RELAXATION TECHNIQUES

1. Progressive Muscle Relaxation

2. Alternative Technique for Relaxation

1. PROGRESSIVE MUSCLE RELAXATION (Managing Anxiety)

Today, no one is spared from the ‘anxiety’ in life. Progressive muscle relaxation is a
technique that manages the anxiety process by relaxing the muscles. To manage anxiety
through deep muscle relaxation was introduced 75 years ago by a Harvard University
physiologist, Dr. Edmund Jacobson. According to Jacobson, individuals could learn to bring a
state of deep relaxation by creating tension (tighten the muscle) and then releasing specific
groups of muscles. When one is tensed, certain muscles in the body tighten; that is, actually
the muscle fibers contract, producing that tense feeling. PMR reverses one of the main
symptoms of anxiety, physical tension, by releasing unwanted muscle contraction or tension.
One can master this skill through regular practice.

What we need to know?

1. It is important to know that after creating tension in a particular muscle group, one
must hold the tension for 5-7 seconds, and then release the tension.
2. To get the maximum benefit, one must know how to tense and release various
muscles.
3. A training module (Cautela & Groden, 1978) is given below involving 10 different
muscle groups for progressive muscle relaxation.
4. The total time taken for doing this will be about 20 minutes.

Steps for doing Progressive Muscle Relaxation

Step 1

Choose a quiet place in your home, a comfortable chair or a sofa. Close your eyes if you feel
distracted.

Step 2

Take a deep breathe through your nose feeling your abdomen rise as you fill your body with air.
Then slowly exhale through your mouth. Repeat it two or three times.

Step 3

The below table provide step by step procedure for each muscle starting with forehead. If you
have any difficulty in relaxing a particular muscle group, just skip to the next group of
muscles. It is not important to expect all muscle groups have to achieve the same level of deep
relaxation.
 Muscle Group Procedure
Forehead  Squeeze the muscle in your forehead by lifting the eyebrows as
high as you can, push your eyebrows up, putting tension in the
forehead and scalp areas.
 Hold it for few seconds.
 Then slowly relax, letting your eyebrows drop and notice the
release of tension in the forehead.
 Feel the relaxation for few seconds (10 seconds).
Eyes and Nose  Close your eyes very tightly, narrow them hard so you can feel
the tension around your eyes. At the same time, wrinkle your
nose; Notice the tension around the eyes, nose, and upper cheeks.
 Hold it for few seconds.
 Now, slowly relax, release the tension around your eyes and nose.
 Keep your eyes closed and focus on the relaxed feelings around
your eyes and nose for few seconds.
Jaw and neck  Tense the jaw by biting the teeth together, feel the tension in jaw.
 Bring your head down and press the chin down towards the chest.
Notice the tightness of your muscles around the mouth, jaw and
front part of the neck.
 Hold it for few seconds.
 Now, relax, release the tension.
 Feel the relaxation in these regions of the face and neck for few
seconds.
Shoulders and back  Move forward in the chair and bring the elbows up and back so
that you can feel your shoulder blades being pushed together. At
the same time, the chest is being pulled out. Notice the tension in
the shoulders and upper back.
 Hold it for few seconds.
 Now, relax, release the tension by sitting back in the chair,
placing your arms in your lap and allowing the shoulders to fall
back into their normal position.
 Feel the release of tension in the shoulders and down the middle
of the back.
Right arm  Stretch your right arm straight out, make a tight fist, and tighten
the whole arm from hand to shoulder. Notice tension in biceps,
forearm, elbow, wrist, and fingers.
 Hold it for few seconds.
 Then relax, release the tension bending the arm at the elbow and
resting it on your lap.
 Feel the release of tension from your right arm.
Left arm  Stretch your left arm straight out, make a tight fist, and tighten the
whole arm from hand to shoulder. Notice tension in biceps,
forearm, elbow, wrist, and fingers.
 Hold it for few seconds.
 Then relax, release the tension bending the arm at the elbow and
resting it on your lap.
 Feel the release of tension from your left arm.
Chest  Tighten the chest by taking a deep breath and then hold it. Feel
the tension in the chest as you fill the lungs with air.
 Hold it for few seconds.
 Now relax and slowly breathe out.
 Feel the relaxation for few seconds.
Stomach  Tighten the stomach by pulling in the stomach. Notice the tension
in your stomach and how hard it feels.
 Now relax, release the tightness in your stomach.
 Feels the relaxation for few seconds.
Right leg  Lift your right leg off the floor so that your leg is fully stretched
outward, bend your toes inward toward you, and tighten your
whole leg as much as possible. Notice the tension in your foot,
calf, knees, and thighs.
 Hold it for few seconds.
 Now relax, slowly release by lowering your leg back to the floor
and bending your knee slightly so that your foot is on the floor.
 Feel the relaxation through the entire length of the leg.
Left leg  Lift your left leg off the floor so that your leg is fully stretched
outward, bend your toes inward toward you, and tighten your
whole leg as much as possible. Notice the tension in your foot,
calf, knees, and thighs.
 Hold it for few seconds.
 Now relax, slowly release by lowering your leg back to the floor
and bending your knee slightly so that your foot is on the floor.
 Feel the relaxation through the entire length of the leg.

