When I was 3 years old, my parents enrolled me in ballet classes. I kept with it, competitively, until I was 10 years old, and continued participating in the art on a casual basis since then. Essentially, I was raised to be aware of my muscles and how they work together to keep my body strong.

I’ve written before about being sure to be balanced mentally. But I am not completely naive, and I realize that sometimes, our lives just get a few steps out of control. I’m sure that you realize, that mental health does have an effect on your physical well-being, which is what I am here to discuss today.

Stretching is important.

For me, it is as important as eating and drinking water. But while most people don’t forget to chow down, many forget to take time to stretch. There are so many excuses. There’s “not enough time,” or, “it hurts too much.”

If you have enough time to watch TV, go on the Internet, go to work, or go to the bathroom. You have enough time to stretch. If you’re complaining of pain- there’s only one way to combat that! Stretching! The problem is, that your muscles are too tight, and how do you loosen them? Stretching!

So, let’s get down to some simple stretches that can really make all the difference, and keep you in tip-top shape (so you and your family and friends don’t need to fret over the overwhelming amount of tension you are carrying).

First, for tension in your neck, put both hands behind your head, and clasp your fingers, keep your elbows facing forward. Then, slowly, breathe out, pulling your head downward, until your chin touches your chest (or, as far as you can go. Certainly do not push it. If you can’t go all the way with any stretch then don’t. Go as far as you can, and try to go a bit farther the next day. ), keep your back straight and shoulders down. As you breathe in, lessen the pressure on your hands, and bring your head back up, slowly. Repeat 2 to 3 times.

For tension in your shoulders, bring your arms up above your head, cross them at the wrists, and turn your hands so your palms are touching. Breathing in, pull your hands up, and then back. Breathing out, relax the stretch. Repeat 2 to 3 times.

Most of us spend a lot of time on the computer. Many of us use it at work, and certainly at home. So, for tension in your wrists and fingers, put your palms together, and keep your elbows up, breathe out, and press and hard as you can. Then, press harder on your right side, causing your hands to move left, and vise-versa. Returning to centre, shift one hand down, so your fingers against your palm. Press your fingers against the palm, pushing it back and up. Repeat for opposite hand.

An easy one for the back, is just sitting straight in a chair, legs hip-width apart. Lower your upper body down to rest between your thighs, breathing out, reach for your toes, and pull your chest down. As you breathe in, release the stretch on your chest, then return to sitting upright. Repeat 2 to 3 times.

Lastly, let’s try something quick for your legs. Personally, I don’t find my legs are terribly affected by stress, but it’s nice to be flexible all over for all sorts of reasons (wink, wink) and it’s all about balance. So, how about, the easiest way to keep your calve muscles flexible? Sit in a chair, and be sure to sit up straight. Cross one leg over the other, so your ankle or calf is resting on the opposite thigh. Hold your ankle with one hand, place the other hand so your palm in on the bottom of your foot, and use your hand to push your toes toward your knee. Then, switch your hand so that you fingers are on the top of your foot, near your toes, and your thumb is pressing on the ball of your foot. Apply pressure with your thumb, while pulling your toes down, stretching your foot. Repeat 2 to 3 times, and switch to make sure your other leg gets the same treatment!

Remember, this is just a small selection of very easy stretches. There are 600 to 900 muscles in the human body, and many different ways to stretch them. If you feel tension in another part of your body, I encourage you to search for ways to work the muscle and ensure it is healthy!