Have you ever had an aching back or
pain in your neck when you were anxious or stressed? When you have anxiety or
stress in your life, one of the ways your body responds is with muscle tension.
Progressive muscle relaxation is a method that helps relieve that
tension.
Key points
In progressive muscle relaxation, you tense a
group of muscles as you breathe in, and you relax them as you breathe out. You
work on your muscle groups in a certain order.
When you first
start, it may help to use an audio recording until you learn all the muscle
groups in order. Check your local library or a bookstore for progressive muscle
relaxation audio recordings.
If you have trouble falling asleep,
this method may also help with your sleep problems.
Progressive
muscle relaxation is a method to help you relax. You do a series of exercises
in which you tense your muscles as you breathe in and relax them as you breathe
out. You work on your muscle groups in a certain order.
Test Your Knowledge
Progressive muscle relaxation is an exercise where you
breathe slowly to relax your muscles.
When you do progressive muscle relaxation, you
do a series of exercises in which you tense your muscles as you breathe in and
relax them as you breathe out.
When you do progressive muscle relaxation, you
do a series of exercises in which you tense your muscles as you breathe in and
relax them as you breathe out.
Progressive
muscle relaxation can reduce anxiety, stress, and muscle tension, and it may
help if you have trouble falling asleep. As you learn how your "tense" muscles
feel and how your "relaxed" muscles feel, you may be able to tell when you need
to relax.
Progressive muscle relaxation is easy to do. And if you
can find a place to lie down and get comfortable, you can do it anytime you
need it.
Test Your Knowledge
People who have anxiety, stress, muscle tension, or
trouble falling asleep may benefit from progressive muscle
relaxation.
You can use an audio recording to
help you focus on each muscle group, or you can learn the order of muscle
groups and do the exercises from memory. Choose a place where you won't be
interrupted and where you can lie down on your back and stretch out
comfortably, such as a carpeted floor.
Breathe in, and tense the first muscle group
(hard but not to the point of cramping) for 4 to 10
seconds.
Breathe out, and suddenly and completely relax the muscle
group (do not relax it gradually).
Relax for 10 to 20 seconds
before you work on the next muscle group.
When you are finished
with all of the muscle groups, count backward from 5 to 1 to bring your focus
back to the present.
After you have learned how to tense and relax each muscle
group, here's something else to try. When you have a very tense muscle, you can
practice tensing and relaxing that muscle area without going through the whole
routine.
The muscle groups
The
following is a list of the muscle groups in order and how to tense them.
Remember to lie down when you do this.
Muscle group
What to do
Hands:
Clench
them.
Wrists and
forearms:
Extend them, and
bend your hands back at the wrist.
Biceps
and upper arms:
Clench
your hands into fists, bend your arms at the elbows, and flex your biceps.
Shoulders:
Shrug them (raise
toward your ears).
Forehead:
Wrinkle it into a
deep frown.
Around the eyes and
bridge of the nose:
Close your eyes as
tightly as you can. (Remove contact lenses before you start the
exercise.)
Cheeks and jaws:
Smile as widely as
you can.
Around the
mouth:
Press your lips
together tightly. (Check your face for tension. You just want to use your
lips.)
Back of the neck:
Press the back of
your head against the floor.
Front of the
neck:
Touch your chin to
your chest. (Try not to create tension in your neck and head.)
Chest:
Take a deep breath,
and hold it for 4 to 10 seconds.
Back:
Arch your back up
and away from the floor.
Stomach:
Suck it into a tight
knot. (Check your chest and stomach for tension.)
Hips and
buttocks:
Press your buttocks
together tightly.
Thighs:
Clench them
hard.
Lower
legs:
Point your toes
toward your face. Then point your toes away, and curl them downward at the same
time. (Check the area from your waist down for tension.)
Test Your Knowledge
When you first start, it may be helpful to use an
audio recording until you learn all the muscle groups in order.
An audio recording can be helpful at first to
guide you through the muscle groups. Using an audio recording may also help you
tense and relax your muscles for the right amount of time. After a while, you
may be able to do this on your own.
An audio recording can be helpful at first to
guide you through the muscle groups. Using an audio recording may also help you
tense and relax your muscles for the right amount of time. After a while, you
may be able to do this on your own.
Now that you have learned
about progressive muscle relaxation, you are ready to give it a try. Check your
local library or a bookstore for progressive muscle relaxation audio
recordings.
If you want to try other relaxation techniques,
see:
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