How to Release Facial Tension

By Alene L. Brennan, RYT

1 min read

I’ve been told that I frown in my sleep. So needless to say, I carry a lot of tension in my face, head, and neck.

I started doing a self-massage to help retrain the muscles to relax and let go of some of that tension. It takes just a few minutes and when I’m really getting fancy, I’ll even add lavender essential oil to the massage (did you know that lavender is great for the skin too!).

Check out the steps that I do for this simple massage, but I’m always curious what others are doing as well.

Do you have any massages techniques or stretches that help you? Post below.

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Alene L. Brennan, RYTMember
<inline-mention username="Melissa.Arnold" user-id="3827796"/> you have so many great suggestions and it's great to hear that they're working for you. I especially love the idea of the gentle massage around the eyebrow and brow bone because that's definitely a big area of tension for me too! Here's to more self facial massages in our days <3
Melissa ArnoldMember
Another jaw clencher here -- a passive sign of chronic anxiety. Even when I'm doing well, my body still tends to hold tension, especially in my jaw. Occasionally I'll see on social media, "Here's a reminder: unclench your jaw and relax your shoulders." It's amazing how much better I feel taking two minutes to be aware and adjust my position. By the end of a long day at the computer, I love a hot bath to reconnect with my body and stretch. I don't get migraines, but I do get painful headaches around my eye when I've overdone it. I find that lightly pinching or applying gentle pressure to my eyebrow or the browbone is really comforting. At bedtime, I wear a nightguard to help minimize grinding. I like your point about the little things that add up in our overall wellness, Alene. Neat stuff here. -Melissa, <a href='https://migraine.com' target='_blank'>migraine.com</a> team
Alene L. Brennan, RYTMember
<inline-mention username="rellenh" user-id="3862291"/> this is great to hear that you got relief from an upper bite plane. It's an interesting theory you explained and makes a lot of sense. It's also nice to know that it's something that you were able to adjust over time so you only wear it as needed.
Alene L. Brennan, RYTMember
<inline-mention username="PonderBunny" user-id="4127046"/> this just made me smile 😀 It makes me think of the line in Eat, Pray, Love when Elizabeth Gilbert is told to smile during her meditation. She's told "smile in your face, smile in your mind... even smile in your liver." It's a sweet idea of thinking that we are smiling with every cell in our body. And yes, the effects have to be felt both physically and emotionally! Thanks for bringing a smile to my morning - and all the readers in this community. <3
Alene L. Brennan, RYTMember
<inline-mention username="crazydoodlegram" user-id="3783376"/> thanks for sharing! It's helpful to know that massage therapists offer some unique strategies for relief and can give us techniques that we can use at home. It's so helpful when someone puts the tools in our hands as well to support our healing. <3