It's Friday. The laptop's shut, the week has been long, and your shoulders are somewhere up near your ears. Before the weekend gets going, try this short acupressure routine to draw a line under the working week.
It takes about fifteen minutes, needs no equipment and works fine in your favourite chair. It isn't a treatment for anything, just a way to slow down, and many people find it relaxing.
A quick word on acupressure
Acupressure uses the points of acupuncture, pressed with your fingers rather than needled. In Chinese medicine the points are traditionally seen as places where Qi can be influenced along the body's channels. On a Friday evening, though, you can simply think of it as mindful self-massage with a bit of history behind it.
Step 1: Arrive (3 minutes)
Put your phone in another room if you can. Sit with your feet on the floor and your hands resting in your lap.
Now try a simple breathing exercise for stress. Breathe in gently through your nose, letting the breath sink down into your belly without forcing it, then out through your mouth. Some people like to count from 1 to 5 on the in-breath and again on the out-breath. Stay with it for a few minutes.
Step 2: Hands (3 minutes)
Your hands work hard all week, typing, carrying and scrolling, so give each one some attention. Press your thumb into the centre of the opposite palm and make slow circles. Then work along each finger from base to tip, with a gentle squeeze and pull as you go.
Step 3: The inner wrist (2 minutes)
With your palm facing up, lay three fingers across your wrist, starting at the crease. Just beyond them, between the two tendons in the middle of the forearm, sits the point called Pericardium 6, or Nei Guan. Hold it with a comfortable, steady pressure for a minute while you breathe slowly, then change sides.
Step 4: Shoulders and neck (4 minutes)
Reach your right hand across to your left shoulder and gently squeeze the thick muscle between neck and shoulder, then let go. Repeat a few times, moving slowly along the shoulder, and then swap sides.
Next, rest your fingertips at the base of your skull and make small, slow circles, working out towards your ears. Let your head feel heavy.
Step 5: Between the eyebrows (2 minutes)
End with Yin Tang, the point midway between the inner ends of your eyebrows. Rest a fingertip there with the lightest touch, close your eyes and take ten slow breaths.
Safety notes
- Pressure should feel good, never sharp or painful.
- Avoid broken skin, bruises, swelling or varicose veins.
- If you're pregnant, have a medical condition or take blood-thinning medicine, check with your GP, midwife or a qualified practitioner first.
- If you've got ongoing pain or you're feeling low, please speak to your GP. Self-care is a nice extra, not a replacement for proper medical help.
Then go and enjoy your weekend
When you've finished, have a glass of water, stretch, and maybe head out for a walk while it's still light. Breathing exercises work best when you do them regularly, so this could easily become a little Friday ritual.
And if you'd rather someone else did the work, a treatment at my clinic is a calm hour for yourself.
You'll find more guided routines, including shorter ones for busy days, in my acupressure routines.