Office massage

If your friend in the office complains about feeling stressed, stiff of tense, try giving him or her this simple massage during the lunch break:

• • Find a suitable chair for your friend to lean against. Rest the front of his or her body against the back support of the chair using a cushion or towel to rest against. This will help him or her to relax forward and stay steady as you work on the muscle areas.

• • Begin the massage by resting the undersides of your lower arms against your friend’s shoulders. Ask your friend to take some deep, slow breaths into the abdomen to help relax.

• • Stand to one side and support your friend by resting your arm across the front of his or her body from shoulder to shoulder. Now rub fairly firmly all over the upper back with the flat palm of your other hand.

• • With your palms flat, stroke your hands up your friend’s back, out over the top of the shoulders and down to the small of the back. Make this movement a flowing, continuous stroke. Repeat four more times.

• • Rest your palms across the top of our friend’s shoulders. Make gentle, circular movements with your thumb, applying light pressure and feeling the skin lift away from the muscle.

• • Gently knead one shoulder with both hands, circling one hand towards the other. After a few minutes, increase the pressure slightly as the muscles begin to loosen. Repeat on the other shoulder.

• • Support your friend’s forehead with one hand. Rest your other hand at the base of your friend’s neck then stroke it up the neck and back again. Now make circular movements with your hand, working all over your friend’s neck.

Your friend may feel so much better after the massage that she or he may offer to reciprocate the favour!

Our Employee Wellbeing Programme (EAP) is available 24 hours a day if you want to know more about relaxation exercises.