Desk-day neck: five small resets before lunch

By eleven on a busy desk day, my head has usually drifted forward and my shoulders have crept up towards my ears. Nothing dramatic, just a dull stiffness that makes the afternoon feel longer.

These are the five resets I come back to. None of them needs a mat or a change of clothes, and together they take about three minutes.

1. Chin glides

Sit tall and slide your chin straight back, as if making a double chin, then release. Ten slow repeats. It is the opposite of the forward-head posture that screens pull us into.

2. Shoulder rolls, backwards only

Lift, roll back and drop the shoulders, ten times, slowly. The drop is the important part: let the weight fall.

3. Ear to shoulder

Tilt your right ear towards your right shoulder until you feel a gentle stretch, hold for three slow breaths, then swap. Gentle means gentle: no pulling with your hand.

4. Look over each shoulder

Turn your head to look over one shoulder as far as is comfortable, pause, come back and swap. Five each side.

5. Stand up and walk to the window

The most useful reset of all. Two minutes away from the screen changes your posture more than any stretch.

Making it stick

I tie the resets to something that already happens: the kettle boiling, a meeting ending, a message I've just sent. It also helps to set up the desk so the top of the screen is roughly at eye level and your feet rest flat on the floor.

When to stop and see someone

Stiffness that eases as you move is common. Pain that is severe, spreads down an arm, comes with numbness, tingling or weakness, or doesn't settle after a few weeks is a reason to see your GP or a physiotherapist rather than stretch through it.