The tension triangle, which involves the head, neck and shoulders, is used to describe the aches and pains that we can feel from time to time. You may notice that your facial muscles can feel stiff from the brow to jaw, your neck my feel tense and your shoulders cramped.

Anxiety and tension work hand-in-hand. We automatically link anxiety to something that happens to us mentally, when in fact anxiety can have an effect on all areas of the body. It drastically affects the way that you live and it causes muscle pain and muscle stress. Muscle tension is something that happens naturally and is the result of both emotional and physical stress. During times of stress and anxiety your muscles contract, when you are stressed for a considerable length of time your muscle remains in a contracted state, which eventually leads to muscle hardness, limited movement and further pain

Muscle pain can affect anyone, including those who are healthy.Anxiety can lead to reduced exercise, poor eating habits and poor hydration. In today’s 21st century, our lifestyle means we have reduced mobility e.g. in a modern day office, we sit at the computer; we travel in cars or buses and this results in us having very little movements/mobility; and we tend to work under pressure working to meet deadline.

Remedies:

We should incorporate in our daily lives opportunities where we can stretch and move around; maintain hydration and eat healthy snacks, exercise; get plenty of rest; and watch our posture when sitting and standing;

Massage, such as hot stone therapy massage has many benefits for the back, shoulders and neck, as it helps to release tension, relaxes the heart, and soothes the mind.