progressive muscle relaxation
Fear, worry and anxiety create physical tension in the muscles of the body. Progressive Muscle Relaxation (also called Paired Muscle Relaxation or PMR) is a technique for relaxing the body which is widely used in psychology. There are a number of benefits to this approach to relaxation:
We reduce body tension ‘in the moment’ while we are practicing
Creating a physical state of relaxation helps the mind relax too, helping to reduce tension, stress and anxiety
Has been found to be useful in managing insomnia and headaches
Help us switch out of ‘fight-or-flight’ mode
With practice we learn what body tension feels like and how to release it - even when we’re not practicing PMR at the time.
How do we do it? Well, to relax the body we first create tension through the different muscles of the body (eg by clenching the fists) and then we create relaxation (eg by releasing the fists). By tensing the muscles before we release them, these helps to relax the muscles more than if we only imagine ourselves relaxing the muscles.
You may have read this and thought ‘nah, I don’t need to bother spending my time on this’ (or the breathing)… Now, I have no control over whether you actually take the time to have a go at either of these techniques. That’s something I just have to accept. And you know what? There was a time when I would have done exactly the same thing. However, I would encourage you to have a go at this anyway. I can spend time convincing you why you should do them, however, the best way to convince you is for you to have the experience of them. So, please take a few minutes to have a go. Notice how you feel now, and notice how you feel at the end of the practice. I hope the proof will be in the pudding (or your felt experience in this case)!
Of course, if you have any physical injury you might like to take this cautiously, you may be able to work more gently with injured regions or visualise relaxing them without creating tension first… experiment and see what works for you, if you’re unsure, please seek advice from a medical professional before starting this exercise.
Let’s practice together:
