Progressive muscle relaxation is a simple psychological technique that has been scientifically proven to help people relax their bodies and ease their minds in a short period of time. It is often used as one of many methods to help people who suffer from conditions such as depression and especially anxiety disorders. However, your problems don't need to be serious enough to warrant the need for a psychologist visit in order for progressive muscle relaxation to help you. These few simple steps can give you a sense of calm and relaxation throughout your body whether you deal with panic attacks or just want some peace at the end of the day.
This is actually somewhat of a meditation technique, but don't let that scare you! It is a simple and effective one. Begin by getting in a comfortable positon. Sitting in a chair or lying down is recommended. Be aware that there's a chance you will fall asleep if you allow yourself to fully relax, especially if you're sleep deprived. This is natural and not a bad thing, unless perhaps you're doing it on your lunch break or before class. By being aware of this, you will be able to keep yourself awake. Your environment should be comfortable temperature-wise. It doesn't have to be dark, but there should be no bright lights shining toward you. Try to avoid noise distractions.
Close your eyes. Begin to breathe deeply in through your nose, and out through your mouth. Do this for a few moments, until you feel "settled in". Just focus on your breathing. When you are ready, tighten every muscle in your feet as hard as you can until it just begins to hurt (or count to ten, whichever you prefer), then immediately relax all of those muscles at the same time. After a few seconds, clench your calf and shin muscles as tightly as possible until they just start to hurt, and then instantly relax them.
Do this working your way up your entire body, clenching and releasing your thigh, butt, torso, back, hand (make fists), arm, shoulder, neck, and finally face (really scrunch your whole face up) muscles, one group at a time. Be sure to clench them as tight as you can without really hurting yourself, then relax them as fully as you can. You are systematically releasing the stress that you're holding in your body. You may need or wish to do certain muscles more than once, such as the shoulders, if you tend to hold a lot of tension there. Focus your thoughts on your breathing the muscles you are using at the time. When you are finished, you should feel almost like you could melt into your chair or bed, but don't worry if it doesn't seem to work perfectly the first time. You probably just need a little more practice or advice.
Guided progressive muscle relaxation CD's can be found from a number of sources online, and may be very helpful. They feature a calm voice guiding you through the process so you don't have to remember or think about the steps. Just having someone else lead in the process and giving tips along the way can really assist your ability to get into it and let go of your anxiety. Alternatively, some websites have various scripts for progressive muscle relaxation that you can record yourself reading or have a trusted individual read aloud to you.
Progressive muscle relaxation can be used any time you feel tension, worry, or panic in your body, or any time you simply want to relax. It is great to use right before bedtime, and even helps many people with insomnia to fall asleep faster. To get the full positive effects of this relaxation technique, you should ideally practice it every day. A good way to start making it a regular habit in your life is to do it every night just as you lie down in bed.
Using these steps to relax on a regular basis has the added benefit of your body becoming accustomed to the process. In a short time, you will notice that when you do it you are feeling the calmness more deeply, both physically and mentally, than you did when you started using progressive muscle relaxation. Not only that, but you will learn to relax faster than you could in the beginning.
Before long, your body will learn to recognize this worry-free state, and you will be able to imitate in without going through all of the steps. That means that if you get into an anxiety-provoking situation in public, you will be able to automatically recognize how you're tensing up (which may currently happen without you even noticing) and be able to revert to a state of calm in a minute or so. Imagine how this might be able to help your public speaking fears, social anxiety, or the stress the builds up in your muscles while hunched over your desk at work. However, it is a good idea to still practice the full process once per day.
Of course, if you have difficulty dealing with depression, anxiety, or stress in your life, you should seek professional help. Consult a psychologist for information about the pros and cons of using progressive muscle relaxation. Do not view this article as medical advice.
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