can I ask if you have any tips on how to stop clenching my jaw and grinding my teeth together? I just went through a major breakup and am generally at a point of stress in my life(which I’m actually gonna get therapy for finally!!) and have noticed that there’s been a lot of tension there and I’ve been grinding my teeth a lot
Obligatory “I’m a therapist but not your therapist.” I don’t know you personally so I can’t give specific advice, but I have experience providing biofeedback services so I’ve actually done some work with bruxism (tooth grinding). My first recommendation is not related to psychology in any way and is to get a mouth guard. Not the $700 one your dentist will sell you (they’re really good but not expensive, so see if a cheap one works first. I recommend the ones from CVS.)
Some behaviors that can help reduce experiences with bruxism are setting points in your day to check in on jaw tension: This can be done by using technology to help (such as setting reminders on your phone) or by using “anchor points” in your day (such as checking jaw tension before breakfast, lunch, and dinner). The more often you check in the more often you’ll catch the tension early and be able to let it go manually.
I can also recommend using activities like Progressive Muscle Relaxation or guided meditations such as Leaves on a Stream to reduce anxiety right before bed. These activities help reduce tooth grinding by reducing physical tension before going to sleep, which can sometimes reduce nocturnal bruxism.
The last one is if you ever notice tension in your jaw - take a deep breath breath all the way into your diaphragm, and while you’re inhaling push your shoulders all the way up like you’re trying to touch your ears, then on the exhale let your shoulders and jaw drop tension together and reset to a relaxed position. Make sure you let your tongue relax too. And surprisingly, let your eyebrows relax, and see if that helps.
