Heidi Kling | Progressive Muscle Relaxation

Progressive Mus Relaxation (PMR) is an exercise that systematically contracts and relaxes specific muscle groups in your body to increase awareness and physical relaxation, effectively managing anxiety. This exercise has become popular as an anxiety management technique.

Heidi Kling Ph.D., highlights that your nervous system can switch gears from stress response to relaxation response when you systematically tense and release muscles, helping your nervous system recognize what relaxed muscles feel like - this makes it easier to relax your body when feeling anxious.



According to Heidi Kling, Ph.D., practice using this technique regularly, even when you don't feel anxious, to use it effectively in managing anxiety. For maximum effectiveness, practice this exercise in a quiet location without distractions, starting from your toes up toward your head.

One study that compared PMR, deep breathing, and guided imagery training methods with a control group revealed that all three methods increased levels of physiological relaxation; however, only PMR and guided imagery groups demonstrated sustained increases in relaxation over time. To learn more about this and other PMR studies, refer to this scientific article published on PubMed.

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