3 Ways to Release Tension in Your Body Between Meetings

Person stretching hands and wrists at a desk to release body tension between meetings and reduce stress while working on a laptop.

Tension accumulates in the body throughout the day, often without us even realizing it. Our bodies become the container of our emotional experiences, holding onto all the emotions and stresses of our day even after the moments themselves have passed. Maybe you spent your morning rushing into the office and jumping from one meeting to the next, answering emails through your lunch break, or trying to finish multiple projects at a time. By the afternoon, your shoulders have crept up towards your ears, your jaw is tightly clenched, and you’re holding your breath without noticing it.

That’s the tricky thing about stress. It doesn’t always disappear when the stressful moment ends. It often lingers in the body. While a daily meditation practice is incredibly beneficial for releasing tension and emotions we may be holding onto, it isn’t the only way to regulate your nervous system. It can be just as powerful, or even more powerful, to find relief during small transitions throughout your workday. Just one or two minutes to reconnect with your body can stop the buildup of tension before it snowballs into headaches, muscle pain, irritability, or burnout.

In this post, we’ll share three quick stress relief techniques that you can use between meetings to feel more focused, grounded, and relaxed.

3 Ways to Release Tension in Your Body Between Meetings:

1

Progressive Muscle Relaxation

Progressive Muscle Relaxation is one of the most well-researched relaxation techniques for reducing physical tension and calming the nervous system. It involves tensing and relaxing different muscle groups. Intentional tensing muscles and consciously relaxing them can help you recognize muscles you’ve been unconsciously tightening all day.

Start at your feet and slowly work your way up your body. As you inhale, tighten a muscle group or section of the body. Hold the breath and the tension for a few seconds. As you exhale, soften completely. If you’re short on time, you can group areas together: upper body, lower body, or core. You can also opt for a full-body tense-and-release for a quick reset.

If you’d like some guidance, try our guided Progressive Muscle Relaxation meditation or explore other guided versions on YouTube or your favorite meditation app.

2

Shake it Out

If you observe animals in the wild, you’ll notice that they often shake after a stressful event. Unlike humans, who often suppress emotional or physical reactions, animals shake as a natural way of discharging excess energy after a stressful event passes. Shaking can serve as a helpful somatic exercise for releasing built-up tension and reconnecting with our bodies.

Stand with your feet about hip-width distance apart. Soften your knees and loosen your arms. Begin gently shaking out your whole body for a few minutes. There’s no right way to do it, so be intuitive and do what feels good in the body. It may feel silly at first, but it’s a surprisingly effective way to move stagnant energy.

3

Do a Quick Body Scan

One of the easiest ways to reduce stress is simply noticing where you’re holding it. Each person tends to hold tension in familiar places. For some, it’s in the neck. For others it’s the hips, stomach, or jaw. We get so used to holding tension in certain parts of the body that we may not even notice that it’s there. A body scan meditation brings us back to our body to help identify where we may be holding tension,

Find a comfortable seat and close your eyes. Slowly guide your awareness through each part of your body as if you’re shining a spotlight on each part. As your awareness moves through your body, notice if you’re holding any tension in that part of the body and gently release it. If visualization helps, you can imagine warm honey slowly filling your body, allowing your body to become heavy and soft.

Tension slowly builds as the day goes on. The good news is that you don’t need a 30-minute meditation every time you feel stressed or overwhelmed. Sometimes you simply need a minute or two to notice what’s present for you and giving yourself an opportunity to release.

If you find that your body feels stuck in a constant state of tension, anxiety, or overwhelm, it may be a sign that there’s something deeper going on. Working with a therapist who incorporates somatic therapy, mindfulness, or nervous system regulation can help you better understand your stress patterns and learn strategies for feeling calmer and more connected to your body.

*Disclaimer: The content posted on this website is for marketing and educational purposes only. It is not, nor is it intended to be, psychotherapy or a replacement for mental health treatment. Please seek the advice of your licensed medical or mental health professional, and do not avoid seeking treatment based on anything read on this website.