image courtesy of yours truly! Life is hectic and stressful. Each and every one of us carry a certain amount of tension with us that typically builds throughout the day and we bring home with us. It is a very common practice to plow through your day and neglect the symptoms that are occurring in your body. You come home and try to mentally unwind and achieve some level of relaxation. Yet still, even with meditation or whatever other process you use to clear your mind you still carry some tension to bed, creating difficulty to sleep. Don't fret, there is help!
Three words people, Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR). What this is, is single handedly the easiest and most effective way to relax. It's a given that it also is the best way to fall asleep after a long stressful day at work. If you do not use this in your repertoire of relaxation techniques, you should! (after consultation with your doctor, you know the drill). What is PMR you ask? Simply, it is isolating one muscle group, creating tension in the muscles for eight to ten seconds then relaxing the muscles. It's really that simple. The tension builds in the muscle group until it becomes mildly uncomfortable (not to the point of pain). When you release this tension the muscles relax and the tension just melts away. The interesting fact to mention is that the muscle will then not return to itspre-tensed state but will remain relaxed! Awesome!
Just a few of the benefits of PMR are as follows:
1. Relaxation and reduced tension
2. Reduced blood pressure and heart rate. Tense muscles require more oxygen, so relaxing the muscles means your heart rate will slow and blood pressure will decline.
3. You achieve deeper more meaningful breathing. Needing less oxygen to the muscles means you can slow down that breathing and fill every bit of your lungs with clean fresh oxygen.
4. As a digestive aid. Normal blood flow will return to your core assisting in digestion of food.
5. It helps you fall asleep (trust me on this one)
6. Teaches you to discern between your different muscle groups creating a better body awareness.
2. Reduced blood pressure and heart rate. Tense muscles require more oxygen, so relaxing the muscles means your heart rate will slow and blood pressure will decline.
3. You achieve deeper more meaningful breathing. Needing less oxygen to the muscles means you can slow down that breathing and fill every bit of your lungs with clean fresh oxygen.
4. As a digestive aid. Normal blood flow will return to your core assisting in digestion of food.
5. It helps you fall asleep (trust me on this one)
6. Teaches you to discern between your different muscle groups creating a better body awareness.
Now that we've covered what PMR is and the benefits of the practice, lets look at how it's done. You begin to work the major muscle groups of the body starting at your feet, and follow this popular sequence here:
Remember! Tense muscles for eight to ten seconds, then release, letting the tension melt away.
feet (you can do them separately if you have unlimited time)
lower legs + feet
entire legs and + feet
hands
hands + forearm
hands + entire arm
abdomen
chest
shoulders
neck
face
Remember! Tense muscles for eight to ten seconds, then release, letting the tension melt away.
feet (you can do them separately if you have unlimited time)
lower legs + feet
entire legs and + feet
hands
hands + forearm
hands + entire arm
abdomen
chest
shoulders
neck
face
When first attempting to perform PMR, don't get discouraged if you have difficulty isolating the muscle groups. Visualize the muscles and it will happen with practice. While focusing on your breathing think positive thoughts like "let it go" or "relax" when you are releasing the tension. Some other tips for performing PMR:
find a quiet place where you won't be disturbed (bed is an excellent spot because you can relax to a point sleep comes easily!)
remove shoes and wear loose clothing
sit in a comfortable chair or even better, lay down
remove shoes and wear loose clothing
sit in a comfortable chair or even better, lay down
Using PMR solely or in conjunction with any other relaxation techniques you use (ie yoga, stretching) can be very satisfying, improve your health and lead to better body awareness. Use this practice in mini sessions throughout the day to maintain a tension free body, it will thank you!
I work long shifts where I stand on my feet for the better part of 10 hours of a 12 hour shift. I find that when I come home I am not only physically tired, I am carrying a lot of tension and stress from my workday. On the days that I am not dog tired and fall asleep immediately I practice PMR to help de-stress and fall asleep and it works like a charm!
I'd like to hear in the comments what methods/practices you guys use to de-stress and relieve tension. Everyone has their methods and I swear by this one, give it a try!
See you in the comments! Please, if you enjoyed this post please Digg it or share it via the buttons below or click the green "share this" link! Thanks!
See you in the comments! Please, if you enjoyed this post please Digg it or share it via the buttons below or click the green "share this" link! Thanks!
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