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McKesson Clinical Reference Systems: Women's Health Advisor 2002.2
Stress Management: Progressive Muscle Relaxation
What is progressive muscle relaxation?
Progressive muscle relaxation is an effective method for
treating stress and anxiety. Concentrating on relaxing your
muscles makes it difficult to think about problems and
events that cause stress and anxiety.
In these exercises you focus on specific muscle groups, one
at a time, tensing and relaxing each group while breathing
slowly and deeply. Audio tapes that teach this technique
are available at many bookstores.
How do I do this exercise?
Sit in a chair with your back straight, head in line with
your spine, both feet on the floor, and hands resting on
your lap. Tighten each muscle group and keep it tightened
for 15 to 20 seconds. Then relax slowly and notice the
difference between tension and relaxation.
It is best to start at the head and work down the body or
start at the feet and work up. The muscle groups to tighten
and relax are:
- forehead and scalp
- eyes
- nose
- face
- tongue
- jaws
- lips
- neck
- upper arm
- lower arm and hands
- chest
- stomach
- back
- buttocks and thighs
- legs
- feet.
For example, you can tighten your neck muscles by pulling
your chin in and shrugging your shoulders. Hold the tension
for 15 to 20 seconds. Then relax slowly.
Exercise all muscle groups twice a day. Each exercise
session should last 12 to 15 minutes.
Other relaxation methods you may wish to consider are mental
imaging and diaphragmatic breathing.
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