sore? try a little tenderness

If you spend your time caring for others, you might be predisposed to face challenges with big action. Difficult diagnosis for your loved one? You research until you drop from exhaustion. Important anniversary coming up? You spend weeks putting together an over-the-top blowout that leaves you wiped . Sore shoulders? You dig your fingers into the bothersome area aggressively, hoping the pain will dissapate. But you end up feeling even more tight—as if there’s nothing that will help.

The next time you find your shoulders feeling tight and tense—like your muscles just won’t relax—cue up this quick practice. Treating a tender spot roughly, even though it might "hurt so good," often puts our nervous system on high alert, causing muscles to clamp down even more and creating more tightness. So get a blanket and give this savasana-like shape a try. It’s a helpful lesson in stepping back and doing less, with tenderness.

If you enjoyed that bite-sized selfcare practice, subscribe to my YouTube channel and be among to the first to know when I drop new content there a couple of times a month. It’s free, the practices are usually less than five minutes, and you can work them seamlessly into your busy caregiving day.