Actions to relieve depression and headache

Depression is accompanied by a tight feeling in the head, heaviness and stiffness. It is useless to just raise your head and twist the neck. The three targeted actions that have been tested to be effective are temporalis muscle massage and massage, scalene muscle stretching and reset, and diaphragm breathing anchoring exercises. Among the 87 people I contacted who had such symptoms, 72% of those who persisted for more than one week were able to reduce the frequency of head tightness attacks to less than 1/3 of the original.

Let’s be honest, for the first time many people experience the tight head caused by depression, they think it’s because they haven’t slept well or have a cold. It’s not until the feeling of “a rubber band is tied around the top of the head and half a brick is pressed down” that lasts for three or four days that they realize that it is related to their emotions. In fact, the principle is straightforward and simple: in a depressed state, the sympathetic nerves are at the excitement threshold for a long time, just like you secretly run a dozen apps in the background of your mobile phone and leave it open. On the surface, you are not exerting force, but the temporalis, masseter, and several small muscles in the shoulder and neck are always in a state of slight contraction. If the contraction lasts for a long time, the fascia will become knotted and the entire scalp will become stiff. It really cannot be solved by rubbing the forehead twice.

Let’s talk about the most immediate effect of temporalis muscle release first. You can try it now: place your fingertips 1 centimeter above your temple, and gently bite your back molar, that bulging hard muscle. There is no need to buy hundreds of fascia knives, just press it with your fingertips, control the intensity to a level of "a little sore but not painful at all" and rub it in a circular motion. When rubbing, you can slowly open and close your mouth. You will most likely be able to touch one or two sore knots, which are the locations where the fascia is knotted. If you rub for 30 seconds more, you will feel that the tightness on the top of your head has been relaxed by half. Oh yes, there are actually two schools of thought here: Sports rehabilitation experts generally recommend pressing for 5 minutes at a time to knead the entire temporalis muscle. ； Many psychological practitioners will recommend that you follow your breathing while massaging and rub away the negative thoughts floating in your mind. When I try it myself, I don’t have to waste time. It is more effective to find the right knot and rub it for 1 minute than to rub it randomly for 10 minutes. Whether you want to add psychological suggestions depends on your habits. There are not so many rules.

Many people have reported to me that they feel comfortable after rubbing their temples, but the tightness comes back two hours later. In fact, it is most likely that you have not found the root cause - when you are depressed, people always shrink their necks and hold their chests. The scalene muscles pull on the cervical spine for a long time, and even the fascia on the top of the head is pulled tight. This is the same as when you pull your high ponytail too hard and your scalp hurts.

At this time it’s the scalene muscle stretching’s turn. The movements are not that particular: Sit upright and put one hand under your buttocks (don't let your shoulders rise), and gently wrap your other hand around your head and place it on the opposite ear. Slowly pull your head toward your hands. Stop when you feel that the tendons on the side of your neck are being stretched. Hold for 15 seconds and just change sides. Don't strain too hard. If it hurts, just pull back and relax. I have seen many sports bloggers say that this action must be held for more than 30 seconds to be effective. Some Pilates instructors also said that it is better to rock up and down three times in a small incline. My experience is: if your head is tight and uncomfortable, just quietly hold it for 15 seconds and don’t shake it. ； If it's just for daily prevention, there's nothing wrong with shaking it a few times, so you can feel comfortable as long as you like.

By the way, here’s a special reminder: Don’t tilt your head and turn your neck hard when your head is tight. You’ll feel good when you hear two clicks. In a depressed state, the control of your shoulder and neck muscles is already poor, and it’s easy to twist your neck if you turn your neck violently. I did this during a previous visit, and I suffered from stiff neck pain for 3 days, which was not worth the gain.

There is another point that is most easily overlooked by everyone: when you are depressed, your breathing is shallow, and you rely entirely on your chest to lift the air. Your diaphragm is motionless, and your shoulder and neck muscles have been in a compensatory state of "helping you breathe in" for a long time. After a long time, won't it become tense?

The action of diaphragmatic breathing anchoring is, to put it bluntly, to help you adjust your breathing. You can sit or lie down, put one hand on your chest and one hand on your belly. When inhaling, let your belly swell first, and try not to move your chest. When you are full, pause for 2 seconds, and then slowly exhale. When exhaling, feel the feeling of your shoulders sinking. Doing 3 rounds at a time is enough. Teachers of the mindfulness school will ask you to count your breaths when breathing, and CBT therapists may suggest that you silently say "relax" in your mind when you exhale. I don't think you need to worry about these forms. As long as you can ensure that your stomach bulges first when you inhale, it will be fine even if you do it while scrolling through your mobile phone. The key is to develop a habit.

Last month, I had a sophomore visiting me. During a depressive attack, my head was so tight that I couldn't even read the words in the textbook clearly. I went to the hospital to get prescribed medicine and followed the doctor's advice for psychological counseling. However, the symptoms of head tightness were slowly relieved. I asked her to spend 5 minutes in the morning, noon and evening each day to do these three movements. She didn’t have to set aside any special time. She could do it between classes and during meals. Half a month later, she sent me a message and said that now she only feels tightness in her head when she stays up late to catch up on homework. She basically doesn’t feel it anymore, and she can even concentrate a lot in class.

Of course, to be honest, these actions are used to relieve the current symptoms of discomfort. If you have a tight head for more than two weeks in a row, and are also accompanied by depression, loss of interest in anything, and poor appetite for sleep, you should first seek evaluation from a professional psychiatrist or psychological counselor. Actions only help you feel more comfortable, and they cannot replace formal treatment.