1.

INTRODUCTION
Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) is a great technique for reducing overall
body tension. As practice tensing and relaxing all the muscle groups in body, we can
move to a shortened procedure,
Progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) is a deep relaxation technique that has
been effectively used to control stress and anxiety, relieve insomnia, and reduce
symptoms of certain types of chronic pain. Progressive muscle relaxation is based
upon the simple practice of tensing, or tightening, one muscle group at a time followed
by a relaxation phase with release of the tension. Doctors have used progressive
muscle relaxation in combination with standard therapies for symptom relief in a
number of conditions, including headaches, cancer pain, high blood pressure, and
digestive disturbances.
Progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) is an anxiety-reduction technique first
introduced by American physician Edmund Jacobson in the 1930s. The technique
involves alternating tension and relaxation in all the body's major muscle groups.
If you suffer with social anxiety disorder (SAD), chances are that the majority
of the time your muscles are tense. By practicing PMR, you will learn how a relaxed
muscle feels different from a tense muscle. PMR is generally used in conjunction
with behavioral therapy techniques such assystematic desensitization. However,
practicing the technique alone will give you a greater sense of control over your body's
anxiety response.

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2.0

RELAXATION TECHNIQUE
Most practitioners recommend tensing and relaxing the muscle groups one at a
time in a specific order, generally beginning with the lower extremities and ending
with the face, abdomen, and chest. You can practice this technique seated or lying
down, and you should try to practice with comfortable clothing on, and in a quiet place
free of all distractions.
There are two steps in the self-administered Progressive Muscle Relaxation
procedure: (a) deliberately tensing muscle groups, and (b) releasing the induced
tension. This two-step process will be described after you are introduced to the muscle
groups.
After learning the full PMR procedure as follows, you will spend about 10
minutes a day maintaining your proficiency by practicing a shortened form of the
procedure. As you practice the short procedure, you will be simultaneously learning
cue-controlled relaxation. Ultimately, you will acquire something that will probably
become an indispensable part of your daily life, and the initial drudgery of practice
will be long-forgotten.
2.1

GENERAL PROCEDURE
1. Choose your surrounding and make yourself comfortable.
2. Use the calming technique:
Breathe in for 4 seconds (through nose)
Hold for 2 seconds
Breathe out for 6 seconds
Changing breathing use a 2- in, 1-hold, and 3-out cycle
3. When ready to begin, tense the muscle group described
Make sure you can feel the tension, but not so much that you feel a
great deal of pain.

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It is more important to focus on what the tension feel like and how

the tension builds up, rather than to overstrain the muscle

Keep the muscle tensed for approximately 5 seconds.
4. Relax the muscle
Relax the muscle and keep it relaxed for approximately 10 seconds
It may be helpful to say something like Relax as you relax the

muscle.
Focus on the difference between how the muscle feels when it

relaxed compared to when it is tense.

5. You can tense and relax each muscle group twice before moving on the
next muscle group.
6. When you have finished the relaxation procedure, remain seated for few
moments allowing yourself to become alert.
7. Continue breathing exercises using the calming technique and get up
slowly

Figure 1: Shown the muscle group

involved during Progressive Muscle
Relaxation (PMR)

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Figure 2: Shown the proper technique of

Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR)

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3.0

CONCLUSION

Yes, I agree with this healthy lifestyle approach as a good recommended for
those having stress or insomnia. Stress is necessary for life. You need stress for
creativity, learning, and your very survival. Stress is only harmful when it becomes
overwhelming and interrupts the healthy state of equilibrium that your nervous system
3: Shown the proper technique while
needs to remain in Figure
balance.
sitting for Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR)
Unfortunately, overwhelming stress has become an increasingly common
characteristic of contemporary life. When stressors throw your nervous system out of
balance, relaxation techniques can bring it back into a balanced state by producing
the relaxation response, a state of deep calmness that is the polar opposite of the stress
response.
When stress overwhelms your nervous system your body is flooded with
chemicals that prepare you for "fight or flight." While the stress response can be
lifesaving in emergency situations where you need to act quickly, it wears your body
down when constantly activated by the stresses of everyday life. The relaxation
response puts the brakes on this heightened state of readiness and brings your body
and mind back into a state of equilibrium.

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5.0

REFERENCES
5.1

INTERNET RESOURCES
1. Jacobson, E. (1938). Progressive relaxation. Chicago: University of
Chicago Press. Retrieved September 10, 2014
http://www.cam-cancer.org/CAM-Summaries/Mind-bodyinterventions/Progressive-Muscle-Relaxation.

2. Stevens MJ, Lane AM. (2005) Mood-regulating strategies used by

athletes. Athletic Insight. Retrieved September 14, 2015
http://www.athleticinsight.com/Vol3Iss3/MoodRegulation.htm.
5.2

BOOKS RESOURCES
1. Gross JJ, Thompson RA. Emotion regulation: Conceptual foundations. In:
Gross JJ, editor. Handbook of Emotion Regulation. New York: Guilford;
2007. pp. 324.

5.3

JOURNAL RESOURCES
1. Shapiro S, Lehrer PM. Psychophysiological effects of autogenic training
and progressive relaxation. Biofeedback Self-Reg. 1980; 5:249255.

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