I’m going to foray into Therese’s area of expertise, which is health, just for today. Lately I’ve been chained to my computer for long patches of time as I try to finish a project, and my back has been on fire, and I feel like an old wonton folding in on itself.

In desperation, I looked around for some desk stretches, and lo and behold I found one at WebMD that is a miracle of relief: the leg hug.

  • Sit on the edge of your chair (if it has wheels, wedge the chair against the desk or wall to make sure it does not roll). Put your feet together, flat on the floor.
  • Lean over, chest to knees, letting your arms dangle loosely to the floor. Release your neck.
  • Now bring your hands behind your legs, right hand grasping left wrist, forearm (or elbow if you can reach that far), left hand grasping the right. Feel the stretch in your back, shoulders and neck. Hold.
  • Release your hands to the floor again.
  • Repeat three times or as often as it feels good. 

Doing so will make your forehead feel like it’s going to explode if you hang over your legs for too long, but your back will thank you.

I’ve been taking more walking breaks as well. I’ve found that pumping my arms while walking briskly will ease tension out of my upper back. If you’re like me and you tend to hunch forward over your keyboard, it’s essential to move your body in the opposite direction.

Advil works wonders too. But moving around while sitting at my desk has provided drug-free relief. It’s something I have to force myself to do, but it’s worth it.

Kathleen Bolton is co-founder of Writer Unboxed. She has written two novels under the pseudonym Cassidy Calloway: Confessions of a First Daughter, and Secrets of a First Daughter--both books in a YA series about the misadventures of the U.S. President's teen-aged daughter, published by HarperCollins.
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