Progressive Muscle Relaxation

Systematically tense and release muscle groups to reduce physical tension and anxiety.

Source: Described in 'Rewire Your Anxious Brain' by Catherine M. Pittman and Elizabeth M. Karle. Developed by physician and psychiatrist Edmund Jacobson in 1938.

How to practice

1. 1Start with your feet, tense the muscles for 5 seconds
2. 2Release and notice the sensation of relaxation
3. 3Move up through your body: calves, thighs, glutes, abdomen, hands, arms, shoulders, face
4. 4Tense each group for 5 seconds, then release
5. 5Finish with a full body scan

Based on literature