You catch your reflection halfway through a busy afternoon and realise your shoulders are almost touching your ears. When stress is high, many of us hold our shoulders up without noticing. If your shoulder has started hurting recently, that extra tension can make it ache more. This guide will help you spot raised shoulders through the day, and ease them down.

Why stress lifts your shoulders

When you feel under pressure, your body gets ready for action. One of the first places this shows up is in the muscle across the top of your shoulders. Studies measuring muscle activity have found that this muscle works harder during mentally demanding tasks, even when you are sitting still.

One study of office workers found that those who felt most over-committed at work had more changeable muscle activity in their shoulders while working at a computer. Over a stressful week, that extra effort can leave a recently sore shoulder feeling tighter and more tender.

Spotting raised shoulders

The tricky part is that raised shoulders often feel normal while they are happening. You might only notice once your shoulder starts to ache. Some ways to catch them earlier:

• Link a quick shoulder check to something you do often, like sending an email or finishing a call.
• Put a small note on your screen or desk as a reminder.
• Notice your shoulders when you see your reflection, or on a video call.
• Check in when your breathing feels quick or shallow, as raised shoulders often go with it.

Easing your shoulders down

Once you have noticed, a few simple moves can help your shoulders settle. Something to try:

• Lift your shoulders up towards your ears, hold for a few seconds, then let them drop.
• Take a slow breath in, and as you breathe out, let your shoulders sink down.
• Gently roll your shoulders backwards a few times.
• Let your arms hang loosely by your sides for a few breaths.

Doing this a few times a day helps your shoulders learn to rest lower.

Breathing lower

When you are stressed, breathing tends to move up into your chest and shoulders. Your shoulder muscles help lift your ribs with each breath, which keeps them working all day.

Breathing more slowly and lower, letting your stomach rise rather than your shoulders, gives those muscles a rest. Something to try is placing one hand on your stomach and breathing so that the hand moves more than your chest, for a minute or two at a time.

Supporting your arms at your desk

When your arms are unsupported, your shoulder muscles have to hold them up. Resting your forearms on your desk or chair arms while you type or read takes some of that load away. It is a small change, but it can help a recently sore shoulder rest during long working days.

Gentle movement for a recent sore shoulder

Gentle movement usually helps recent shoulder pain settle more than keeping it still. Some options to try:

• Let your arm hang down and swing it gently in small circles.
• Slowly raise your arm in front of you as far as feels comfortable, then lower it.
• Take a short walk, letting your arms swing naturally.

If you would like a guided stretch, VIDA has short videos you can follow at your own pace. VIDA’s Pomodoro stretches can also prompt you to pause and move during focused work. Your VIDA pain check-in is a good way to keep track of how things are shifting over time.

What to take away

• Link quick shoulder checks to things you do often, like sending emails.
• Lift and drop your shoulders, letting them sink as you breathe out.
• Breathe lower, letting your stomach rise rather than your shoulders.
• Rest your forearms on your desk or chair arms when you work.
• Keep your shoulder gently moving during the day.

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