Progressive Muscle Relaxation Guide for a Calmer Daily Life

• Progressive muscle relaxation is a technique that can reset your psychological and physiological state with simple exercises. It’s for people who want mental and physical relaxation when dealing with anxiety or racing thoughts.
• The method works well because it focuses your attention on how your body reacts to pressure. You’re able to notice patterns associated with anxiety or tension, so you can address the situation before it causes discomfort.
• Today, you’ll learn what progressive muscle relaxation is, its benefits, and how you can practice it. You’ll also get a simple routine you can follow at home so you can get your body and mind in the right state.
• So keep reading to learn more.

What Is Progressive Muscle Relaxation?

Progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) is a tension-reducing therapy that focuses on relaxing muscle groups. You tense these muscles, holding the tension briefly, then release it, repeatedly.

Here’s a quick video showing how to use PMR to manage anxiety disorders and get better sleep.

The goal is to cultivate stronger mind-body awareness, enabling you to recognize and release uncomfortable tension more easily.

A clinical study was conducted in 2020 on 67 COVID-19 patients to ascertain the effectiveness of PMR against anxiety. The patients were split into two groups. One group was subjected to progressive muscle relaxation twice a day for 5 days; the other was not.

The results showed that the group that used PMR had lower levels of anxiety compared to others. They even registered better sleep quality.

This shows that progressive muscle relaxation techniques go beyond loosening stiff muscles. The tensing and releasing sends signals to your nervous system that you don’t always have to be in a “fight-or-flight” mode all the time.

Below is an illustration of common symptoms of the “fight or flight” response, which includes muscle tension.

PMR trains your body to rest and relax. With time, you get a good understanding of your triggers and how to anticipate them.

What are the Benefits of Progressive Muscle Relaxation?

As we have already seen, progressive muscle relaxation helps make you calm and less anxious. But how effective is it, and what do you get out of it? Here are some top benefits of adopting PMR.

4. Lowers Heart Rate

PMR can lower heart rate by calming the nervous system through reducing tension in the body. Tension strains the heart, increasing the rate as though the body is dealing with a threat. A high heart rate carries the following risks.

When you relax your muscles, the heart rate reverts to its normal state. Additionally, a normal heart rate is also linked to better breathing, which has an all-around positive effect on your physical and mental being.

6. Improves Mental Focus

Progressive muscle relaxation can improve mental focus by reducing physical tension that often distracts the mind. Tense muscles distract the brain from focusing on other things, as you would constantly be overthinking about the pain you’re feeling.

PMR clears that clutter to support attention and concentration through different solutions like mental grounding techniques.

This technique also trains the brain to recognize the difference between tension and relaxation. You increase body awareness and develop control over stress responses. This heightened awareness helps the mind stay anchored to the present moment.

This heightened awareness helps the mind stay anchored to the present moment.

How to Practice Progressive Muscle Relaxation

There is no set way of practicing progressive muscle relaxation. You can choose to relax a few muscle groups or go from top to bottom or vice versa.

You can even combine PMR with meditation exercises or grounding techniques to get even better results.

In general, you can follow these steps.

• 1.Settle into a Comfortable Position: Start by lying down or sitting in a relaxed position. Let your whole body settle through simple breathing exercises (take five slow breaths). You can also play calming music like binaural beats to relax.
• 2.Lift Your Foot Upward: Pull your foot toward your body and hold the position. Release and pay attention to the change in sensation as the muscles loosen.
• 3.Point Your Foot Downward: Move your foot away from your body and hold. Let go and notice how the tension fades from the lower part of your feet.
• 4.Tighten Your Calf Muscles: Engage the muscles in your calves and hold. Release and allow the lower legs to relax completely.
• 5.Draw Knees Toward Each Other: Move your knees inward and hold them there. Let go and feel the muscles in the legs soften.
• 6.Squeeze Your Thigh Muscles: Tighten your thighs with a steady hold. Release and give the legs a moment to settle.
• 7.Clench Your Hands: Close your hands into tight fists for a brief hold. Let go and feel the release spread through your fingers and palms.
• 8.Tense Your Arms: Engage the muscles in your arms by pulling them tight. Release and allow the arms to feel loose again.
• 9.Squeeze Your Buttocks: Tighten this area and hold. Release and let the lower body sink into the surface beneath you.
• 10.Contract Your Abdominal Muscles: Pull your stomach muscles inward and hold. Release and feel the center of your body soften.
• 11.Tighten Your Chest With A Breath: Inhale and tighten the chest muscles at the same time. Exhale as you release and let the breath help you relax deeper.
• 12.Raise Your Shoulders: Lift your shoulders toward your ears and hold. Release and let the shoulders drop back into place.
• 13.Purse Your Lips: Press your lips together with gentle tension. Release and feel the muscles of your mouth relax.
• 14.Open Your Mouth Wide: Stretch your mouth open and hold. Release and let the jaw fall back into a comfortable position.
• 15.Close Your Eyes Firmly: Tighten the muscles around your eyes with a brief squeeze. Release and feel the tension lift from your face.
• 16.Lift Your Eyebrows: Raise your eyebrows and hold the position. Release and let the forehead smooth out as the tension melts away.

Basically, move from top to bottom or vice versa, and tighten and relax muscles as you go.

Challenges and Limitations of Using Progressive Muscle Relaxation

Progressive muscle relaxation is effective, but it has some limitations. Let’s discuss some of these.

Not Always Effective During Panic

Progressive muscle relaxation needs steady focus. This becomes hard when you’re dealing with severe panic attacks, with sharp breathing and scattered thoughts.

Some panic attack symptoms, like chills, crippling phobias, or anxiety, as illustrated above, can inhibit your ability to follow each PMR step in that state. Ultimately, the technique may not calm you as quickly as you may hope.

Frequently Asked Questions