Let’s face it. The times now give you tons of stress and anxiety. And all this stress builds up in your face during the day. Contained stress may give you frown wrinkles, jaw tension, headaches, and sleeplessness. The digital age is no help either. All the screen time at work and before bedtime just makes your frown between eyebrows worse until you have a Grand Canyon over your forehead. There is even a new beauty term — digital scowl — the frowned face expression which you have when you’re concentrating on working on your computer. Now it’s time to do something to relax the tension and get rid of all the stress.

How Can Facial Exercises Help?

Facial exercises are the game changer in stress relief. Even a 5-minute routine can help you de-stress and tune in for a restorative good night's sleep. This is the situation where a little goes a long way. Here are some reasons to include face yoga into your evening beauty routine:

1. Muscles and fascia relaxation

Bedtime exercises will release any tension your face may unconsciously be holding onto. Farewell, digital scowl!

2. Skin rejuvenation

Face yoga improves blood flow helping to deliver all the yummy nutrients from your beauty routine to the skin cells. It brings a healthy glow and flattering lift to your no-more-stressed face.

3. Lymphatic drainage

Facial exercises support lymphatic drainage and can miraculously deal with congestion and toxic build-up removal. That works for toxic thoughts as well. You crave it. You need it. You deserve it. And you can manage it, even if you are wiped out. So, let’s have some self-care time before bed and do some facial exercises to relax and unwind. Face yoga in bed sounds divine, doesn’t it?

Face Yoga Exercises for Evening

To get the best out of your evening facial exercises routine you’ll need a little prep stage to get into the right relaxation mood.

1. A long, warm shower

Let the waterfall do its therapeutic magic gently massaging your neck, back, and shoulders. If you’re looking for more de-stress — try out the Rag Doll yoga pose right in the shower. It does amazing things to release tension in the neck and shoulders and relieve stress.

2. Skincare evening routine

After cleansing your face in the shower, you can apply some serum or face oil to your face. And don’t forget to massage some muscle-relaxing cream into your neck and shoulders. Face relaxation starts with a relaxed neck and shoulders.

3. Get comfy

Put on your PJs, let your hair loose, light a candle or dim the lights, and put on some meditation music or any kind of music that brings you peace. Hop into bed and enjoy this moment of love and self-care.

Exercise 1: Brow Rising

This small exercise helps to release tension in your upper face fighting the frown line between your eyebrows with all its power. How to do it:

1. Raise your eyebrows as high as possible.
2. Slowly release them down on a count from 10 to 0.
3. Do 1 more repetition.
4. Relax.

Exercise 2: Eye Squeeze

Great help with eye area relaxation and restoring focus. How to do it:

1. Shut your eyes tightly.
2. Slowly open them counting from 10 to 0.
3. Release all the muscle tension around your eyes and stare blankly for 10 seconds.
4. Do 1 more rep.
5. Relax.

Exercise 3: Big Smile

This exercise is to reprogram your stress face into a happy one, and bring you calm and joy mentally and physically. How to do it:

1. Smile as wide as you can.
2. Slowly bring your face into a neutral expression counting from 10 to 0.
3. Do 2 more reps.
4. Relax.

Exercise 4: Slack Jaw

This exercise is good for releasing any jaw tension. And for toning your low face muscles. How to do it:

1. Relax your jaw and let your mouth hang open.
2. Bring your tongue tip to the highest point of the roof of your mouth.
3. Hold this position counting from 5 to 0.
4. Release your jaw back into a resting closed mouth position.
5. Do 2 more reps.
6. Relax.

Exercise 5: Inner Corner of the Eye

A great exercise to wrap up the routine. It stars a famous acupressure point, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and Ayurveda technics. As a result, you’ll get eyestrain reduced, energy stimulation of the eye area, and a magical goodnight sleep. How to do it:

1. Place your index fingers on each side of the nose next to the corner of the inner eye directly.
2. Gently massage in circles for 10-15 seconds
3. Relax

Why Is It Important To Relax Your Facial Muscles?

Because it’s crucial for your physical and mental health. Stress and anxiety can lead to chronic tension in your facial muscles. This leads not only to frowns and wrinkles but to headaches and TMJ pain. We subconsciously tighten our muscles as a way to defend ourselves. To protect, to prepare for what’s coming. If you don’t release that stress and tension — you may be stuck with a "resting bitch face" for a long time. And this face expression does no good neither to your mental state, nor your career or your relationships. Learn how to relax those facial muscles, and you may find out that you feel relaxed, more open, less defensive, and more positive.