Try These 5 Eye Exercises for Tension Relief

YYou probably never thought of building in a series of eyeball exercises at the end of your leg day. But as silly as it may seem, there are a ton of benefits to training your eyes.

“Just as we talk about focusing on people’s posture or strengthening your legs, talking about our facial muscles — our tongue, our eyes — is just as important as any other part of your body, and it’s often ignored says Anne Collins Duch. DPT, Physical Therapy for Women in Delaware.

People who spend long hours at their computers can suffer from headaches, neck discomfort, eyestrain, clenching of the jaw and tension between the eyebrows, says Dr. du. Luckily, spending just a minute or two on some eyeball exercises — or “eye yoga,” as Dr. By lovingly calling it – to use to identify where we are holding tension and release it.

While they may feel a little silly at first, Dr. Patients often tell her that after completing their recommended routine of eye exercises to relieve tension, they feel immediate relief from their usual pain, whether it’s a little less clenching in their jaw or a frowning of their forehead.

Eyeball exercises can also be a unique way to calm your nervous system, adds Dr. You added. Our eyes are often one of the first parts of our body to respond to emotions. When we are nervous or anxious, our eyes widen. So the eyes can also be a powerful way to calm our nervous system when we are feeling anxious or overwhelmed.

dr Duch recommends doing one round of the following exercises two to three times a day. And if you’re really serious, you can video yourself completing the routine to look out for what she calls “sticky spots,” or moments when your eyes struggle to maintain smooth movement . These can be signs that you are holding tension somewhere.

Try these 5 eye exercises for relaxation

1. Nod

1. Hold your index finger directly in front of you, a little closer than an arm’s length.
2. Slowly raise and lower your chin three times while keeping an eye on your index finger.

2. Headshake

1. Hold your index finger directly in front of you, a little closer than an arm’s length.
2. Slowly rotate your head from left to right three times while keeping your index finger in view.

3. Diagonals

1. Hold your index finger directly in front of you, a little closer than an arm’s length.
2. Starting from the center, slowly move your head in a diagonal line from top right to bottom left.
3. Do this three times, then switch diagonals.

4. Fingers back and forth

1. Hold your index finger directly in front of you, a little closer than an arm’s length.
2. Slowly move your index finger closer to your face and then away again while keeping your gaze on your finger the whole time.
3. Complete this 3 times.

5. Side by side

1. Hold both index fingers in front of you, a little closer than an arm’s length away and with your thumbs touching.
2. Keeping your head still, slowly shift your gaze from your right index finger to your left.
3. Complete this 3 times.

“Dr. Watch Anne Collins Duch Demonstrate the movements here: