Day 9 – Practice a Muscle Relaxation Technique

Tammy Landsiedel
May 9
2 min read

Today’s challenge brought me back to something wonderfully simple and surprisingly effective: a muscle relaxation technique known as progressive muscle relaxation (PMR). You might remember it from school days—when a well-meaning teacher had you squeeze your eyes shut "like you're holding in a sneeze," count to ten, and then slowly relax. Turns out, there’s a reason that stuck in my memory: it actually works.

What Is Progressive Muscle Relaxation?

Progressive muscle relaxation is a technique developed by Dr. Edmund Jacobson in the 1930s. The idea is pretty straightforward: you tense (flex), hold, and then release different muscle groups in sequence—starting from the top of your body and working your way down. This method can help bring awareness to physical tension and trigger a calming response in the nervous system.

Why Does It Help Mental Health?

The science behind PMR is strong. Here's why it helps:

Activates the parasympathetic nervous system – This is your body’s “rest and digest” mode, which slows heart rate and calms the mind.
Reduces symptoms of anxiety and insomnia – Studies have shown PMR can significantly lower cortisol levels and even help those with generalized anxiety disorder sleep better.¹
Enhances body awareness – Which can help with emotional regulation and mindfulness.
Improves sleep quality – By loosening tense muscles, it can ease you into deeper, more restorative sleep.²

My Experience

I went with the classic "flex-hold-relax" technique. It wasn’t fancy—I simply started from the top of my head and worked downward, squeezing each muscle group gently, holding for about 10 seconds, then relaxing. I especially remembered the version we did in school: "Squeeze your eyes shut tight! Hold! Now relax!"—a surprisingly wholesome throwback.

But here’s why I chose this today: I've been waking up for over a week with mysterious calf cramps. Maybe I'm tense in my sleep? Maybe I'm dreaming about chasing squirrels with my dog? Who knows.

What I do know is that after completing the full-body PMR routine before bed… I actually slept. Like, slept slept. And—here’s the miracle part—I woke up without calf pain. I could walk to my coffee without hobbling like I just ran a marathon I didn’t train for. That was a magical feeling. It was like getting an upgrade from "zombie shuffle" to "graceful glide."

Other Self-Guided Muscle Relaxation Techniques You Can Try:

Body scanning – Focus on each area of your body and release tension intentionally, often used in mindfulness meditation.
Autogenic training – A type of self-hypnosis using phrases like “my arms are heavy and warm.”
Stretching + breathwork – Combine light stretching with slow breathing to melt away physical tension.
Foam rolling/self-massage – Apply gentle pressure to sore areas, which can improve circulation and ease tight muscles.

Final Thoughts

Adding this simple, body-calming routine to my evening just might be the game-changer I didn’t know I needed. It doesn’t take much time, requires zero equipment, and it actually works. My advice? If your body’s screaming for a break, give it one—on purpose.

And hey, if you find yourself squeezing your toes while counting to ten and giggling about it, just know you're doing it right.