SOS Stretches are designed to be done in the moment—when you need them most. These super quick routines will relieve tension and tightness, and ease sore muscles from whatever activity you’re taking part in. In today’s going into a big work meeting routine, you’ll be:
- Stretching your: Chest, neck, shoulders, inner thighs, and arms
- You can do this: Wearing whatever you have on for your big meeting, including form-fitting outfits and high heels. These stretches don’t require a lot of space or big movements, so you can do them from really any location you feel comfortable, like your office, the elevator, parking lot, etc.
Feeling stressed before a big work happening—say, a meeting, interview, or presentation—is a pretty universal experience. When stakes seem high, it’s only natural to morph into a ball of nerves. And when your mind is on edge, your muscles often follow suit and tense up in response.
But taking a few minutes beforehand to do some calming stretches can help release tension in key areas of your body and maybe even boost your confidence for what lies ahead.
“I believe in the power of posture,” physical therapist Brando Lakes, DPT, cofounder of Kinesadelic in NYC, tells SELF. By putting yourself into positions that open up certain areas of your body—like your chest, neck, and shoulders, for instance—you can counteract some of the tension that occurs when you’re stressed.
Such positions may also help foster a good mindset: The authors of a meta-analysis of 88 studies published in Psychological Bulletin concluded that when people held certain poses—like standing or sitting in an expansive way, or standing and sitting up straight instead of slouching—they felt more powerful, confident, and positive.
So before your next big meeting, try the following four-move sequence that Lakes created for SELF. These moves are designed to open up tight areas of your body and instill a sense of calm confidence so you can crush whatever comes next.
Directions
- Do the following four moves for the amount of time listed below.
- You can do these in any order and skip over any stretches if you don’t feel like they’re needed. If you do the sequence one time as is, it will take about three to four minutes, but you can also choose to repeat it several times if you’d like.
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Katie Thompson1 Thoracic Extension
- From a seated or standing position, lean back from your mid back (as pictured). You can also place your hands behind your head, elbows bent. Try to get your sternum (a bone that sits in between your collarbones) to point straight up toward the ceiling.
- Stop when you feel a stretch in your upper back and hold for 30 seconds.
This move helps open up your chest and stretches your mid back, upper back, and neck.
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Katie Thompson2 Hip Adductors Stretch
- Stand tall with feet slightly wider than shoulder width apart.
- Shift your weight to the right, bending the right knee slightly. Hike up your right hip slightly, while keeping the left hip pulled down. You should feel a stretch on the inside of your left leg. Hold for 30 seconds. Switch sides and repeat.
When you’re nervous, you can clam up and pull your knees together, says Lakes, and that can tighten up your hip adductors, a group of muscles in your inner thighs that are activated when you bring your leg in toward your body. This stretch helps open up that space again by lengthening the hip adductors.
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Katie Thompson3 SCM/Scalene Stretch
- While sitting or standing, place your hand on your neck near your right clavicle (collarbone).
- Bend your head to the left, then turn and look up and towards the right side, as pictured. You should feel a stretch in the front of your neck in the area where your hand is.
- Hold for 30 seconds while deep breathing.
- Switch sides and repeat.
This exercise stretches your scalenes, a group of neck muscles that are activated when you bring your shoulders towards your ears. It also targets your sternocleidomastoid (SCM), a neck muscle that helps bring your head forward and rotate it to the side. The neck can hold tension and tighten up when you’re stressed; this stretch helps combat that.
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Katie Thompson4 Upper and Lower Arm Flexors Stretch
- Stand tall and let your arms rest down by your sides, palms facing forward. Gently extend your right fingers back behind you and up toward the ceiling. Pinch your shoulder blades together and keep your right elbow straight. Stop when you feel a stretch on the front of your arm.
- Hold for 30 seconds. Switch sides and repeat. You can also stretch both arms at the same time.
This stretch helps lengthen your chest muscles as well as the muscles that flex your wrist, elbows, and shoulders—all of which can get tight when you’re a ball of nerves.
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