"The human body often responds to anxiety-provoking thoughts and events with a release of adrenaline that produces muscle tension. This is part of the "stress response" that is built into all animals to help them deal with physical danger by fleeing or fighting. Muscle tension, in turn, sends a message back to our brain that danger is present and this perpetuates the stress response. Unfortunately, humans tend to turn the stress response on when it is not needed and not helpful.Progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) is a skill that can be learned that counteracts the stress response. It not only relaxes the muscles, it also can produce a more relaxed mental state. It is difficult to have a tense mind in a relaxed body. Like all skills, PMR requires practice to master. The goal of this practice is to obtain a skill that is rapid, reliable, and portable and which has no side effects.The purpose of PMR is two-fold: (1) learning to distinguish between sensations of tension and relaxation, and (2) achieving muscle relaxation. Knowing how to recognize when the body is tense is particularly valuable because mild to moderate amounts of tension can go unnoticed, particularly for people who are chronically tense."
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