Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) to Reduce Anxiety

Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) to Reduce Anxiety Panic Disorder Coping Print Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) for Anxiety By Katharina Star, PhD facebook linkedin Katharina Star, PhD, is an expert on anxiety and panic disorder. Dr. Star is a professional counselor, and she is trained in creative art therapies and mindfulness. Learn about our editorial policy Katharina Star, PhD Medically reviewed by Medically reviewed by Steven Gans, MD on August 05, 2016 Steven Gans, MD is board-certified in psychiatry and is an active supervisor, teacher, and mentor at Massachusetts General Hospital. Learn about our Medical Review Board Steven Gans, MD Updated on October 07, 2019  paolomartinezphotography/Getty Images More in Panic Disorder Coping Symptoms Diagnosis Treatment Related Conditions Progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) is an exercise that anyone can use to alleviate disturbing and disruptive emotional symptoms such as anxiety or insomnia. Like breathing exercises,  visualization, and  yoga, PMR is considered a relaxation technique. Its especially helpful in moments of  high stress or nervousness, and even can help someone get through a  panic attack. History of PMR PMR was developed by an American physician, Edmund Jacobson, in the 1920s. Jacobson noted that regardless of their illness, the majority of his patients suffered from muscle pain and tension. When he suggested that they relax, he noticed that most people didnt seem connected enough to their physical tension to release it. This inspired Jacobson to develop a sequence of steps for tightening and then relaxing groups of muscles. He found this allowed his patients to become more aware of their tension, to learn how to let go of it, and to recognize what it feels like to be in a relaxed state. Since then the technique has been modified many times but all modern variations of PMR are based on Jacobson’s original idea of systematically squeezing and then releasing isolated muscle groups.   How PMR Works PMR works in part by helping to overcome a normal reaction to stress known as the  flight-or-fight response. In evolutionary terms, this reaction developed as a way to help animals survive a threatâ€"either by running away or by meeting the opposition head-on. Over time the flight-or-fight response has become a common reaction to feelings of fear that often are out of proportion with reality. Unfortunately, when its not needed for actual survival, the flight-or-fight reaction tends to bring on many uncomfortable physical symptoms, including accelerated heart rate, sweating, shaking, and shortness of breathâ€"largely the product of an influx of stress hormones. Also, muscle pain, tension, and stiffness are common symptoms brought on by stress and anxiety. Relaxation techniques, including PMR, have the reverse effect on the body, eliciting the relaxation response, lowering heart rate, calming the mind, and reducing bodily tension. PMR also can help a person become more aware of how their physical stress may be contributing to their emotional state. By relaxing the body, a person may be able to let go of anxious thoughts and feelings. PMR Step-by-Step For a quick taste of how PMR works, squeeze one of your fists as hard as you can. Notice how tight your fingers and forearm feel. Count to ten and then release the clinch. Allow your hand to relax completely  and let go of any tension. Let your hand go limp and notice how relaxed it feels now compared to before your clinched your fist.   This methodical approach to increasing and releasing tension throughout your body is the linchpin of PMR: By systematically constricting and releasing various muscle groups it is possible to relieve physical stress and quiet and calm the mind. Here are the steps for one version of PMR that anyone can do. Try it next time youre feeling nervous, anxious, or find yourself tossing, turning, and unable to sleep. Step 1 Get comfortable. You dont have to lie down to do PMR; it will work if youre sitting up in a chair. Do make sure youre in a place thats free of distraction. Close your eyes if that feels best for you. Step 2 Breathe. Inhale deeply through your nose, feeling your abdomen rise as you fill your body with air. Then slowly exhale from your mouth, drawing your navel toward your spine. Repeat three to five times. Step 3 Starting with your feet, tighten and release your muscles. Clench your toes and pressing your heels toward the ground. Squeeze tightly for a few breaths and then release. Now flex your feet in, pointing your toes up towards your head. Hold for a few seconds and then release. Step 4 Continue to work your way up to your body, tightening and releasing each muscle group. Work your way up in this order: legs, glutes, abdomen, back, hands, arms, shoulders, neck, and face. Try to tighten each muscle group for a few breaths and then slowly release. Repeat any areas that feel especially stiff. Step 5   End the practice by taking a few more deep breaths, noting how much more calm and relaxed you feel. PMR is a skill, one that takes practice to master. In order to be able to draw on PMR when you need itâ€"in other words when youre truly in a stressful or anxiety-provoking situationâ€"youll want to learn how to do it while you arent under pressure. Practice PMR several times a week to become aware of what its like to feel relaxed. Understanding this feeling can help you to more readily let go of tension when anxiety rises.

