Election Stress Relief

A 2-Minute Relaxation for Your Arms and Hands

Try our body scan to find a moment of calm — right now

Animation: Yana Pan

As we approach Election Day, Elemental is bringing you a progressive body scan for stress relief (also known as progressive muscle relaxation therapy; read more about the science behind it here). Each day, you’ll focus on and relax one part of your body to find a moment of presence and calm. Today, we dial in to the shoulders, arms, and hands. Find earlier installments here (for the feet), here (for the legs and lower back), here (for the core), and here (for the chest).

Pause.

Take a nice big inhale… and a long exhale.

Tune in to the present moment of your breath, and release any narratives, ideas, and thoughts that will bring worry or fear to the present moment.

Breathe in and let these types of thoughts go…

Bring your awareness to your shoulders.

Inhale and raise the shoulders up toward the ears.

Exhale and release the shoulders down.

Inhale; raise the shoulders up.

Exhale; release them down.

Pause.

Breath in and sigh out.

Begin to trace circles with the shoulders, moving them up to the ears… forward… down… back and up… forward… down… back and up…

Inhale and move the shoulders up toward the ears… and exhale. Begin to move them back… down… forward and up.

Play around with this movement for as long as you would like, incorporating breath with movement.

Notice how the shoulders feel.

When you are ready, take a nice deep inhale… exhale and release the movement.

Let go.

Feel a wave of letting go and relaxation wash over the upper arms, the elbows, and wrists.

Rolls the wrists one way… and then the other.

Inhale… exhale and release the movement in the wrists.

Let them soften.

Let them go.

Feel the deep relaxation trace every finger to fingertip.

Bring awareness to the whole arms, from shoulders to fingertips.

Breathe in… and sigh out.

Let go.

Let the arms become heavy and relaxed alongside you.

Repeat this affirmation, either out loud or in your head: “I honor my self-expression and inner truth.”