How to Relax Your Muscles to Ease Stress and Anxiety
In the hustle and bustle of modern life, stress and anxiety often manifest as tension that takes residence in our muscles, leaving us feeling physically and mentally strained. However, learning how to relax your muscles can be a powerful antidote to these common afflictions, offering relief and promoting a profound sense of calm. In this guide, we’ll explore effective techniques to ease stress and anxiety by releasing muscle tension. From simple relaxation exercises to mindful practices, these methods will empower you to unwind, rejuvenate, and cultivate a greater sense of well-being in your daily life.
Learning how to relax muscle tension has been proven effective to reduce stress, anxiety, and panic, and can improve most stress-related conditions.
“An anxious mind cannot exist in a relaxed body.”
— Dr. Edmund Jacobson, creator of progressive muscle relaxation
Stress is a part of modern life.
And when you’re under stress, your muscles tense up.
This is a natural mechanism to protect you from pain and injury when you’re in danger.
Having tension headaches and back, shoulder, and neck pain is so common that it might seem normal, but it’s not.
Most of us are so used to having muscle tension that we’ve learned to accept it as part of adult life.
The Negative Cycle of Muscle Tension and Stress
You are probably familiar with the flight-or-fight response that we experience when under stress.
This is technically known as the stress response.
During the stress response, muscles tighten, breathing gets shallow, heart rate increases, and digestion shuts down.
Since the body always seeks a state of balance, there is also an opposing reaction known as the relaxation response.
When the relaxation response is elicited, muscles relax, breathing and heartbeat slow down, and blood pressure and digestion return to normal.
But when the stressors of modern life keep coming at us, the relaxation response never gets a chance to kick in.
The result?
Muscles stay permanently tense.
Perversely, muscle tension sends a signal to the brain that there’s danger ahead, eliciting the stress response.
This sets up a never-ending loop of stress and muscle tension.
To break this cycle, you can use a simple stress reduction technique that relaxes your muscles on demand.
How to Relax Your Muscles With Progressive Muscle Relaxation
There are many techniques to relax muscles, but none compare to the granddaddy of muscle relaxation techniques, progressive muscle relaxation (PMR).
PMR has a long history of use and a substantial body of scientific evidence to support its effectiveness.
This deep relaxation technique has been around since the 1920s.
It was developed by Edmund Jacobson, PhD, MD, a Harvard-trained physician, who is also considered the first practitioner to use biofeedback with his patients.
PMR involves a two-step process of alternately tensing and relaxing groups of muscles in an exaggerated, systematic way.
“ Using progressive muscle relaxation to relax your muscles can help you break the negative cycle of stress and muscle tension.
Jacobson recognized that physical stress and mental stress were interrelated and believed that an anxious mind could not exist in a relaxed body.
Using PMR to relax your muscles can help you break the cycle of stress and muscle tension.
Proven Benefits of Progressive Muscle Relaxation
Progressive muscle relaxation lets you relax your muscles and put yourself into a state of deep relaxation at will.
This makes it beneficial for any condition with a stress-related component.
Since 90% of doctors’ visits are for stress-related complaints, this covers a lot of territory!
Progressive muscle relaxation has been proven to help the following common mental and physical health complaints.
1. Relaxing Your Muscles Helps Anxiety and Panic
If you have anxiety, you’ve probably gotten used to having tight muscles.
If you’ve forgotten what having a relaxed body feels like, using PMR can help you remember.
It will help you distinguish between your “normal” feelings of muscle tension and a truly relaxed state.
As Dr. Jacobson discovered, you can’t be both relaxed and anxious at the same time.
So, decreasing muscle tension will naturally lead to a decrease in feelings of anxiety.
By addressing the root cause of muscle tension, progressive relaxation is highly effective at alleviating a variety of anxiety and panic disorders.
2. Muscle Relaxation for Insomnia
If you have insomnia, progressive muscle relaxation can help in two ways.
It relaxes your body when you can’t sleep because you’re physically restless.
