What is Progressive Muscle Relaxation?
Have you ever had an aching neck or pain in your body when you felt anxious or stressed out?
When you experience anxiety or stress, one of the ways your body responds is with muscle tension. Progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) is a method that helps relieve that tension. If you like, you can think of it as a form of meditation.
In PMR, you practice tensing various muscle groups as you breathe in and relax them as you breathe out. You work on your muscle groups in a certain order. It’s advised to skip areas that cause pain when tensing.
You cannot feel anxious when your body is physically relaxed as it’s physically impossible. Regular PMR meditation will help you build this skill so you can use this method when you need stress relief.
If you have trouble falling asleep, this method may also help with your sleep problems. [1]
I am Jessica Pavelka, MS, LPC, NCC, RYT
A COGNITIVE BEHAVORIAL PSYCHOTHERAPIST AND MEDITATION COACH IN PHILADELPHIA.
As an experienced Cognitive Therapist for anxiety, depression and bipolar disease, I am here to provide you with holistic counseling tools to help you feel better.
How to Practice PMR:
To try this out for the first time, you might listen to an audio recording of a progressive muscle relaxation guided meditation. Check your favorite bookstore or online audio sources for recordings like Apple or Spotify; YouTube also offers free online recordings.
Follow the Steps Below
1. Choose a cozy place where you won't be interrupted and where you can lie down on your back and stretch out.
2. Take a few deep breaths to begin by expanding your lower belly at the inhale and contracting at the exhale.
3. Begin at the top of your body and go down. Start with your head, inhale, and begin tensing your facial muscles. Squeeze your eyes shut, pucker your mouth lips, and clench your jaw. Hold for a couple of seconds and study the sensations you feel when you tense your face. Next, release and breathe out.
4. Tense as you lift your shoulders to your ears, hold, then release and breathe.
5. Make a fist with your hands, tighten your lower and upper arm muscles, hold tight, and then release. Breathe in and out.
6. Concentrate on your back, squeezing your shoulder blades together. Hold, then release. Breathe in and out.
7. Tighten your stomach, hold, then release. Breathe in and out.
8. Clench your buttocks, hold, then release. Breathe in and out.
9. Tighten your hamstrings, hold, then release. Breathe in and out.
10. Flex your calves, hold, then release. Breathe in and out.
11. Tighten your feet and toes, hold, then release. Breathe in and out. [2]
12. Rinse and Repeat as often as you need
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Share Your Ideas!
What do you do when you feel anxious or stressed? How do you relax? I would be happy to hear from you and support you in finding peace.