Persuasive Essay About Foot Massages - 1226 Words

10 Reasons to Massage Your Feet and How to Do It Properly From the moment we swing our legs out of bed until we crawl beneath the covers at night, we are abusing our feet. We re standing for hours, wearing shoes that are uncomfortable, or spending hours running or jogging for exercise. No matter a person s age or weight, everyone has complained about foot pain at one time or another, yet, our feet are largely ignored. We don t take the time to relieve the pain of daily abuse until we ve caused some kind of painful damage that forces us to recognize how much we rely on them. Healing foot massages is one of the best ways to relieve pain in our feet as well as pamper them. It s like preventative medicine that can keep the feet from†¦show more content†¦One of the most common injuries in the feet, especially for runners, is plantar fasciitis. This incredibly painful injury impacts the tendon that runs from the toe to the heel bone. Tightness in the area can lead to serious inflammation and the tearing of the tendon. Along with plantar fasciitis, there are other injuries that can happen as a result of tight muscles and joints that aren t stretched properly before activity. A foot massage can do much to prevent an injury as well as help a person recover from a painful injury to the foot, too. 3. Reduce Blood Pressure and Associated Health Risks A serious condition like hypertension, or high blood pressure, can cause heart-related risks. People with hypertension have a high risk of heart attack and stroke. To relieve this serious condition, many patients are asked to reduce their intake of sodium as well as increase the healthy foods in their diets. Along with diet changes, they re told to reduce stress levels, which can be accomplished with a relaxing foot massage. A study in Korea (3) reported that after a foot massage patient had improved systolic blood pressure as well as improved triglyceride levels. In other studies, patients with high blood pressure were able to decrease their medications after the continued benefits of massage therapy. 4. Restorative Sleep Insomnia and restless sleep is another benefit of having regular foot massages, especially those involving the art ofShow MoreRelatedPoetry Research And Analysis Essay1959 Words   |  8 PagesPoetry Research and Analysis Essay Persuasive Wouldn’t it be great if everything was just black and white, unfortunately that’s not always the case? To me, the answer to the question regarding song lyrics being poetry is more complicated than yes or no. I think it falls in the gray area in the middle. In respect to that, I will discuss the fact that poetry and songs can be different in structure yet very similar in meaning; that without the voice implemented in the music, songs loose poetic andRead MoreThe taste of melon by borden deal11847 Words   |  48 Pagesstory theme ââ€"   analyse story structure ââ€"   identify changes in the narrator’s perspective ââ€"   interpret characters’ motives 130 Look Closely D E A L When I think of the summer I was sixteen, a lot of things some crowding in to be thought about. We had moved just the year before, and sixteen is still young enough that the bunch makes a difference. I had a bunch, all right, but they weren’t sure of me yet. I didn’t know why. Maybe because I’d lived in town, and my father still worked thereRead MoreDeveloping Management Skills404131 Words   |  1617 Pages372 7 MANAGING CONFLICT 373 SKILL ASSESSMENT 374 Diagnostic Surveys for Managing Conflict 374 Managing Interpersonal Conflict 374 Strategies for Handling Conflict 375 SKILL LEARNING 376 Interpersonal Conflict Management 376 Mixed Feelings About Conflict 376 Diagnosing the Type of Interpersonal Conflict 378 Conflict Focus 378 Conflict Source 380 Selecting the Appropriate Conflict Management Approach 383 Comparing Conflict Management and Negotiation Strategies 386 Selection Factors 386 Resolving