And it focuses and calms your mind when racing thoughts keep you awake.
Progressive muscle relaxation helps those who use it fall asleep an average of 30 minutes faster.
It can also help you sleep better and wake up feeling more refreshed.
Sleep expert Michael Breus, PhD, best-selling author and creator of Mastery of Sleep, says that progressive muscle relaxation is one of his favorite sleep techniques and that he uses it with all his patients.
Watch the Video
3. Progressive Relaxation for High Blood Pressure
If you have high blood pressure, you’ve certainly been told that you need to relax!
There’s merit to this advice since one of the effects of the stress response is a rise in blood pressure.
PMR alters your sympathetic nervous system, causing a decrease in blood pressure and heart rate.
If you take any high blood pressure medication, be sure to talk to your doctor before trying progressive muscle relaxation since it may alter your need for medication.
4. Other Medical Uses for Progressive Muscle Relaxation
Progressive muscle relaxation has been studied as an alternative therapy for cancer patients.
Studies on breast cancer patients show that progressive muscle relaxation can help reduce nausea and vomiting from chemotherapy as well as the anxiety, depression, and insomnia that often accompany this disease.
Some cancer hospitals and clinics offer programs in relaxation techniques, including progressive muscle relaxation.
It can also help people with epilepsy experience fewer seizures.
PMR is useful for treating some types of chronic pain, including backache, headaches, and arthritis.
Since stress slows down the digestive system, PMR is beneficial for numerous digestive orders, including ulcers, colitis, and irritable bowel syndrome.
When using PMR to treat any serious health condition, consider working with a health care professional who is trained in its use.
Muscle Relaxation Exercises to Get Started
There are two main steps in doing progressive muscle relaxation — intentionally tensing muscles and, then, intentionally releasing that tension.
Here’s a quick exercise to give you an idea of how progressive muscle relaxation feels.
Clenched Fist Muscle Relaxation Exercise
Clench your right hand to make a fist while flexing it upward at the wrist.
Hold tight for 10 seconds then release, letting your hand go limp.
Do this a few times.
You should notice that your right hand now feels more relaxed than your left.
Most progressive relaxation technique exercises start with the feet and work their way up to the head, but some do the opposite.
Here’s an example of a typical full-body progressive muscle relaxation sequence.
Full-Body Progressive Muscle Relaxation Exercise
Get comfortable, seated or lying down.
Take a few deep relaxing breaths.
Start by focusing on your right foot.
Slowly tense the muscles in your right foot, squeeze hard and hold for 10 seconds.
Relax your right foot and notice the tension flowing away.
Thinking to yourself “relax” or “letting go” can help.
Repeat with your left foot.
Work your way up your body, tightening and releasing groups of muscles, alternating between your right and left sides.
Concentrate on these groups of muscles in this order:
- calf
- knee
- thigh
- hip
- lower back
- abdomen
- upper back
- chest
- shoulders
Then move your focus to your hands.
- wrist
- forearm
- elbow
- upper arm
- shoulder
Finally, move your focus to your head.
- neck and throat
- face
- back of the head
- top of the head
When you are done with this sequence, end with relaxing your eyes.
Slowly count backwards from 5 to 1.
Repeat to yourself, “Eyes open. Feeling calm and fully alert.”
Open your eyes and get up slowly.
Mini-Exercises to Relax Muscles Fast
Sometimes you haven’t got time to do a complete progressive muscle relaxation session.
In this abbreviated version, you lump smaller muscle groups together and focus on these four main muscle groups:
- legs and feet combined
- abdomen and chest combined
- arms and hands combined
- shoulder, neck, and face combined
You can do this mini-exercise in a minute or two anytime you want to de-stress quickly.
Another way to use this mini-session is by doing a quick body scan.
Notice which muscles are feeling tense and do a quick release in just that area.
Using PMR as a Relaxation Warm-Up
Oddly, some people feel more anxious when they first begin meditating or doing relaxation exercises, but muscle relaxation can help.
