Never underestimate the benefits of Progressive Muscle Relaxation

What is Progressive Muscle Relaxation?

Have you ever got to the end of a stressful day and realised that your shoulders are up around your ears because you have holding so much tension in your body? You may have noticed a tension headache, back or neck ache or even have a sore jaw.

Feelings of stress and anxiety can cause a build up of physical tension in our bodies. Progressive Muscle Relaxation can help us to identify and prevent this build up. Watch this video to find out more.

10 tips to improve your Progressive Muscle Relaxation skills

1. Set aside 10 minutes each day to practice PMR.
2. Try to practice somewhere that you won’t be disturbed.
3. You can sit up or lie down, but aim for a supportive chair or bed.
4. Don’t practice PMR if you are hungry or thirsty, you will just get distracted by your stomach!
5. Work through your muscle groups in turn; top to toe or foot to head, the choice is yours.
6. Don’t forget to breathe into your diaphragm.
7. Tense so that you can feel the muscle, but not so tight that it hurts.
8. If you have pain anywhere, don’t tense, just focus on relaxing this part of your body.
9. Really pay attention to the difference between the feeling of tension and the feeling of relaxation.
10. Choose a cue (sound, object, colour) that will remind you to do a body scan at different points throughout the day.

Progressive Muscle Relaxation Practice