forget to follow the exercises
that I'm going to describe here. They're so easy, and take so little time, that it's very easy to forget
to do them. They can also be done anywhere. No special clothes, no equipment, no nothing.

Since this information is online, you are most likely sitting at a desk. Your hands are on the keyboard
and/or mouse, and you are reading the content on the screen. Without changing anything, just notice your
posture right there right now.

No matter how relaxed you think you are, relax your shoulders and make sure that they drop away from your ears.
Now relax your upper arms and elbows and really feel your elbows get heavy. Your forearms will rest against
the desk. If your keyboard is at the edge of the desk, do whatever you can to move it inward, toward, the
back, so that you have around 3 inches of room for your forearms. Exhale.

Take a few even breaths. Nice and relaxed, nothing special. But make the exhales a bit longer than the
inhales and focus on relaxing your shoulders, upper arms and elbows.

Imagine that you are a puppet and the puppeteer has strings attached to your wrists. The puppeteer pulls
up on those strings. Your wrists are heavy and they are lifting with the power of the puppeteer. Relax your fingers. Keep breathing!

Making Beaks:
As much as possible, put the pads of your fingertips together. Not the ends, the pads, behind your fingernails. All 5 fingers - this is important. As much as possible, keep your fingers straight. This probably sounds rather simple and almost ridiculous, but remember that there are people with arthritis, neuralgia, and a host of other conditions which can make this rather difficult. Do this as best as you can. Did you forget about your arms? They're still heavy.

Lift your wrists high enough to make a circle with them. Upper arms are still hanging down, and your upper body is heavy and relaxed. Take those beaks, your hands with the fingers touching, and make circles. Start by pointing the beak toward you, then up, then away from you, then down, then toward you again. That's one circle. Do 3 of those. Keep breathing!

Then repeat this procedure, only circle in the other direction. If you've done the 3 circles as I've explained,
the beaks are facing you. Follow the reverse path. Down, away, up, and then toward you. Do this 3 times.

Okay, now you've done your wrists. But you're not quite finished. Lift your arms so that the forearms are off
the desk and your arms are suspended in the air. Your puppeteer is working a bit harder now!

Follow the exact same pattern as above, except circling your elbows. Your elbows are probably just hanging there right now. Circle your wrists inward, but use your wrist to pull your forearm. The circle is much larger now.
The elbows will circle. So you are rotating your wrists, your forearms, and your elbows.

Same pattern. 3 circles. Same routine. 3 times inward, pause, 3 times outward.

This probably seems like a lot of "nothing", but, I assure you, as one who is connected to the keyboard and mouse, this helps tremendously! Try to do this a few times each day. Remember that breathing is a significant component of the practice.

A breathing tip:
Inhaling - accompany your inhale with a motion going toward your body.
Exhaling - accompany your exhale with a motion going away from your body.

See you soon!
Helen