You're squinting and rubbing, but your tired eyes continue to torture you, and it's no wonder they're sore. How many hours a day do we all stare at a screen?
Well, before you reach for yet another bottle of eye drops, why not give these strain-relieving eye exercises a try? Starting with...
Eye Rolling
Eye Rolling - to do this exercise, you'll need to hear someone say something that really annoys you. I'm kidding. To start off with, you can either sit or stand, relax your shoulders, straighten up your neck, and look ahead. Look to your left and then slowly roll your eyes up towards the ceiling. Keep rolling them to the right and from there to the floor. Do it clockwise five times and then the other direction another five times. Repeat three of these cycles. To achieve even better results, close your eyes you're rolling them, this helps lubricate your eyes and eases the strain on the muscles.
Eye Flexing
Flexing isn't only for strengthening your body muscles and showing off. You can also use it to make eye muscles stronger. And here's how you do it. Sit on a comfortable chair and look straight ahead. Then move your eyes up without changing the position of your neck. After that, move your eyes down. Do 10 reps for this one. Once you've done that, Look to the left as far as you can without moving your neck. Keep it straight, then look to the right as far as you can and repeat 10 times. Do this whole eye flexing cycle 4 times.
Eye Pressing
Eye Pressing Sit in a comfortable position and close your eyes while taking a deep breath. Place an index finger on each eyelid and apply very light pressure for 10 seconds. Let go for 2 seconds and then press gently again. That'll be 1 rep and you'll do 10 of them. As you can guess, it's important to be very careful while performing this exercise. You can hurt your eyes if you press too hard.
Blinking
Blinking Constantly staring at the computer or a mobile screen can make you forget to blink as often as you should. That's why your eyes get red, sore, and irritated. But I'm not gonna just tell you to remember to blink. There's a special way to do it to relieve tired eyes.
Find a blank wall to eliminate any possible distractions and sit in front of it. Keep your neck straight and your shoulders low. close your eyes and wait for 30 seconds before opening them. Do that 10 times. And if anyone asks why you're sitting and blinking in front of a blank wall, just tell them you're exercising. You wouldn't be lying.
Sideways Glancing.
Find a comfortable position sitting, standing, or lying down and look straight ahead without moving your head or neck. Look to the left as much as you can. Keep your eyes in that position for three seconds. Now look in front of you for a second. Move your eyes to the right as far as you can and hold them there for three seconds. Repeat this whole set ten times. Rub your hands together, and you'll look like you're scheming some evil plot.
Bouncing
Imagine that your eye is a bouncy ball. Uh, that's horrible. Stop it. All jokes aside, this exercise is a fun one, and you can do it even while chilling in bed. So take any position that's comfortable for you and look ahead. You can do this exercise either with your eyes closed or open. Your task here is to start moving your eyes up and down as quickly as you can. Do it 10 times and then take a 5-second break. Repeat this cycle 3 times.
Eye Massage
Massage is great for relaxing the muscles in your body, but you can't forget about your little eye muscles too.
They could really use a nice relaxing massage after a tough day of, well, seeing stuff. Plus, this one is really good for dry eyes. Anyway, to do it, sit in a comfortable chair and loosen up your shoulders. Tilt your head back a bit and close your eyes. Then put your index and middle fingers on each eyelid and start moving them in circular motions. But here's where the magic comes in. Move the fingers on your left eye in a clockwise direction, but the other fingers on your right eye counterclockwise. After 10 reps, switch up the direction on each eye.
Shifting Focus
If you've ever had problems with focusing, then this exercise is definitely for you. Place a chair near a window and take a seat. Put your right arm in front of you and stick your thumb out. First, you should focus on the tip of your thumb for 2 seconds, then focus on the window for the same amount of time, but don't move your hand. And lastly, focus on some object out the window for 2 seconds, like a building or tree, then shift your focus back on your thumb. Do this cycle 10 times.
Palming
Palming I'm sure you've heard of face palming, but what about eye palming? Well, it's a little different, of course. Your eyes need to rest from all the stimulation they get from light, and that's what this exercise is good for. Not to mention, it's just so calming and relaxing. First, rub your hands together for a bit to make them warmer. Then put your elbows on the table in front of you and place your palms over your closed eyes. Take deep and steady breaths and relax as you feel the tension leave your eyes. To achieve the best possible result, do this exercise for 5 minutes.
The Moving Pencil
This exercise is like a real workout for your eyes. For this one, you'll need a pencil. A pen, of course, will do too. Sit in a comfortable position on a chair and keep your neck and head straight. Hold the pencil in your right hand and press the eraser end to the tip of your nose. Focus your vision on the eraser. Then, start slowly extending your arm while keeping your eyes on the pencil. After that, bring your arm back to its starting position, all the while keeping your focus on that pencil.
Again, 10 reps will do the trick.
Figure 8 Tracing
This exercise will beef up the flexibility of your eye muscles. To do it, You'll need a blank wall and a bit of imagination. Sit in a chair about 10 feet away from the wall and imagine a giant number 8 written on it. Then rotate that number sideways and start slowly tracing it with your eyes. But keep in mind that you shouldn't move your head. Trace the 8 upright for 2 minutes and then sideways for another 2 minutes.
Double Thumbs Up
Double Thumbs Up To keep toning up those eye muscles, extend your arms to the fullest and stick both thumbs up, holding them directly in front of you at both sides. Focus your vision on the tip of your right thumb for 5 seconds.
After that, look at some distant object that's located in the space between your two thumbs for another 5 seconds. Finally, move your eyes to the left thumb for 5 more seconds. When you're done, go back to the distant object and then the right thumb. You'll do that 10 times as well.
Invisible Writing
Again, sit in front of a blank wall about 10 feet away and get ready to use your imagination. What you'll do is write invisible words on the wall using only your eyes. You can start with something simple like your name, and after some time, go to full but short sentences. You can even write secret messages. Hey, nobody will know what you're writing with your eyes. That's the fun of it!
The 20-20-20 Exercise
The best way to keep your eyes healthy and your vision sharp is to avoid things that lead to eye strain. Of course, I'm not going to tell you to chuck your computer, phone, or tablet. That'd be utter nonsense, but at least you can change your working routine to give your eyes some regular rest from being glued to a screen. If you have to work in front of a computer for long periods of time, or you're on yet another YouTube marathon, take a break every 20 minutes and look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds. See? 20, 20, 20.
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