In undergrad, I learned to teach others how to self-massage their hands. I presented it to many different people, including college students, middle school students, and high school students. So far, it’s been a favorite to many.
I am sharing with you the script I use (more or less- I go mostly by memory and change it sometimes as I go, including the order) because I really have enjoyed it. There may be academic resources that have evidence-based scripts, but I do not have those now. I am sharing this simply for informational purposes.
I will upload a video to this page once I can film one. Hope you enjoy!
Introduction
We use our hands every day, and they can get pretty tired. Sometimes, we don’t realize our hands are feeling tight or tired until we start to pay attention. Today, I’m going to walk you through a simple self-massage for your hands. You can follow along, and do as I do.
Stretch (I sometimes move this to the end)
First, let’s take some time to stretch our hands and thank them for all that they do. Let’s press our hands together. Slowly, move one hand up and gently push against your fingers on the other hand. Notice any sensations, and put less pressure if you feel any pain.
When you’re ready, let’s move that hand back down and repeat for the other side. Again, notice any sensations, but do not push if you feel pain. Start to think about all the ways you use your hands, and silently thank your hands.
Now, taking a few deep breaths, let’s roll out our wrists. You can roll to one side, then the other. Whatever feels best for you.
Left Hand (either is fine to start)
Now, I invite you to bring your right thumb to your left palm. Let’s slowly make small circles with our thumb all around the palm. Take a few moments…
When you’re ready, let’s move to the fingers. We’ll continue making small circles slowly up the pinky (wait for them to reach the top of their pinky)… and back down. Notice any sensation. When you get to the bottom, let’s move to the next finger. (repeat for all 5 fingers).
Right Hand
Now, I invite you to bring your left thumb to your right palm. Let’s slowly make small circles with our thumb all around the palm. Take a few moments…
When you’re ready, let’s move to the fingers. We’ll continue making small circles slowly up the pinky (wait for them to reach the top of their pinky)… and back down. Notice any sensation. When you get to the bottom, let’s move to the next finger. (repeat for all 5 fingers).
Closing
Now, I invite you to stretch or move your hands in whatever way feels good for you. If you don’t want to, we can just sit for a bit. Anything is fine.
Thank you for practicing this with me, and let’s thank our hands one more time.
End of Script
Sometimes, I add extra things like having my clients shake out their hands or stretching by spreading out their fingers, whatever feels right!
Additionally, I may add some time to press on the "Hoku point" of each hand by pressing on the webbing between the thumb and pointer finger using the same fingers of the other hand. ~30 seconds.
I may also change the words a bit too. For example, instead of “notice any sensation,” I may just say “notice how your hand feels.”
I hope this information was helpful. It’s one of my favorite techniques, especially after a day of note-taking or writing papers. I may just do it after typing all this up!
Please let me know what kind of articles you’d like to see in the future!
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