Beat the New Year Stressors With Progressive Muscle Relaxation

Progressive Muscle Relaxation will teach you how to relax your muscles through a 2 step process

Studies have shown that progressive relaxation can lower overall stress levels and increase feelings of well-being.

Progressive Muscle Relaxation will teach you how to relax your muscles through a 2 step process. 

First, you tense particular muscle groups in your body, such as your neck and shoulders. 
Then, you release the tension and notice how your muscles feel when you relaxed. 

Studies have shown that progressive relaxation can lower overall stress levels and increase feelings of well-being. You can lower the level of stress you experience each day by spending 10 minutes tensing and relaxing your muscles.

People with anxiety are often so tense that they don’t even know what being relaxed feels like. Through practice you can learn to distinguish between a tensed muscle and a relaxed muscle. 
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Then, you can begin to “trigger” this relaxed state at the first sign of tension that accompanies your feelings of anxiety or stress.

A systematic review conducted in 2008 and published in the journal BMC Psychiatry showed the efficacy of relaxation training, including PMR, in the treatment of anxiety. 
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Therefore, if you are looking for evidence-based options to help treat your social anxiety, PMR may be a good choice.

Please note - Relaxation techniques such as progressive muscle relaxation can be helpful to relief mild to moderate stress and social anxiety. However, if you have severe untreated social anxiety, it is important to consult with a doctor or mental health professional to obtain suitable treatment.