No one can claim that our present lifestyle is anything close to peace and calmness. Like it or not, tension and anxiety are part and parcel of our life. Life is full of stressors, and these stressors keep us under constant tension. In such a tight atmosphere that we breathe, how pleasant is it to find a regular relaxation method? In fact, It is not only pleasant, but it is a must. Progressive muscle relaxation is such a method. An easy technique that we can do every day. Science shows that it can significantly de-stress the bodies for many of us if we do it regularly and daily.
What does Stress do to the muscles?
Stress is the response of our mind-body to a variety of stimuli. It is general, meaning that it is not specific to any particular stimulus. Anything that endangers us, or we “think” that it may endanger us, causes a series of reactions in the body that we call the “stress response” or simply stress. Since the response triggers both the nervous and the endocrine systems of the body, it can involve almost any tissue and organ. One favourite target of the stress response is the skeletal muscles. Muscle contraction is one of the earliest changes during the stress response. We need this muscle contraction because It prepares our body to fight or flight in the face of presumed danger. However, if the stress gets chronic the muscle contraction lingers. Chronic muscle spasm is a usual component of longstanding stress.
How progressive muscle relaxation can impact stress?
In the first half of the twentieth century, a technique was introduced by an American physician, Dr. Edmund Jacobson. He called it “progressive muscle relaxation technique.” Dr. Jacobson had an interest in the connection between muscular spasms and mental conditions like anxiety state. He was a pioneer in a field later known as “psychosomatic medicine.”
Jacobson’s method has been modified several times. However, the principles remain the same as he had first mentioned. The basic idea is that we divide the body muscles into several groups, like the feet, legs, abdomen, chest, wrist and hand, arms, etc. Little by little and very gently, we contract each group for a couple of seconds and then release them and keep them relaxed. We go progressively from one group to the other, hence the name “progressive” muscle relaxation. The whole process is accompanied by deep, gentle breathing. You can find simple instructions for this technique here and here.
Since muscle spasm is almost always included in the “stress response,” muscle relaxation may act as an antidote to stress. It seems that progressive muscle relaxation can evoke a potent “relaxation response”. This response can combat the “fight or flight” state of stress. In this way, progressive muscle relaxation reduces anxiety and can decrease the harmful impacts of chronic stress. Today, many experts consider relaxation techniques as important measures for stress management. There is evidence that these techniques can be beneficial to stress-related conditions, like generalized anxiety, hypertension and some cases of chronic pain.
Apart from the physical benefits, doing progressive muscle relaxation is mentally rewarding. It causes a feeling of calmness and peace and can substantially reduce the subjective impacts of stress. As Dr. Jacobson once put it, “An anxious mind cannot exist in a relaxed body.”
