Are you looking for products to help reduce stress especially in quarantine when most therapists are closed? I wanted to share with you some of the products that I have purchased over the past year when suffering from headaches and muscle spasms in back and neck. So, I first started with a tennis ball against the wall during prep periods. I am not kidding, The pain was so bad that I would close the door in my classroom to roll my back against the wall to help break up the muscles in my back that were causing neck pain. This led to coming home from school and doing the same thing in my kitchen and my kids would like at me like I had two heads, until they kinda got used to it. I moved myself to the floor because it felt that I could get the tennis ball even deeper, but then I needed something that was a harder – that lead me to a golf ball. Yes, I googled exercise to break up muscles and stop spasms in back to find some really neat videos on moving the arm around when hitting pressure points.

After doing some research in various facebook groups, I decided to test out some of the suggest products from others that were suffering from headaches and muscle spams to find the products listed below. I am so grateful that these were in my house throughout this month of social distancing because my chiropractor, acupuncturist and physical therapist were not taking clients the entire time. For those of you who are also suffering and looking for products to help reduce stress, here are my favorites and  how I used the products daily to help reduce stress that causes headaches and muscles spams.

The Sivan Acupressure mat and pillow set

It’s been very difficult to get to Accupuncture during the pandemic, so this Sivan Back and Neck Pain Relief Acupressure Mat and Pillow Set has helped with chronic Back Pain and relieving stress of lower and upper Back as well as sciatic pain caused from tight muscles. This is my go to product when feeling a little anxious cause it seems to shock the system and help calm my nerves.  The pressure of the stimulation points against your body helps promote the release of endorphins which provide a sense of energy, calmness, joy, and pain relief. The mat and pillow offers many health benefits including healthy blood circulation, better sleep, pain relief, and help with digestion. The mat and pillow features thousands of spikes /stimulation points that apply pressure to your body and stimulate the nerve endings which all problems begin in the nerve system. This stimulates blood circulation, will help alleviate pains and aches, it will improve your overall energy levels

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When you feel stressed or have low energy, lying on the mat, you will feel a state of deep relaxation and calmness.Simply lie down for a soothing, natural healing experience. We sometimes use the mat to help with headaches by standing barefoot on the mat for 10 min. I totally caught Lucas using it while playing Minecraft on iPad.  Available for $24.99 on Amazon.

Body Back Buddy Trigger Point Back Massager

This is my FAVORITE PRODUCT EVER! Seriously, this has helped me so much release and stop the muscle spasms in my back and I am now using it on my neck. This Body Back Buddy Trigger Point Back Massager  offers  full body muscle pain relief using the handheld massage stick and it comes with full instructions and also a video with examples of how to use. It’s a great investment for $29.95 since it helps soothe painful muscle knots in your back, neck, & shoulders, and speed recovery with 11 knobs in 3 shapes.  Available on Amazon.

Double Lacrosse Ball, Peanut Shape Self Massage Roller

Double Lacrosse Ball, Peanut Shape Self Massage Roller for Back Foot Neck Spine Shoulder Physical Trigger Point Therapy, Deep Tissue Massager Tool Set Pack of 2 (2).

I gave my dad the second one to try for his tight muscles, so maybe you can even split with a friend. At first my kids thought this was a dog toy because it really does look like it, but you will not believe how much it has helped me. Especially since the golf ball started to hurt digging into my back. This is very soft, yet firm and helps release muscle tension and can be used on different parts of the body.

Whether in search of physical therapy device or self care tool for your back, neck or thighs, our massage balls are perfect. Measuring 5 inches (length) and 2.5 inches in width, they are the best choice for bringing your deep tissue relaxation to the next level! Unlike other double lacrosse balls offered on the market, our set includes two levels of hardness: Red (slightly soft) and Black (hard) to suit different user needs in everyday use. While other peanut ball are placed too closely together, our refined interval between two balls to get your massage in the right spot. Made with 100% thermoplastic rubber, our lacrosse balls are odorless, eco-friendly, durable, light, easy to carry and do not crush easily. I used to carry this to school with me for those “prep period” massages against the wall (LOL).

Foam Rollers for Stress Relief

There are so many ways to use a Foam Roller  to help the body heal. One way that I use it is keeping it length wise (like the black & blue are pictured) and lying down on it to stretch rest my head flat with spine. I put my hands behind my neck and let arms hang and this helps stretch my upper back which is especially helpful if you are spending a lot of time on the computer. My physical therapist introduced me to that stretch and it has really helped with proper posture. I usually do some different rolls as well, just to break up the tension. There are a lot of ways but here are 12 Ways to Use Foam Roller that I found beneficial. You can find ton of foam roller sizes available on Amazon or your favorite fitness store.