Step 4
After doing all the steps, relax your whole body. Keep your eyes closed and let yourself be in
the relaxed position for a while. After few seconds take your own time and slowly open your
eyes. Now, feel the renewed energy and feel refreshed.

Tips for maximum benefit (Bourne, 2000)

1. Practice PMR always on an empty stomach and wear loose-fitting garments.

2. Remove shoes, watches, and glasses and keep eyes closed.
3. It is important to allow a few seconds of silence before you go to the next muscle
group. Do not hurry to finish.
4. During each phase of release, one should learn to repeat the word “relax.” Sincerity,
commitment and regularity will bring effective results.
5. Do not control or evaluate any thoughts, just allow it to pass or let go.
 6. It is a must to practice twice a day for 15 minutes preferably at a regular time.
7. Beginners should repeat each muscle group exercise twice before proceeding to the
next set of muscles.

Reference
1. Clark, D.A., & Beck, A.T. (2011). Cognitive Therapy of Anxiety Disorders (Science
and Practice), London: The Guilford Press.
 2. ALTERNATIVE TECHNIQUE FOR RELAXATION
(5-4-3-2-1 Grounding Technique)

The COVID-19 crisis and the subsequent lockdown have affected individuals around the
world. Isolation can be a difficult experience for people to go through. Research has spoken in
detail about the ill effects of isolation on physical and mental health and well-being.
Many issues could arise from isolation. They could range from feeling overwhelmed,
feeling scared, anxious, panicky or stressed out. Communities are making small efforts to be
more inclusive to individuals with mental health issues. Therefore, it is important to empower
those individuals to deal with issues during a time of crisis.
When individuals may be feeling stressed, anxious or overwhelmed, an easy way to help
is a technique called the “5-4-3-2-1 technique”. It is a coping skill and has been used by both
Mindfulness and NLP practitioners and therapists. This helps people going through a stressful
period, calm down.

The technique is as follows:

To begin with, take long, deep, slow breaths. Then verbalize or say the following things out
loud:

1) Name 5 things you can see: Name five things you can see for eg,- a chair, a table for
instance.
2) Name 4 things you can touch: Name items you can touch and how they feel, like a soft
piece of cloth or a rough wall.
3) Name 3 things they you hear: Name sounds that you can hear- like traffic, the sound of
birds, dogs barking, and the sound of cooking and so on.
4) Name 2 things you can smell: Name 3 scents you can smell- such as the smell of
vegetables and spices cooking, something burning or the smell of incense for example.
Ask them to smell something in the general vicinity and say it out loud.
5) Name 1 thing you can taste: What does the inside of their mouth taste like? Does it
taste sweet, salty or bitter or sour?
In some cases, you might be experiencing a something more severe. In the event of that
happening, please hydrate, drink some water and repeat the exercise more than once until you
feel comfortable and calm.
Reference
Retrieved from https://www.copingskillsforkids.com