We feel stressed when we encounter a situation where we don’t have enough resources to meet the necessary demands. This could mean not having enough time to complete a project by a stated deadline or not having enough financial means to pay a bill.
Stress and anxiety activate our fight-or-flight response, our innate internal alarm that tells us that there is a threat or danger we must protect ourselves from. This sends a cascade of chemicals and hormones in our bodies, like adrenaline or cortisol, and a range of bodily sensations that prepare us to take physical action.
Our thoughts race to help us evaluate the threat and make quick decisions. Inevitably, we can’t think straight as we can only focus on the danger. Our breathing becomes quicker and more shallow so we can take in more oxygen. Our hearts beat faster to pump more blood to our muscles and organs. We get butterflies in our tummies because our digestion stops. We feel tension in our muscles, hot and sweaty, and we might even feel dizzy and lightheaded.
This is the activation of the sympathetic nervous system, preparing us to fight the danger or run away from it.
Our brains and bodies have become so adept at picking up on danger that they can’t tell the difference between a physical threat and a psychological one. A lion is a physical threat as it is physically present. We can hear it, smell it, and if we get up close enough, we can touch it.
A psychological threat, however, is one that is all in our minds, like giving a public speech. When we get anxious about giving a presentation in front of our manager, our body interprets giving a speech as if a lion were in the room. This can also cause us to misinterpret the physical sensations in our body and falsely believe ‘something bad is about to happen’.
If activation of the sympathetic nervous system is all about speeding us up, then the parasympathetic nervous system is all about slowing us down, bringing us down, like a parachute.
After periods of stress or anxiety or when the threat is no longer present, the opposite occurs: our muscles relax. Our heart rate decreases, our breathing slows down, and our digestion increases. Our muscles may relax or remain tense. This is our body’s natural relaxation response, something we can actually activate in times of stress to help us calm down. All we need to do is some form of relaxation.
There are various types of ways we can relax, such as walks in nature, yoga, meditation, breathing exercises, etc. Given that sympathetic activation causes our muscles to tense and parasympathetic activation causes our muscles to relax, one helpful way is to mimic our body’s relaxation response. One such method is called Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR)
PMR involves tensing and relaxing certain muscle groups in a sequential order.
Below is a good script to get you started. However, please be mindful if you have any injuries or serious health conditions. Please consult your doctor first. It’s also best not to practice this whilst under the influence of alcohol or after a heavy meal.
This exercise can be done while lying down or sitting up. Take off your shoes and wear loose, comfortable clothing. Find a quiet place where you won’t be disturbed.
Take a few moments and notice your breath; simply notice the air coming in and out of your nostrils.
Once you’re ready to begin, you tense each muscle group in the list below for 5 seconds, then relax each muscle group for 10 seconds. It may be helpful to say “Relax” to yourself mentally for added benefit, but it’s not mandatory. Then, proceed to the next step or muscle group. Once you’ve gone through all the steps below, take a few moments to notice the full effects and bring yourself back to feeling alert. You can also repeat all the steps and conduct it for a second round.
Steps:
1. Right hand and forearm: Clench your right hand into a fist.
2. Right upper arm: Flex your right forearm upward toward your shoulder to “show your muscle.”
3. Left hand and forearm: Repeat the same fist-making action with your left hand.
4. Left upper arm: Flex your left forearm upward like you did with the right.
5. Forehead: Raise your eyebrows as high as possible, as if you’re very surprised.
6. Eyes and cheeks: Tightly close your eyes, squeezing them shut.
7. Mouth and jaw: Open your mouth wide, similar to when you’re yawning.
8. Neck: Caution. Keep your head facing forward, then gently tilt it back as if you’re looking up at the ceiling.
9. Shoulders: Engage your shoulder muscles by lifting your shoulders up towards your ears.
10. Shoulder blades/Back: Press your shoulder blades together as if you’re trying to make them touch, pushing your chest forward.
11. Chest and stomach: Inhale deeply, filling your lungs and expanding your chest.
12. Hips and buttocks: Squeeze your gluteal muscles.
13. Right upper leg: Tighten your right thigh muscles.
14. Right lower leg: Take care to avoid cramps. Pull your toes towards you to stretch the calf.
15. Right foot: Curl your toes downward.
16. Left upper leg: Repeat the thigh tightening with your left leg.
17. Left lower leg: Stretch your left calf in the same way as the right.
18. Left foot: Curl the toes on your left foot downwards, just like you did with the right.
by Carol Lawrence, Cognitive Behavioural Therapist at Klearwell.
