By tensing your muscles before relaxing them, you enable yourself to relax them more thoroughly after you release, letting go of physical tension more effectively. Fortunately, it can be easily learned and practiced virtually anywhere. Research shows that relaxing your body physically can also release psychological tension and stress, minimizing your stress reactivity and decreasing your experience of chronic stress. There are other effective ways to minimize psychological and emotional stress, but PMR can offer you one more tool to manage stress, which can help you to build your resilience overall. As you practice tensing and relaxing all of your body’s muscle groups, you can move to a shortened version of this activity, known as Deep Muscle Relaxation. This is where you rapidly relax your whole body. When practicing DMR, imagine relaxation streaming from your head to your feet like water being poured, and gently engulfing you. As you reduce the tension you carry in your body, your whole being will feel less stress and you will enjoy increased physical and emotional health.
How to Do PMR
Here’s how to get started:
A Word From Verywell
This takes practice, of course, but it may take less time to develop this skill than you may imagine. Once you’re able to relax your body from head to toe, your mind will feel more relaxed as well, and your overall stress levels will decrease as well. This exercise can help you to minimize chronic stress and build resilience to the stress you face in the future. You can use progressive muscle relaxation to quickly de-stress any time, making it a wonderfully effective tool.
