This Simple Neck Massage Will Soothe Your Stress Instantly

Instead of pacing the room before a scary presentation or panic-texting your group chat after a career-changing interview, pause and give yourself a quick little neck massage. It’s something you can do anytime you’re nervous, stressed, or on edge — and it’s a magical way to calm down.

On TikTok, creator and healthcare provider @mindbodymel said you can reduce your stress levels in an instant by stimulating your vagus nerve with a gentle rub. This nerve runs from your brain through your neck and down to your gut, and one of the easiest places to find it is right near your ears.

“You’re going to use a couple fingers and massage in circles,” Mel said while massaging her neck. “Nice and gentle, it doesn’t need to be a lot of pressure. You’ll notice you might yawn, you might take a really big sigh, and feel this sense of calm come through your whole body.” In a few seconds, your nervous system should switch from wired and shaky to relaxed and centered.

In her comments, someone said, “THANK YOU OMFG instantly felt so calm, this is life changing.” Another wrote, “This made me yawn so much lol.” Creator @mindbodyspirit_ likes to massage her neck as a grounding way to start her day. “This practice is incredibly healing in the morning, and I’ve seen a significant difference in the way that I carry myself and how much anxiety I encounter throughout the day.”

Here’s what to know about this must-have anxiety hack, as well as how to give it a try.

Tickle Your Stress Away

According to Chloë Bean, LMFT, a somatic trauma therapist in Los Angeles, it’s smart to have a few body-based tools in your back pocket that help prevent stress from snowballing into full nervous system overload. “The goal isn't to never feel anxious,” she tells Bustle. “It's to shorten the time your body stays stressed.”

Whether you’re shaky before a meeting, on edge before a date, or simply feeling out of whack, a quick neck massage could bring you right back down to earth. “It's especially helpful for transitional moments before or after a stressful event, after an argument, or when you notice your shoulders creeping up to your ears,” she says.

This massage is a godsend if you tend to carry stress in your upper body — think jaw, neck, shoulders — or if you have a lot on your plate day to day. If you’re always “on,” Bean says it could be just the break your body needs. It’s also great to do before bed. “It can absolutely support winding down, especially paired with slow breathing and other bedtime rituals,” she says.

Here’s why it works: “The vagus nerve is a major communication highway between brain and body,” Bean says. “It plays a key role in regulating your heart rate, digestion, inflammation, and our stress response. When it's functioning well, we're able to shift more easily out of stress, panic and anxiety, to calm, steady, ‘rest and digest.’”

By applying gentle pressure, a light tickle, or a soft massage to your neck, you can activate your parasympathetic nervous system, which is the part of the nervous system responsible for calming your body, slowing your heart rate, and aiding in digestion. “It can also reduce muscle tension overall, which signals to the body ‘we are safe enough to let our guard down,’” Bean says.

How To Massage Your Vagus Nerve

While you aren’t necessarily massaging the nerve itself, rubbing your neck and behind your hears stimulates the muscles, connective tissue, and pressure receptors that communicate with your autonomic nervous system, Bean says.

One technique is to lightly run your tops of fingernails up your neck — sort of like a gentle tickle. Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths. As you massage this area, you might notice that your body starts to relax, you yawn or sigh, or you experience an emotional release. These are all signs that your body is shifted from stressed to soothed.

Bean says you can also apply gentle pressure in a circular motion in the divot just behind your ears. After massaging this area, lightly drag your fingertips down the length of your neck on both sides towards your shoulders, and repeat for a few strokes. “Even gently tilting the head side to side can help release tension,” she adds. “Pairing this with slow, deep breaths enhances the calming effect for your whole system.”

Aim to massage your neck for 30 to 60 seconds as-needed throughout the day, before or after stressful events, after reading stressful headlines, when you’re stuck in an overthinking spiral, or as you transition from work back to home. Here’s hoping you’ll yawn, relax, and feel grounded again.

Source:

Chloë Bean, LMFT, somatic trauma therapist