I saw a photo of myself from the side and did not recognize my own silhouette. My head was jutting forward like a turtle. My shoulders were rounded. I looked like I had been hunched over a laptop for a decade — which, to be fair, I had.

Forward head posture — sometimes called “text neck” — adds about 10 pounds of pressure to your cervical spine for every inch your head moves forward. It causes neck pain, tension headaches, and that hump at the base of the neck that makes people look older than they are.

The Wall Test

Stand with your back against a wall, heels touching the baseboard. Your butt, shoulder blades, and the back of your head should all touch the wall. If your head does not reach — or if it only touches when you tilt your chin up — you have forward head posture.

The Chin Tuck

This is the single most effective exercise and it takes 30 seconds. Sit up straight, look straight ahead, and pull your chin straight back — like you are making a double chin. Hold for 5 seconds, release. Do 10 repetitions, three times a day.

Do not tilt your head up or down. The movement is purely horizontal — chin moving backward, not upward. You should feel a gentle stretch at the base of your skull.

The Doorway Stretch

Stand in a doorway with your forearms on the doorframe at shoulder height. Lean forward gently until you feel a stretch across your chest and the front of your shoulders. Hold for 30 seconds. Tight chest muscles pull your shoulders forward, which pulls your head forward — stretching them releases the chain.

I did both of these daily for a month. The photo at the end of the month looked like a different person. My neck had not grown — it was just in the right place.