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Fight Tension Headaches with Facial Stretches

When a tension headache strikes, you may be able to relieve some of the pressure with some facial stretching. Try this: Lift and relax eyebrows. Open both eyes wide and lift both eyebrows, like you’re really surprised. Then relax and let your eyes and eyebrows drop down again. The one-eyebrow salute. This one might take some practice — hold one eyebrow in place with your fingers and lift the other. Then switch! Squint your eyes, then relax. Repeat a few times, then squint one eye at a time, leaving the other relaxed. Try to squeeze your eyes hard enough that … Continue reading →

Managing Tension Headaches

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If you’re like me, you are no stranger to headaches. Up to eighty percent of all adults experience tension headaches. Call them what you will: stress headaches, daily headaches, muscle contraction headaches — they all stink. I used to get tension headaches frequently in my last job, and I blamed them on a lot of things. It was the fluorescent lights. It was the pressure of the deadlines. It was the critical coworkers. Tension headaches are usually caused by environmental or internal stress, and I was getting both at the office. You may get your tension headaches infrequently — maybe … Continue reading →

Feeling Better

I still have gratitude on my mind (’tis the season, after all!). And right now I’m thinking what a miracle it is to feel good. There are lots of times I don’t. I tend to get tension headaches, so if my day turns stressful (and it often does), I end up with a headache. Mostly, they’re minor, and easily ignored. Sometimes they need an over the counter pain remedy before they hit the road. It’s not a huge deal — but I am used to having some small level of pain in my head at any given time. The days … Continue reading →

What is a TENS Unit?

One option for managing pain is a TENS unit. TENS stands for transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation… a scary name (electrical what now?) for a helpful therapy. How it works, in brief: electrodes are stuck to the skin in the area where a patient is experiencing pain. The TENS unit delivers an electrical current to the skin and tissues. Intensity of the current can vary; users generally report feeling tingling or pins and needles in the area. Why it works: experts believe that the electrical current disrupts the pain by giving a different sensation to the skin and tissues. The current … Continue reading →

Stress and Women

A recent survey from the American Psychological Association found that more than eighty percent of women experience physical symptoms of stress like fatigue and headaches on a regular basis. Are you one of them? The thing is, most women think they’re managing their stress well. In the survey from the American Psychological Association, eighty-one percent of women said they were managing their stress “extremely well” or “somewhat well”. Despite that, eighty-one percent of women complained of physical symptoms of stress. How do you know if you’re stressed? Physical symptoms like headache, fatigue, and muscle tension. Impaired ability to focus or … Continue reading →

Romance is born during Stressful Times

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You’ve heard of romance flowering between couples during times of extreme stress? The couple that met when during the war – they found something magical and beautiful despite the horror? It’s a terribly romantic concept that devastating times are what bring two people together. However, during times of devastation – it is our connections to others that help us through – it needs those connections that encourage us to keep reaching out. So if this is true, why then does stress that can bring our need for connections with others so clearly causes us to pull away as well? Simply … Continue reading →