What do these actions have in common?  to shout; to yawn; to laugh; to cry; to yell?In each case the muscles that lie deep around your jaw — the pterygoids — are activated.  These two muscles, called the “wing muscles”,  work in harmony every time you open your mouth to speak, yawn, chew, yell, howl and shout.  The pterygoids are the strongest muscles in your body, strong enough to bite your own finger off if you chose.  They are connected to the 33 joints that make up your marvelous, highly mobile, neck.  The pterygoids run from your ear to the temporomandibular joint, the TMJ.And these joints and muscles can be a source of tension and pain. After all, this muscle/joint area works hard to carry the 12 pound skull around on your shoulders.  The jaw is involved with speaking, swallowing, kissing, and chewing.   Do any of you have TMJ?  Do you have pain from grinding your teeth or clenching your jaw?  This area of your body holds mega doses of stress brought on by anxiety and depression. Emotional stress zaps vital energy from your mind/body connection because your muscles, joints, cells, and nerves all rally to reinstate the person to health — no easy task.Recently my doctor reminded me to reduce my stress, particularly regarding my posture and muscle tension.   We discussed multiple ways of relaxing, including changing my posture through stretching and exercise,  using deep breathing and  journaling, and practicing NET (Neuro-emotional Technique).  I intend to practice these.But the biggest news flash was this one:  “You are carrying a lot of your tension in your neck and jaw muscles.  You haven’t been screaming and crying enough. Open your mouth. Get your tension out. Shout.”So I looked up “shout” in the Bible, and found it appears over 60 times.  While  a half dozen of the references to “shout” appear around the battle of Jericho, most of them are in the Psalms and Prophets.  The people of God are ordered to “Shout!”We are to shout for joy to the Lord.  We are to shout in triumph. We are to shout with laughter.So join me:  Go stand outside and lift up your voice with a shout.  Go ahead, lift it up. Do not be afraid. (Is. 40:9). Do not hold back.  Raise your voice like a trumpet.(Is. 58:1)  Or try crying out in the night.  Pour your heart out like water in the presence of our God. (Lam 2:19) Shout aloud to the Rock of your salvation. (Ps. 95:1)Loosen up.  At a minimum, pay attention to your jaw. Relax that TMJ by smiling. At least smile inside your head, if you really don’t want any one to see you smiling.  Tweak your TMJ by a slight up turn on that muscle and joint. Make a mini interior smile.  This simple act can relieve a lot of pressure.Then up the ante and let your emotions come out.  Express yourself vocally. Open your mouth.  Use your vocal cords. If you are embarrassed that someone will hear you, find a private, acoustically safe place.  Try going into the woods and burrowed your head, mouth on dirt,  into a hole, and scream. Or go underwater in a swimming pool, lake or ocean and howl.  Or park at a truck stop in your car  with the windows up.  Here the noise of the diesel engines will camouflage your screams.  Then start to talk with your heavenly Father.  Work yourself up from a quiet chat to a more expressive “shouting”.   Yell for help to God.  Cry out to Jesus.  Shout in victory to Him.  Declare his wonders with a loud voice.  Vent your anger.  Let loose your tears. After all, Jesus came to us that we might be free in him. Shout to the Lord. Be free.