Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) is a technique that can help reduce anxiety and stress by tensing and then relaxing different muscle groups in your body. This process helps you become more aware of the difference between tension and relaxation.
Anxiety (e.g., generalized anxiety or social anxiety) can make it difficult to relax throughout the day. When we experience anxiety, our muscles often tense up without us even realizing it.
PMR is an anxiety-management technique. It helps us notice when we are tensing our muscles, become more attuned to our bodies, and consciously release built-up tension.
Dr. Tracey Marks, psychiatrist and author, explains that it is easier to relax a muscle if you tense it first.
PMR was originated by the physician Edmund Jacobson (1938). He observed that muscular tension and anxiety tend to occur together. Relaxing the body systematically should therefore ease anxiety.
Practice sharpens awareness of tension building in daily life. You can then release it before it escalates into a full stress response.
Relaxing your muscles sends a signal to the brain that it is time to calm down. This can be particularly helpful during the fight-or-flight response, often activated during elevated stress and anxiety.
Progressive Muscle Relaxation Technique: Step-by-Step
Preparation
- Find a comfortable and quiet space: Choose a place where you can sit or lie down comfortably without being interrupted. This could be your bedroom, living room, or even a quiet spot outdoors.
- Minimise distractions: Turn off your phone, dim the lights, and let others know you need some quiet time. The goal is to create a peaceful environment where you can fully focus on your body.
- Wear comfortable clothing: Loose-fitting clothes will allow you to move freely and relax more easily.
PMR typically works through different muscle groups, starting from your toes and moving up to your head. Head to toes works too, if that feels right.
Tip: Make sure you are taking slow, controlled breaths during this sequence. Breathe in when you tense each muscle group, then breathe out as you release. Incorporating breathwork can enhance the effectiveness of this relaxation practice.
Here’s a common sequence:
Feet
Curl your toes downwards, hold the tension for 5 seconds, then release and relax for 10 seconds. Notice the difference between tension and relaxation in your feet.
Lower Legs
Point your toes, tightening your calf muscles. Hold, then release and relax.
Upper Legs
Extend your legs and tense your thigh muscles. Hold, then release and relax.
Tip: It might be helpful to say “relax” as you relax each muscle.
Buttocks
Clench your buttock muscles. Hold, then release and relax.
Abdomen
Tighten your stomach muscles as if bracing for a punch. Hold, then release and relax.
Chest
Take a deep breath and hold it, tightening your chest muscles. Exhale slowly and relax.
Back
Arch your back slightly, tensing your back muscles. Hold, then release and relax.
Shoulders
Shrug your shoulders up towards your ears. Hold, then release, and let your shoulders drop back down.
Arms and Hands
Make a fist and tense your forearms. Hold, then release and relax.
Neck
Gently tilt your head back, tensing your neck muscles. Hold, then release, and bring your head back to a neutral position.
Jaw
Clench your jaw. Hold, then release and relax.
Eyes
Close your eyes tightly. Hold, then release and relax.
Forehead
Finally, raise your eyebrows as high as you can. Hold, then release and relax.
Post-Relaxation
- Stay seated or lying down for a few moments: Allow yourself to fully absorb the feelings of relaxation before getting up.
- Notice any changes in your body: Observe any sensations of warmth, heaviness, or tingling.
- Reflect on your experience: How relaxed do you feel? What did you notice about your body during the practice?
Tip: If you are in a rush you can complete this practice in a few minutes. For optimal benefits, work up to a regular 20-minute practice by really taking your time with each muscle group and experiencing the relaxing sensations.
“Progressive muscle relaxation is one of those things that you can do in the 30 minutes before bed as part of your bedtime preparation. Or you could do it in the middle of the day like your lunch hour for a middle-of-the-day recharge.”
Dr. Tracey Marks
How can I learn PMR?
There are many guided PMR recordings available online, on YouTube, and through apps. Therapists may also offer PMR training and guidance as part of your well-being journey.
Considerations
Below are some things to keep in mind if considering PMR:
- Consistency is key: The more you practice PMR, the better you’ll become at identifying and releasing muscle tension. Aim to practice daily, even if it’s just for a few minutes.
- Listen to your body: If you experience any pain or discomfort during the exercise, stop and adjust the tension level.
- Combine with other relaxation techniques: PMR can be combined with other relaxation techniques like deep breathing, guided imagery, or meditation for enhanced effects.
Potential drawbacks
Dr. Tracey Marks warns that PMR, while safe, could worsen certain medical conditions such as muscle spasms or back problems because the exercise involves tensing muscles.
She advises consulting with a doctor before completing PMR if you think this applies to you.
Others have explained how PMR might feel too uncomfortable for them:
“If I am able to make my muscles ‘relax’ as they should, I then experience a great sense of unease in my body. I feel so so uncomfortable. My body feels unsafe and I feel better if I intentionally tense my body in response.”
