Progressive Muscle Relaxation: An Essential Anxiety Skill #27

This activity is called progressive muscle  relaxation. It's an exercise that reduces stress and anxiety in your body by having you  slowly tense and then relax each muscle. This exercise can provide an immediate feeling of  relaxation but it's best to practice frequently.

With experience you will become more aware  of when you're experiencing tension and you will have the skills to help you relax.  Let's begin. Sit back or lie down in a comfortable position.

Shut your eyes if you're  comfortable doing so. Begin by taking a deep breath and notice the feeling of air filling  your lungs hold your breath for a few seconds. Release the breath slowly and let the  tension leave your body take in another deep breath and hold it.

Again slowly  release the air. Even more slowly now, take another breath fill your lungs and  hold the air. Slowly release the breath and imagine the feeling of tension leaving your  body.

Now, move your attention to your feet, begin to tense your feet by curling your toes and  the arch of your foot hold on to the tension and notice what it feels like. Now release the  tension in your foot notice the new feeling of relaxation. Next begin to focus on your  lower leg, tense the muscles in your calves by pointing your toes.

Hold them tightly and  pay attention to that feeling of tension. Now release the tension from your lower leg. Tense  the muscles in your calves, hold them tightly.

Now, release the tension from your lower legs.  Again notice the feeling of relaxation. Remember to continue taking deep breaths and as you  breathe out, imagine that tension of leaving your body with your breath.

Next, tense the  muscles of your upper leg so your quads and your hamstrings and your thigh muscles. You  can do this by tightly squeezing your thighs together. Make sure you feel the tenseness  without going to the point of strain.

Hold that tension for a couple of seconds, and release. Feel that tension that  leave your muscles. Visualize it's spreading out and away from  your muscles in your body.

Now tense the muscles of your pelvic  region. Clench your butt as tight as you can pull in your stomach muscles and  hold that tension in your pelvic area. Now breathe out slowly and release that tension. 

Feel those muscles soften and visualize that tension leaving with your out-breath. Begin to  tense it your stomach in your chest you can do this by sucking your stomach in squeeze harder  and hold the tension. A little bit longer, and now release the tension.

Allow your body to go limp let yourself notice  that feeling of relaxation. Continue taking deep breaths breathing slowly  notice the air filling your lungs and hold it. Release the air slowly.

Feel it  leaving your lungs. Next tense the muscles in your back by bringing your  shoulders together behind you. Hold them tightly tense them as hard as you  can without straining and keep holding.

Release the tension from your back feel  the tension slowly leaving your body and the new feeling of relaxation.  Notice how different your body feels when you allow it to relax now  clench your hands as tightly as you can. Pull them into a fist and grip  as hard as you can.

Feel that tension. Now release the tension from your hands let your  hands soften and open up. Notice that feeling of relaxation in your fingers and your hands.

Now,  clench your arms. Grip your arms as tightly as you can. Tighten those muscles, squeeze those  muscles all the way up your arm, your forearms and your biceps your triceps just tighten your arms as  hard as you can.

Hold that tension and notice what it feels like. You may need to grip your hands  again into fists to feel that tension in your arms. Hold that for a few more seconds and now  release again.

Feel that tension draining almost as if it's draining out of your fingertips.  All that stress and the tightness leaving your body with each breath, and notice that new  feeling of relaxation as it comes into your arms. Notice how your arms feel limp and at ease  and those muscles feel softer and warmer.

Now, move your awareness to your shoulders.  Clench those shoulders tightly pulling them up to your ears. Hold that tension  in your shoulders for a few seconds, and now release.

Let those shoulders drop low.  Feel what it feels like to have your shoulders loose and now move your attention to your neck  and your head. Tense your face and your neck by distorting the muscles up around your eyes and  mouth.

Scrunch your face and hold that tightly. Now let your face and your neck  soften. Release that tension and again notice that new feeling  of softness and relaxation.

Finally tense your entire body, tense  your feet legs stomach chest arms head neck shoulders. Tense harder, hold  that tension for a few seconds. Now release.

Allow your whole body to  go limp pay attention to the feeling of relaxation and how different it is from  the feeling of tension. Allow yourself to stay in this place of softness and  relaxation for as long as you'd like. If you'd like more time, pause the video  now.

Otherwise begin to wake your body up by slowly moving your muscles adjust  your arms and legs. Stretch your muscles and open your eyes when you're ready. Thank  you for joining me in learning this skill of progressive muscle relaxation I've got lots  of videos with essential skills to help manage depression anxiety and other emotions. 

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