Essay about Hrm 300 Week 3 Team Eeoa Rights Review

Equal Employment Opportunity and Employee Rights Review Business environments today display diversity, a numerical composition that reflects different kinds of people, such as men and women of different ethnic origins, educational experiences, and professional backgrounds (Beamish, Morrison, Inkpen, Rosenzweig, 2003). A vast amount of organizations are emulating a diverse workforce. Fair treatment of employees is the responsibility of the human resource management team within a firm. Footsteps of past generations are the facilitating mechanism allowing today’s generation to participate in a safe and fair workplace. Specific rules and regulations assist in equal employment opportunities for every employee. The Equal Employment†¦show more content†¦KRS had a practice that employees under the age of 55 that became disabled could receive payments based on their years of service plus their remaining years to age 55, and those employees who had reached age 55 or greate r were only eligible for regular retirement. In a five–four decision the US Supreme Court ruled in favor of the KRS citing that the motivation behind the decision to offer different options to those under 55 was not made based on the age of the individual, but by the pension status. This court decision implies that as long as there is primary motivating factor other than age, the age of an individual can be used as a condition of a benefit. In Bates v. Dura Automotive Systems, Inc. (Case # 1:08-0028 US District Court for Middle District, Tennessee) seven former employees filed suit claiming Dura Automotive Systems, Inc. (DAS) violated their rights under the Americans with Disability Act (ADA) when they were suspended or terminated based on a positive drug test for prescription medication (DFWPP, 2010). DAS implemented a new workplace drug testing policy and tested all employees for 12 different kinds of drugs both prescription and illegal that the company believes would impai r the employee’s ability to perform his or her job. Those that tested positive for a prescription drug were given the opportunity to provide proof of prescription and to seek and alternative medication that would notShow MoreRelatedFundamentals of Hrm263904 Words   |  1056 Pagesin 10/12 ITC Legacy Serif Book by Aptaracorp, Inc. and printed and bound by Courier/Kendallville. The cover was printed by Courier/Kendallville. This book is printed on acid free paper. Copyright  © 2010, 2007, 2005, 2002 John Wiley Sons, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108

Leonardo Da Vinci Background (Art History Final) Free Essays

For my final project I felt a drawing would be best, for I am not much of a painter, a carver, or a photographer. In fact as far as artistic abilities I am really only good at drawing, so it was not hard to decide what I would do. I thought I would have trouble choosing a drawing at first, for many artists we studied were painters, but then I remembered Leonardo Da Vinci was a man of many talents, and one of those talents was drawing. We will write a custom essay sample on Leonardo Da Vinci Background (Art History Final) or any similar topic only for you Order Now So I decided to replicate a drawing he had intended to become a sculpture of a horse, but was unfortunately never built in his lifetime. I used simple materials to recreate the drawing, using just a regular pencil, some thick sketching paper, and lots of time and patience. Leonardo Da Vinci was adept at many things such as painting, drawing, sculpting, engineering, and took a special interest in science and anatomy. He was both an artist and a scientist. In fact, if he were to tell you his profession, he may have told you any number of things: a painter, an engineer, a cartographer. His talents seemed limitless and it appears he made his best efforts to explore all he possibly could of his talents. The horse I decided to replicate was originally meant to be the largest equestrian model in the world. The man who asked Da Vinci to create the sculpture was named Ludovico il Moro. He was the Duke of Milan and requested the statue be built to honor his father, Francesco, in the year of 1482. Da Vinci first drew sketches of what the statue would look like and began making the sculpture from clay. Unfortunately in 1499 the French destroyed his clay model and the sculpture remained unfinished for centuries. Since 1970, however, there have been many replicas made from Leonardo Da Vinci’s many drawings of the potential horse sculpture. Some of these replicas can be found in Hungary, Italy, and the USA in various sizes and interpretations of the piece. How to cite Leonardo Da Vinci Background (Art History Final), Papers

