How to Relieve Facial Tension with Massage


Surprisingly, the facial muscles can store a great amount of tension. When we feel tense, the body immediately becomes tight and closes up. A clenched jaw, gritted teeth and fixed smile all contribute to tight muscles, which are often not felt until released. To counteract these effects, it is important to relax the jaw, keep the tongue and mouth loose and the throat open. Relaxing the face can bring about an immediate change in mood and softens the appearance, which can become hard and pinched, giving a negative message. Try out these release techniques and remember that gently inhaling, then mentally breathing out tension as you exhale, is an excellent pick-me-up remedy.

Jaw release

Sit at your partner’s head and reach forward to the chin. With your thumbs above and fingers below, ask your partner to relax the jaw, and then gently open it as far as possible. Make sure your partner does not help. Close he jaw, then repeat the movement several times to help your partner relax.

Facial  Massage

Drawing a smile

Place your thumbs over your partner’s cheeks, just to either side of the nose. Then gently draw your thumbs over and around the cheeks, lifting the facial muscles into a smile. Ask your partner to help by softening the face. Relaxing and also giving a smile inside can have amazing results for your partner.

Raking the hair

This movement feels wonderful over the head and has a beautifully soothing effect on the face. Sitting behind your partner, rake your hands through the hair right over the head, keeping close in to the scalp. Work from the hairline to the back of the head, remembering to work back from the temples. This stimulates the scalp and feels uplifting.

Lifting the head

With your partner lying flat, place your hands under the base of the skull and then slowly raise the head as far as comfortable. Make sure your partner gives you all the weight and does not try to help. At the peak of the lift, ask your partner to relax and gently exhale, breathing out any tension.

Filed Under: Health & Personal Care

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About the Author: Andrew Reinert is a health care professional who loves to share different tips on health and personal care. He is a regular contributor to MegaHowTo and lives in Canada.

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