Relax your body, relax your mind – Progressive Muscle Relaxation

“Usually, the days just fly by. It starts from taking the kids to school, straight to work, where I rush from meeting to meeting. Afterwards, grocery shopping needs to be done, laundry and preparing dinner. Sometimes, I have enough energy to do sports. It activates me and feels good, but rarely calms me down. Often, I am quite tense, especially around my neck and shoulders. I tried meditation a few times, but found it hard to focus – my mind was racing with what still needed to be done for the day.” (Annette, 40 yrs, marketing manager)

We all experience stress in our daily lives. The effect of stress on our body can vary – some might experience difficulty controlling anger, getting more impatient, consuming larger amounts of comfort food (known as “stress eating”), or struggling to fall asleep at night. Stress is also accompanied by bodily changes as a physical response, especially muscle tension. In order to reduce stress, it is reasonable to consider making changes to your daily routine, participating in sports or meditation. Another possibility is trying a body-mind relaxation technique, such as Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR).

PMR is a deep relaxation technique developed by Harvard educated, American physician Edmund Jacobson in the 1930s.

It is based on the deliberate, progressive tensing of different body muscle groups, followed by relaxation of the muscles, hereby allowing tension to flow away and causing the physiological sensation of relaxation. Typically used to tame stress, PMR can increase your awareness of bodily sensations associated with tension (and, in turn, help you identify and deal with the physical effects of everyday stress). A number of studies show that regular practice of PMR may help keep your stress in check, as well as treat stress-related health problems like insomnia and anxiety

PMR is one of the most frequently used relaxation techniques by mental health providers to patients and it is often included in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) as part of treatment for anxiety disorders or phobias. It is also given as adjunct therapy for patients who suffer from depression, insomnia, or stress-related problems. Usually, the therapist will deliver PMR for one or two sessions and teach you how to apply it correctly. Afterwards, you can practice it by yourself at home. It is easy to learn and suitable for children and adults alike. If done frequently, you will soon notice the results. In the beginning, around 10-20 minutes per day is usually sufficient. Later on, once or twice per week is adequate. The long-term goal is to be able to recognize muscle tension due to stress (i.e. detecting that you are stressed), and subsequently to be able to deliberately relax.

Some physical illnesses have a “psychosomatic” component, meaning that stress worsens the symptoms or physical complaints. PMR can provide useful additional treatment as it is non-invasive and non-pharmacological.

If you suffer from headaches, chronic pain, hypertension (high blood pressure), tinnitus (ringing in the ears), or bruxism (grinding your teeth at night), you might try using PMR, as it is beneficial in reducing physical and psychological strain. Moreover, PMR was found to have a preventative effect for migraines. However, it should not be applied during acute migraine because, like all relaxation techniques, it causes blood vessels to dilate which might worsen the symptoms of a migraine.

If you feel like your stress level is constantly high or if you suffer from any of the mentioned conditions, please contact our Mental Health Department! In general, be aware that a continually high level of stress negatively affects your health and might increase the probability for stress induced conditions such as cardiovascular diseases, insomnia, or adipositas. Our specialists are trained in delivering PMR, but will also take a look at the reasons that induce stress and how to make changes in your daily routine that inspire a more healthy and enjoyable way of living.