Reduce Stress In 5 Minutes Through Progressive Relaxation
Over 40 million adult Americans suffer from Anxiety disorders, including 6.8 million from Generalized Anxiety Disorder alone. (2) Even though 65% of North Americans take some form of prescription medication (3), sometimes the best answers don’t always come in pills. Progressive muscle relaxation may prove to be a powerful tool in your arsenal against every-day stress, (4) and even more serious anxiety disorders. It may even help with insomnia, as well. (1) Of course, talk to your healthcare provider first.
Let me walk you through the process. Progressive muscle relaxation works by isolating groups of individual muscles from a starting point, and sequentially contracting and relaxing them in accordance with your breath.
- Start by laying down on your back in a comfortable, reclined chair, bed, or pad on the floor. Make sure the area is quiet, where you will not be interrupted. Turn off any distractions.
- Turn on soft, relaxing background music if you desire. (Instrumental / ambient music works best)
- Close your eyes.
- Mentally scan your body for any areas of tension, stress or soreness. Make note of these areas and focus in on them throughout this practice.
- While inhaling deeply through your nose, feel your belly rise. Tighten your toes and feet as much as you can. Hold for 3-4 seconds, counting in your head. Exhale entirely as you let everything go. Release all tension in those muscles.
- Work up to your calves by adding on. Inhale deeply through the nose, tighten your toes, feet, and calves as much as you can. Hold for 3-4 seconds, counting in your head. Exhale entirely as you let everything go. Release all tension in those muscles.
- Continue to add on muscles as your ascend up the body. Repeat the previous steps and sequentially add your pelvis, groin, stomach, chest, neck, arms, and hands, as you continue the process.
- Repeat the whole practice (steps 4-8) as necessary.
- I find it particularly beneficial to imagine I am dropping a huge weight off my body every time I exhale. Imagine letting go of all your baggage and worries. This amplifies the stress reduction benefits of this therapy.
- You can also move onto new muscles without adding to the previous group. Some people like this better. Experiment for yourself.
- Learning about guided imagery may enhance this process.
- Like anything else, the more you practice this consistently, the better results you will receive.
SOURCES:
(1) A comparison of progressive relaxation and autogenic training as treatments for insomnia. Nicassio, Perry;Bootzin, Richard; Journal of Abnormal Psychology, Vol 83(3), Jun 1974, 253-260. doi: 10.1037/h0036729
(2) Anxiety Disorders Association of America. http://www.adaa.org/about-adaa/press-room/facts-statistics
(3) http://www.anxietycentre.com/anxiety-statistics-information.shtml
(4) The Effects of the Transcendental Mediation Technique and Progressive Muscle Relaxation on Eeg Coherence, Stress Reactivity, and Mental Health in Black Adults: Carolyn Gaylord1†, David Orme-Johnson2 and Frederick Travis2
PHOTO BY: Joseph RENGER
FEATURED PHOTO BY: Jet Lowe
