What is Progressive Muscle Relaxation? A Massachusetts Anxiety Therapist gives an overview
Hello! I’m Bronwyn, a Massachusetts counselor for anxiety. As an anxiety therapist, I want you to know two things. First, anxiety is part of the human experience, and the goal is not to get rid of it. Anxiety can be very useful (even though we are no longer being chased by tigers). Although it might get in the way sometimes, anxiety is always telling us something.
Second, there are many ways that you can decrease your anxiety. One of those tactics is progressive muscle relaxation. Today I’m talking about what it is, and next I’ll talk about how to do it.
Progressive Muscle Relaxation: The Basics
If you’re struggling with anxiety, you’ve likely tried a number of coping mechanisms. You’ve probably heard of Progressive Muscle Relaxation. (It even goes by an acronym now: PMR!) You may have looked up guided Progressive Muscle Relaxation exercises on YouTube - there are lots out there!
PMR is one of many long term coping strategies for anxiety.
It involves tensing your muscles on purpose, followed by intentionally releasing that tension. You do this in pieces, starting with one area of the body until you’ve tensed and relaxed all your muscles. You can start with your feet and move up to your forehead, or the other way around. Some people like to end by tensing all the muscles together and releasing all at once.
Progressive Muscle Relaxation was developed by Dr. Edmund Jacobson, an American physician and psychiatrist, in the early 1900’s. What he found was that tensing and releasing different muscle groups in the body creates a deep state of relaxation.
Is Progressive Muscle Relaxation good for anxiety?
Yes! Progressive Muscle Relaxation is good for anxiety. Research supports the effectiveness of progressive muscle relaxation to decrease not only anxiety but also depression as well. Dr. Jacobson found PMR to relieve a number of physical ailments, including high blood pressure (source: Edmund Bourne, PhD, in his book The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook, 2010, p. 87). In practicing PMR regularly, you are training your body to move out of tense mode and into relaxed mode more easily.
The shoulders are a common place that tension gets stored in our bodies. You may notice your shoulders tightening and creeping up toward your ears. Noticing and releasing this throughout the day is a great way to take a quick mental health break. Progressive Muscle Relaxation takes this a step further.
Over time, practicing PMR trains your brain how to recognize stress in your body and to release it.
How do I relax my muscles from anxiety?
The short answer is, with lots of practice. Don’t expect to feel relaxed all the time, or to feel huge changes all at once. The more you practice it, the easier it will feel. It’s a long term strategy for reducing your anxiety.
One of the goals of progressive muscle relaxation is to notice when your body is feeling tense. Your first task in practicing PMR is simply to notice the difference between tight and loose. Spending time doing progressive muscle relaxation helps you notice what tense muscles feel like and what shifts when you soften those muscles. The more you do PMR, the better you can recognize when your body is becoming tense. Over time, you’ll become more practiced at loosening your muscles.
Since we know that our bodies are connected to our minds, making intentional changes to relax our muscles then helps decrease our stress levels.
If your anxiety is getting in the way of your life, I recommend finding a therapist who can support you in sorting through whatever is causing your anxiety. Coping mechanisms like PMR can be incredibly helpful, especially when done in conjunction with therapy for anxiety. Next I’ll be writing about the steps of how to practice Progressive Muscle Relaxation for anxiety.
Take a minute to thank yourself for taking the time to read this today. It means you’re already paying attention.
About the Author
I’m an anxiety counselor providing online therapy to women in Boston and throughout Massachusetts, in addition to Wisconsin. I love supporting women and HSPs in decreasing anxiety. I opened Bronwyn Shiffer Psychotherapy to do just that.
I know from experience that progressive muscle relaxation is one of many tools that can help increase awareness and curiosity, two essential ingredients for addressing stress and anxiety.
In addition to anxiety counseling, I also offer depression therapy and HSP therapy. I provide online therapy in Massachusetts and telehealth therapy throughout Wisconsin.