Health care professionals often use PMR as a warm-up exercise before employing relaxation techniques such as autogenic training or biofeedback.
Guided Muscle Relaxation Exercises
Most people find it significantly more relaxing and effective to be guided through this exercise rather than trying to remember it on their own.
Major universities are a great place to find free resources for stress relief:
- You can find free MP3s for guided muscle relaxation, as well as other relaxation techniques, on the websites of many universities, including Dartmouth College, University of Illinois, Brigham Young University, and University of Houston.
- University of Texas’s MindBody Labs has several guided relaxation exercises to listen to, including muscle relaxation, progressive muscle relaxation, and body scan meditations.
InsightTimer
Lastly, you’ll find guided progressive muscle relaxation exercises on InsightTimer, the #1 free meditation app for both Android and iOS.
InsightTimer has thousands of meditations, including dozens of progressive muscle relaxation meditations that you can locate by using their search function.
This popular app also gives you access to thousands of free guided meditations, music tracks, talks, and courses by some of the biggest names in meditation, including Jack Kornfield, Ram Dass, and Thich Nhat Hanh.
Progressive Muscle Relaxation Safety and Cautions
Progressive muscle relaxation is generally considered safe, so safe that even children can do it.
But if you have a history of muscle spasms or ongoing pain from an injury, talk to your doctor first.
There’s a chance that tensing your muscles too tightly could make your muscle spasms worse.
Also, if you have low blood pressure, get up very slowly after doing this or any other relaxation exercise.
Standing up too quickly could make you feel lightheaded or cause you to faint.
Other Proven Ways to Relax Muscle Tension
Progressive muscle relaxation isn’t the only way to relax your muscles.
Here’s a look at a few other ways to relax tight muscles.
Mind-Body Exercise
Performing mind-body exercises like yoga, tai chi, and qi gong will reduce muscle tension.
So does acupuncture or a form of self-acupressure known as tapping (also known as Emotional Freedom Technique).
Massage or Sauna
Getting a massage or sitting in a sauna are wonderful ways to loosen tight muscles.
Foam Roller
Since few of us have access to a sauna or round-the-clock massage therapist, the next best thing is rolling tight muscles on a foam roller.
You’ll find six exercises to relax your muscles and reduce stress from foam roller expert Lauren Roxburgh on Well and Good.
Lastly, if you frequently have tight muscles, look into the following supplements:
Magnesium
Tight muscles and cramps can be a sign of magnesium deficiency.
This mineral is critical for feeling relaxed, but upwards of 75% of Americans have subpar levels.
This is largely due to chronic stress (which depletes magnesium), eating processed food, and eating foods grown in mineral-depleted soil.
Taurine
It is an amino acid supplement commonly taken by endurance athletes and bodybuilders to relieve muscle damage, cramps, and soreness.
Taurine stimulates the release and formation of GABA, the brain chemical responsible for feelings of calm and relaxation.
Kava
Kava is a traditional relaxing drink that originated in the South Pacific.
It’s now available as an herbal remedy that has potent relaxing properties.
This makes it good for anxiety, stress, and insomnia.
It also works as a muscle relaxant.
Like taurine, kava works, in part, by increasing GABA levels in the brain.
Should You Stretch to Relax Your Muscles?
You may be surprised to learn that the common practice of stretching to loosen tight muscles is controversial.
Research consistently finds that stretching before or after exercise does not loosen tight muscles but, in fact, may diminish muscle function and increase susceptibility to injury.
If you are undecided as to whether stretching is right for you, I recommend these articles on the dangers of stretching and reasons not to stretch.
Recommended: Upgrading brain health is key to making your brain work better.
Brain supplement can help you:
- Improve your mental clarity and focus.
- Boost your memory and your ability to learn.
- Increase your capacity to think critically, solve problems, and make decisions.
P.S. Like what you’ve read on this page? Get more like this — Sign up for our emails.
Also read our blog on Gotu Kola Benefits – How This Ayurvedic Herb Supports Cognition, Sleep, and Skin Health
