{"id":13575,"date":"2021-07-17T18:40:32","date_gmt":"2021-07-17T23:40:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.osfhealthcare.org\/blog\/?p=13575"},"modified":"2022-11-03T10:33:22","modified_gmt":"2022-11-03T15:33:22","slug":"progressive-muscle-relaxation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/progressive-muscle-relaxation\/","title":{"rendered":"Anxious or stressed? Try progressive muscle relaxation"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Find help online for stress, anxiety and depression<\/p>\n

Sign up for SilverCloud<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Many things in life can cause us to feel stressed or anxious. From the everyday pressures of paying bills and raising kids to the relatively new phenomenon of trying to avoid a virus during a pandemic, there\u2019s no shortage of things that can cause us to worry.<\/p>\n

But with so much on our minds, how do we keep from being crippled by fear of the unknown? Vicki Kamhi, a counselor at Saint Francis Medical Center College of Nursing<\/a>, says we can recognize and challenge our fear-based thoughts and practice different ways to relax, such as progressive muscle relaxation<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Avoid the urge to \u201cwhat if\u201d<\/h2>\n

\u201cWhen we focus on a \u2018what if\u2019 thought that something bad could happen, this negative thought triggers the fight-or-flight response in our nervous system,\u201d Vicki said. \u201cWhile fight-or-flight is an appropriate response during a dangerous situation, our \u2018what if\u2019 thoughts, which are based on a perceived danger that is not real, create the same stress response. This can put our bodies on high alert for a sustained period of time, and it\u2019s widely recognized that chronic stress negatively affects our physical and mental health.\u201d<\/p>\n

So, how should we handle fearful thoughts?<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t control when a thought happens to pop into your head, but you can control how you respond,\u201d Vicki said. \u201cThoughts are not necessarily facts. I have a sign in my office that says, \u201899% of the things you worry about never happen,\u2019 and it\u2019s true. The key to reducing our stress and anxiety is to avoid focusing on \u2018what if\u201d questions and, instead, focus on being in the present.\u201d<\/p>\n

Progressive muscle relaxation<\/h2>\n
\"\"<\/a>

Download<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

While focusing on the present may seem difficult, anyone can do it through progressive muscle relaxation. Here\u2019s how:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Make yourself comfortable by sitting or lying down.<\/li>\n
  2. Close your eyes if you wish.<\/li>\n
  3. Begin the process of slowly tensing and relaxing each muscle in your body. Tense one muscle at a time, squeeze as tightly as you can, hold for 10 seconds and then release. Start at the top of your body and progressively work your way down or start at the bottom and work your way up \u2013 all while focusing on normal breathing.<\/li>\n
  4. If you\u2019re holding a lot of stress in a certain part of your body, focus on just relaxing that area.<\/li>\n
  5. Continue this exercise as long as you want.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    \u201cProgressive muscle relaxation helps you activate your body\u2019s natural relaxation response, which lowers your body\u2019s fight-or-flight response and reduces stress,\u201d Vicki said. \u201cIt also keeps you focused on the present, and when you\u2019re in the present, you\u2019re not worrying about what might happen in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Other mental and physical benefits of relaxation<\/h2>\n

    Relief from stress and anxiety aren\u2019t the only benefits of progressive muscle relaxation.<\/p>\n

    \u201cWhen we\u2019re relaxed, we are able to regain self-control,\u201d Vicki said. \u201cOur insight and judgment improve, so we\u2019re able to make better decisions. We can pause and take time to respond to others in a kinder, more helpful way. It also makes it easier to be grateful for all the good things in our lives.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Progressive muscle relaxation can even help you cope with physical pain. By relaxing and being in the present moment, you reduce your stress response and can often relieve some of the pain you\u2019re experiencing.<\/p>\n

    One of many tools<\/h2>\n

    Progressive muscle relaxation is one of numerous coping tools that fall under the category of mindfulness, which is all about being present in your current situation instead of anxious about the future. Other techniques include:<\/p>\n

