5 At-Home Stress Relieving Stretches Sure to Satisfy

Quarantining, social distancing and the events of today’s world flooding our newsfeeds can make a stressful situation feel unbearable. While stress is a normal part of life, these instances can make our stress so much worse and cause both physical and emotional changes.

One of the ways our bodies respond to stress is through muscle tension. Have you ever noticed that your back or neck aches when you’re feeling anxious or stressed? Progressive muscle relaxation is a great method to help you relieve stress, anxiety, and tension that has built up all over your body.

What Is Stress?

Stress is your body’s reaction to change. It’s a normal part of life, and your body is designed to react to it. Not all stress is bad. Positive stress helps us stay alert and motivated. Negative stress occurs when you continuously face challenges without relief between stressors. Prolonged stress can have both physical and emotional effects on the body, like upset stomach, anxiety, and muscle tension.

What Is Progressive Muscle Relaxation?

Progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) is a deep relaxation method that is based on the practice of tightening one muscle group at a time followed by a release of the tension or relaxation phase. PMR can help control stress and anxiety and relieve insomnia.

How Does PMR Work?

Find a quiet place where you can lie down on your back comfortably without interruption. Follow these three simple steps:

1. As you breathe in, tense the first muscle group for about five to 10 seconds. Remember that you want to tense your muscle hard, but not to the point of cramping or pain.
2. Exhale as you completely and suddenly relax the same muscle group.
3. Relax for about 10 to 20 seconds before moving on to the next muscle group.

Five Exercises to Try At Home

Use the PMR technique you just learned to target the specific muscle groups of your body where you hold tension and stress.

1 – Lower Body

Relieve muscle tension in your feet, lower and upper legs. To tense your feet, curl your toes downward. For your calf muscles, pull your toes towards your head. For your upper legs, clench your thighs hard. For your hips and buttocks, press your buttocks together tightly.

2 – Upper Body

Relieve muscle tension in your upper body through your chest, back, stomach, arms, and hands. To tense your hands. Clench them into a fist. For your arms, clench your hands into fists, bend your arms at the elbows, and flex your biceps in a 90-degree angle towards your face. For your chest, take a deep breathe and hold it for a count of ten. Suck in your stomach to tense your stomach. For your back, arch it up towards the ceiling.

3 – Neck and Shoulders

Many people hold stress in their neck and shoulders. To release the tension in your shoulders, shrug them towards your ears. For tension in the front of your neck, touch your chin to your chest. For the back of your neck, press the back of your head against the floor.

4 – Face

Relieve tension and stress in your face through your forehead, mouth, cheeks, and jaws. Against your mother’s advice, wrinkle your forehead into a deep frown to release tension in your forehead. For your cheeks and jaws, smile as widely as possible. To release tension around your mouth, press your lips together tightly.

5 – Whole Body

For your whole body, start the process at your toes and work your way up your body one muscle group at a time to your head. Some people find it helpful to listen to audio guides to cue them through the relaxation exercises. You can find some great ones on YouTube for free.

Say Goodbye to Stress For Good

Next time you feel stressed, lie down and try progressive muscle relaxation exercises. You’ll be surprised how zen you feel afterward!