‘Malorie’
It is also questioned whether PMR is helpful or detrimental to some people with trauma. For trauma survivors, being in a state of calm can be triggering in and of itself and might unintentionally cause a flashback.
Talking to a healthcare professional about alternative methods for managing trauma responses is advisable.
PMR vs Other Stress-Management Techniques
PMR works on the body’s response to stress, not on the stressor itself. Its benefits may therefore fade if the source of stress stays the same.
Cognitive techniques, such as stress management approaches that reframe how a situation is judged, target the appraisal that creates stress. Neither approach is wrong. The strongest programmes combine both.
PMR is easy to reach. It needs little or no specialist equipment, unlike clinical biofeedback or a full eight-week mindfulness course, which often demand more time and money.
Mindfulness offers a useful comparison. A review of 44 meta-analyses found mindfulness-based interventions clearly beat passive controls.
Their advantage over active comparison conditions, such as relaxation training, was smaller and often not significant (Goldberg et al., 2022).
What are the benefits of PMR?
Research suggests that PMR can help with a variety of conditions, including:
Anxiety
PMR can reduce anxiety. A 2024 systematic review of 46 publications (over 3,400 adults) found it effective for stress, anxiety and depression (Muhammad Khir et al., 2024). Combining PMR with other interventions enhanced the effect.
A randomised study of 60 healthy undergraduates compared 20 minutes of recorded PMR, deep breathing and guided imagery with a control condition. All three increased relaxation more than the control did (Toussaint et al., 2021).
PMR and guided imagery also produced an immediate trend toward physiological relaxation, measured by skin conductance and heart rate.
A shorter version also helped. A single 20-minute session of abbreviated PMR gave 128 high-stress undergraduates greater mental and physical relaxation than lying quietly (Dolbier & Rush, 2012). Effects on anxiety and cortisol were small.
“[PMR] is the only thing that will bring me back from dissociating (besides just trying to wait it out) because it forces me to focus on my body in what feels like a safe way for me.”
‘Carlos’
Depression
Some studies indicate that PMR can be a helpful tool in managing depressive symptoms.
PMR may help depression by promoting relaxation, reducing stress, and improving sleep quality, all of which can positively impact mood.
In the 2024 systematic review of 46 publications, PMR was effective in reducing depression in adults (Muhammad Khir et al., 2024). Combining it with other interventions enhanced the effect.
Insomnia
PMR can help improve sleep quality by relaxing your body and mind before bed.
PMR likely improves insomnia by decreasing arousal and anxiety at bedtime, two common contributors to sleep disturbance. It may also directly impact sleep architecture.
“I have used PMR to help me on nights where I just cannot fall asleep. I often find I fall asleep before the end of the practice!”
‘Rebecca’
Headaches
PMR may relieve headaches by decreasing muscle tension in key areas like the head, neck, and shoulders.
Muscle tension is a major contributor to tension-type headaches.
Pain management
PMR is sometimes used to help people manage chronic pain, such as pain from arthritis or irritable bowel syndrome.
Key Takeaways
- Technique: Tense each muscle group for about five seconds, then release for ten, and notice the contrast.
- Evidence: A 2024 systematic review of 46 publications found PMR effective for stress, anxiety and depression.
- Practice: Aim for daily practice and work up to 20 minutes, though a few minutes still helps.
- Cautions: Ask a doctor first if you have muscle spasms or back problems. Some trauma survivors find deep relaxation triggering.
- Limits: PMR calms the body’s response, not the stressor, so benefits may fade if the stressor remains.
References
Dolbier, C. L., & Rush, T. E. (2012). Efficacy of abbreviated progressive muscle relaxation in a high-stress college sample. International Journal of Stress Management, 19(1), 48–68. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0027326
Goldberg, S. B., Riordan, K. M., Sun, S., & Davidson, R. J. (2022). The empirical status of mindfulness-based interventions: A systematic review of 44 meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 17(1), 108–130. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691620968771
Jacobson, E. (1938). Progressive relaxation (2nd ed.). University of Chicago Press.
Muhammad Khir, S., Wan Mohd Yunus, W. M. A., Mahmud, N., Wang, R., Panatik, S. A., Mohd Sukor, M. S., & Nordin, N. A. (2024). Efficacy of Progressive Muscle Relaxation in Adults for Stress, Anxiety, and Depression: A Systematic Review. Psychology Research and Behavior Management, 17, 345–365. https://doi.org/10.2147/PRBM.S437277
Toussaint, L., Nguyen, Q. A., Roettger, C., Dixon, K., Offenbächer, M., Kohls, N., Hirsch, J., & Sirois, F. (2021). Effectiveness of progressive muscle relaxation, deep breathing, and guided imagery in promoting psychological and physiological states of relaxation. Evidence‐Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2021(1), 5924040. https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/5924040
