Occupational therapy is all about the balance of work, play and relaxation in order to create a live of quality and wellbeing. Often times our modern society fixates a lot on productivity in work, volunteering, home life etc, and our stress levels can fly through the roof. Self care and mindfulness are important practices to keep our mind body and soul healthy. Everyone is different when it comes to mindfulness and caring for ourselves, so trying different strategies and activities to find that relaxation can be important experimental time.
Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) is a relaxation technique that involves tensing and relaxing specific muscle groups in a specific way to reduce stress and help facilitate relaxation throughout the body. The theory behind this exercise is that we can’t have the feeling of relaxation and warm well-being in your body and at the same time experience anxiety symptoms, so by physically creating relaxation in the muscles it ideally helps with anxiety. Another way to think about PMR is by relating to the body mind connection. When we are stressed, we hold our muscles with lots of tension (unintentionally of course). This signals to our body that we are stressed, which then tenses our muscles…. we get stuck in this body mind stress cycle. By tightening and then relaxing our muscles, we can try to interrupt the cycle of stress in our body and help calm the mind. We can remind our bodies what having relaxed muscles feels like!
Please note that with EVERY activity there are contraindications (aka people who may experience more harm than good). If you have a history of muscle spasms, serious injuries, or chronic pain, you may not want to do this practice. Remember, that these strategies are all suggestions and do not come with a guarantee that they will work for you, so take time to become a detective of your life to find the strategies that work best!
In the past, I’ve put some guided meditations on here, so I thought it might be helpful to start adding some scripts you can use to guide yourself or others through a session of Progressive Muscle Relaxation:
Let’s get started 🙂 Find a comfortable position, could me sitting or lying down, just a place you can truly relax your muscles. If it helps you relax, close your eyes. Take a few deep breaths, inhaling slowly through your nose and exhaling gently through your mouth.
Now, begin by focusing your attention on your feet. Curl your toes tightly, squeezing the muscles in your feet as tightly as you can, and hold this tension for a 5 long seconds… And now, release. Let go of all the tension in your feet, allowing them to relax completely. Take a breath and allow yourself to sink into this relaxed feeling.
Now, shift your focus to your calves and thighs. This time tighten the muscles in your calves, thighs and feet, feeling the tension building up, and hold for 5,4,3,2.1… And release. Let the tension melt away from your calves and thighs, feeling them becoming loose and relaxed.
Next, move your attention to your bum. Squeeze the muscles in your bum tightly, as if you’re holding onto something, squeeze your thighs, calves and feet, and hold for 5,4,3,2,1… And release. Take a deep breath in, and a long sigh out.
Now, focus on your stomach and lower back. Tighten your abdominal muscles, drawing your stomach in towards your spine, bring tension also to your bum, thighs, calves and feet and hold for 5,4,3,2,1… And release. Feel the gentle release of tension from your stomach and lower back, allowing them to soften and relax.
Continue to your chest and upper back. Take a deep breath in, filling your lungs with air, and tense the muscles in your chest and upper back as you hold your breath… tighten all the muscles in the lower part of your body….. And exhale, releasing all the tension from your chest and upper back. Feel the weight lifting off your chest as you relax.
Move on to your shoulders and neck. Shrug your shoulders up towards your ears, feeling the tension building in your shoulders and neck, and hold… And relax. Let your shoulders drop down and your neck loosen, releasing all the built-up tension.
Now, focus on your arms and hands. Clench your fists as tight as you can, feeling the muscles in your arms and hands tense up, and hold… And release. Feel the tension melting away from your arms and hands, leaving them feeling light and free.
Finally, direct your attention to your face. Scrunch up your face, furrowing your brow, clenching your jaw, and closing your eyes tightly, and hold for 5,4,3,2,1… And relax. Let your facial muscles soften and your jaw unclench, allowing your entire face to relax.
Finally, we will try to put all of these muscles together and as tight as you can squeeze every muscle you can control in your body. Hold for 5,4,3,2,1 and relax. Take a deep breath in and sigh a long breath out of your mouth.
Take a few moments to enjoy the sensation of relaxation spreading throughout your body. Notice how your muscles feel loose and free of tension. Take a deep breath in, breathing in relaxation and calmness, and exhale any remaining tension or stress.
When you’re ready, slowly open your eyes and return to the present moment, feeling refreshed and rejuvenated. Remember that you can return to this practice whenever you need to unwind and relax.
Progressive Muscle Relaxation can be a powerful tool for managing stress and promoting relaxation in your daily life. Feel free to customize this script to suit your preferences and needs, and practice it regularly to experience its full benefits. There are lots of different apps and websites that you can find different PMR scripts to listen to as well!
Insight timer is a great free app that you can use, as well as checking out some of these youtube videos below! I’ve tried to find a couple different ones of different styles and lengths, but you can look for whatever works best for you!
Be Your Own Sunshine 