Do you ever find yourself hunched over your computer, and when you get up, your back, neck and eyes ache and you feel tired? If you’re like most people, you may tend to get ‘sucked in’ by the computer screen when you give it your attention. Your body and mind probably don’t like it much, and you might experience eyestrain, tightness in your shoulders or pain in your back and neck.
Here are some tips from the Alexander Technique to stay healthy in front of the screen!
1. Keep moving
The pain you feel when you’re stuck in the same position for a long time or when you get up from the computer is an alarm from your brain telling you to move. Your body and brain love to move. So how do you combine movement with working on the computer, short of a treadmill desk?!
Joints
Remember that you have a lot of joints that are free to move. Your head balances on top of your spine at your nodding joint. Your arms are free to move in more joints than you might think! Your ribs, shoulder girdle, breast bone and spine move as you breathe. You’re free to move from your hip joints even if you’re sitting quietly!
Muscles
All of the muscles involved are also free to move. Notice if you’re holding yourself in place. That creates muscle contraction and leads to habitual muscle tension and feeling stuck.
Eyes
Are your eyes glued to the screen? When we fix our eyes on what we are paying attention to, we tighten the muscles around the eyes. This leads to fatigue and stress, and in my experience with clients with frequent headaches, is often related to headaches as well. Take in the view out the window or to the other side of the room to invite your eyes to keep moving.
2. Stop
This might seem to be a contradictory tip, but in order to find out what we are doing to get ourselves into pain and strain, it’s important to stop. Stop and notice your self. Invite your mind to quiet and be interested in what activity is going on in you. Are you pulling your head back? Are you pulling your chest down? Pulling your back forward or pushing it back? Are you tightening your jaw? How about pulling your shoulders back? Imagine what it would be like to not be doing any one of those things. What changes?
More help
If you’d like some help getting “unstuck” from uncomfortable postures and being upright and moving with greater ease, sign up for the upcoming Ease at the Computer noontime course or a private coaching session, or contact me for a free phone or online consultation.
Ease at the Computer
Drop in or join for the whole 7-week lunchtime series that will enable you to sit upright and work at your computer with less pain and stress, and greater ease. You’ll learn skills to help you deal with the physical, mental and emotional aspects of working at your computer, whether at home or away from home.
Mondays 12:30 – 1:00 pm US MDT Starts 5/18
Wednesdays 12:30 – 1:00 pm ET Starts 5/20
Fridays 12:30 – 1:00 Japan Starts 5/22
(Convert to your time zone)
Online with Zoom
Sign up at https://my-site-109208-104020.square.site/ or contact me for more information.
Wishing you freedom to stop and to move,
Mari
DiscoverEase in Movement
See Class Schedule
Recent Comments