Progressive muscle relaxation

Sometimes our bodies are tense as well as our minds.

Progressive Muscle Relaxation can help us release pressure by getting us to gently tense and relax the muscles of each part of the body and focusing our attention on the relaxed feeling as it begins to spread through our body.

There are many free recordings available online talking you through this technique.Or, you can follow the process in the guide below.

Try it out

Think about your feet and your toes. Squeeze you toes and feet really tight. Count to 5… 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Relax your feet and toes. Do this two more times.

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  • Feel your feet relaxing.

Think about your legs. Straighten your legs, flexing your knees and all the muscles in your legs. Your calves, your thighs.Squeeze, Count to 5… 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Relax your legs. Do this 2 more times.

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  • Feel the muscles in your knees and legs relaxing.

Think about your stomach. Tense up the muscles in your stomach like you’re doing an abdominal crunch. Squeeze. Count to 5… 1, 2,3, 4, 5. Relax your stomach. Do this two more times.

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  • Feel your stomach relaxing.

Think about your hands and arms. Make tight fists and tense your arm muscles. Squeeze. Count to 5… 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Relax your hands and arms. Do this two more times.

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  • Feel your hands and arms relaxing.

Think about your shoulders. Shrug your shoulders up to your head.Squeeze. Count to 5. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Relax your shoulders. Do this 2 more times.

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  • Feel the muscles in your shoulders relaxing.

Think about your jaw. Clench the muscles in your jaw tight. Squeeze.Count to 5. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Relax your jaw and face. Do this two more times.

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  • Feel your jaw and face relaxing.

Think about your eyes. Tighten your eyes. Close them really tight.Count to 5. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Relax your eyes without opening them. Do this two more times.

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  • Feel your face feeling calm and relaxed.

Take 3 more deep breaths. Feel any left over tension leaving your body. Feel your body relax. Focus on the calmness in your body as you drift off to sleep.

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Page last reviewed: 7 February, 2024