      \n
    • Deep breathing: Inhale through your nose for four seconds, hold for two seconds, and gently exhale through your mouth for four seconds. Do this for at least two minutes.<\/li>\n
    • The 5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique: Look around yourself and notice five things you see, four things you can touch, three things you hear, two things you smell, and one thing you can taste.<\/li>\n
    • Think about or actually walk through peaceful settings, such as a park or garden.<\/li>\n
    • Listen to recordings that help calm the mind, such as water gently flowing in a stream or running over a waterfall.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      \u201cRemember, there is a strong connection between your mind and body,\u201d Vicki said. \u201cWhen you\u2019re feeling stressed or anxious, give yourself permission to take a timeout to do at least one of these exercises. Taking a few minutes can help you avoid getting caught up in mental stories that can steal the peace from your day.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Find help online for stress, anxiety and depression Sign up for SilverCloud Many things in life can cause us to feel stressed or anxious. From the everyday pressures of paying bills and raising kids to the relatively new phenomenon of trying to avoid a virus during a pandemic, there\u2019s no shortage of things that can […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":119,"featured_media":13676,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"no","footnotes":""},"categories":[734,735],"tags":[941,831],"coauthors":[1034],"class_list":["post-13575","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mental-health","category-preventive-health","tag-mindfulness","tag-stress"],"yoast_head":"\nAnxious or stressed? Try progressive muscle relaxation<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Focusing on bad things that could happen steals peace from your life. Instead, focus on the present. Progressive muscle relaxation can help.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/progressive-muscle-relaxation\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Anxious or stressed? Try progressive muscle relaxation\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"With so much on our minds, how do we keep from being crippled by fear of the unknown?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/progressive-muscle-relaxation\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"OSF HealthCare Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/osfhealthcare\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-07-17T23:40:32+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-11-03T15:33:22+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/shutterstock_350542424.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"630\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Luke Legner\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"With so much on our minds, how do we keep from being crippled by fear of the unknown?\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:image\" content=\"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/shutterstock_350542424.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@osfhealthcare\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@osfhealthcare\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Luke Legner\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/progressive-muscle-relaxation\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/progressive-muscle-relaxation\/\",\"name\":\"Anxious or stressed? Try progressive muscle relaxation\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/progressive-muscle-relaxation\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/progressive-muscle-relaxation\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/shutterstock_350542424.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-07-17T23:40:32+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-11-03T15:33:22+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/bd291f094e4f4b98d304241e03ff02b3\"},\"description\":\"Focusing on bad things that could happen steals peace from your life. Instead, focus on the present. Progressive muscle relaxation can help.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/progressive-muscle-relaxation\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/progressive-muscle-relaxation\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/progressive-muscle-relaxation\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/shutterstock_350542424.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/shutterstock_350542424.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":630,\"caption\":\"A bearded man is relaxing on green grass in the park with face raised up to sky and eyes closed on sunny summer day. Concept of relaxation, dreaming, wellbeing and healthy lifestyle\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/progressive-muscle-relaxation\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Anxious or stressed? Try progressive muscle relaxation\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"OSF HealthCare Blog\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/bd291f094e4f4b98d304241e03ff02b3\",\"name\":\"Luke Legner\",\"description\":\"Luke Legner is a writing coordinator at OSF HealthCare. He joined the Ministry in April 2021 after several years working in corporate communications in the heavy equipment industry. A Pontiac native, he graduated from Illinois State University in 2002 where he earned a bachelor\u2019s degree in mass communication. Luke and his wife, Ashley, reside in Bloomington and have one son and two daughters. When he\u2019s not tackling a home improvement project, you can usually find Luke watching his beloved Chicago Cubs or The Andy Griffith Show.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/author\/llegner\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Anxious or stressed? Try progressive muscle relaxation","description":"Focusing on bad things that could happen steals peace from your life. Instead, focus on the present. Progressive muscle relaxation can help.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/progressive-muscle-relaxation\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Anxious or stressed? Try progressive muscle relaxation","og_description":"With so much on our minds, how do we keep from being crippled by fear of the unknown?","og_url":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/progressive-muscle-relaxation\/","og_site_name":"OSF HealthCare Blog","article_publisher":"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/osfhealthcare","article_published_time":"2021-07-17T23:40:32+00:00","article_modified_time":"2022-11-03T15:33:22+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":630,"url":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/shutterstock_350542424.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Luke Legner","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_description":"With so much on our minds, how do we keep from being crippled by fear of the unknown?","twitter_image":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/shutterstock_350542424.jpg","twitter_creator":"@osfhealthcare","twitter_site":"@osfhealthcare","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Luke Legner","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/progressive-muscle-relaxation\/","url":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/progressive-muscle-relaxation\/","name":"Anxious or stressed? Try progressive muscle relaxation","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/progressive-muscle-relaxation\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/progressive-muscle-relaxation\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/shutterstock_350542424.jpg","datePublished":"2021-07-17T23:40:32+00:00","dateModified":"2022-11-03T15:33:22+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/bd291f094e4f4b98d304241e03ff02b3"},"description":"Focusing on bad things that could happen steals peace from your life. Instead, focus on the present. Progressive muscle relaxation can help.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/progressive-muscle-relaxation\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/progressive-muscle-relaxation\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/progressive-muscle-relaxation\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/shutterstock_350542424.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/shutterstock_350542424.jpg","width":1200,"height":630,"caption":"A bearded man is relaxing on green grass in the park with face raised up to sky and eyes closed on sunny summer day. Concept of relaxation, dreaming, wellbeing and healthy lifestyle"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/progressive-muscle-relaxation\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Anxious or stressed? Try progressive muscle relaxation"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/","name":"OSF HealthCare Blog","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/bd291f094e4f4b98d304241e03ff02b3","name":"Luke Legner","description":"Luke Legner is a writing coordinator at OSF HealthCare. He joined the Ministry in April 2021 after several years working in corporate communications in the heavy equipment industry. A Pontiac native, he graduated from Illinois State University in 2002 where he earned a bachelor\u2019s degree in mass communication. Luke and his wife, Ashley, reside in Bloomington and have one son and two daughters. When he\u2019s not tackling a home improvement project, you can usually find Luke watching his beloved Chicago Cubs or The Andy Griffith Show.","url":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/author\/llegner\/"}]}},"modified_by":"Katie Whitt","featured_image_url":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/shutterstock_350542424.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13575","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/119"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13575"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13575\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16749,"href":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13575\/revisions\/16749"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13676"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13575"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13575"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13575"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=13575"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}