Satire In Huck Finn Essays - Huck, Mark Twain,

Satire in Huck Finn Akshay Upadhyaya Satire is defined as a kind of literature that ridicules human folly or vice with the purpose of bringing about reform or of keeping others from falling into similar folly or vice. Mark Twain used satire in Huck Finn to show mankinds shortcomings, namely inhumanity and gullibility. Satire was also used to show that religion did not appeal to everyone. An example of religious satire could be found in the beginning of the book. Huck was confused about religion, and thought that one could get whatever one prayed for; however, Huck saw that he was not getting everything he prayed for, hooks, for example, were things he prayed for but did not get. This led him to believe that religion was weird and incomprehensible. Then there were the two definitions of heaven, Widow Douglas and Miss Watsons. Huck thought that he would like the Widows heaven, but not Ms. Watsons. This was probably Twains way of lampooning the various sects of Christianity, all the sects believe in heaven, yet each one has its own version of it. Twain might wish to see all the sects of Christianity unite under into one. The blood feud between the Grangerfords and the Shepherdsons epitomized the inhumanity of humans. Both the families fought a deadly fight over a long forgotten dispute, and the final battle killed all of the Grangerfords, even young Buck. Twain might have included this episode in his to argue against blood feuds, and maybe dueling in general, as being a senseless waste of life. There were many gullible people in the novel, but the most gullible were the Wilks girls. They believed that the king and the duke were their uncles, even though Doc Robinson said otherwise. Twain is satirizing the fact that some people do not listen to sound advice and are fleeced by connivers, as the Wilks girls almost were. Twain might used satire to stop the inhumanity and maybe make people a little wiser by becoming less gullible.

Chinese Immigrater essays

Chinese Immigrater essays Interrogations of Chinese Immigrants at Angel Island Like Ellis Island in New York Harbor, Angel Island in San Francisco Bay was an entry point for immigrants in the early 20th century. The Angel Island immigration station processed small numbers of immigrants from Japan, Italy, and other parts of the world and was the key place of interrogation and detention for immigrants from China ("Angel Island Over View, CD-ROM). Angel Island in 1910 to enforce the Chinese Exclusion Act passed in 1882 and renewed in 1892 and 1902. Despite Chinese contributions to building the American West before 1880, the U.S. enacted laws prohibiting the migration of Chinese laborers after 1882 and accepting only merchants, teachers, students, and the families of American-born Chinese. These were then 105,465 Chinese in the country, mostly in California. Under the Naturalization Law of 1790, Chinese immigrants were considered "aliens ineligible to cintizenship," but those born in the U.S were citizens under the 14th amendment. Modeled in its procedures o n Ellis Island, Angel Island was an outpost to sift the migration stream but also a barrier to bar Chinese save those who fit the exempt categories or were related to U.S citizens ("Angel Island Overview", CD-Rom). Chinese immigration, after being shut down for many years by governmental legislation and an anti-Chinese climate resumed quickly after 1906. The 1906 San Francisco earthquake destroyed most immigration records in the city, allowing many resident Chinese to claim U.S citizenship and many others to claim to be "paper sons." Chinese Americans who returned from visits home and reported births of sons and daughters thereby created slots, which were often used to bring in immigrants who masqueraded as sons or daughters. By this strategem, thousands of Chinese skirted intended American exclusion ("Male Detainees at Angel Island", CD-Rom). These paper sons and paper merchants increased the numbe...

Publishing with a Hybrid Press

Publishing with a Hybrid Press Ever since I signed the contract with  She Writes Press  for the publication of my debut novel,  This Is How It Begins  (available now), writers have been asking, â€Å"Why did you choose a hybrid press?† First, what is a hybrid press? A hybrid press walks the line between traditional publishing (the â€Å"Big 5† of HarperCollins, Penguin Random House, Simon Schuster, Hachette and Macmillan) and self-publishing (CreateSpace, Kindle Direct, Ingram Spark), taking aspects from each. I chose a hybrid press for several reasons:   Ã‚     After 14 months of getting close but not close enough to land a literary agent, I got impatient with the lengthy process and decided to take matters into my own hands.   Ã‚     I decided against self-publishing because I wanted traditional distribution to bookstores, and that’s not something I could do myself.   Ã‚     I also decided against self-publishing because I knew I wouldn’t have the bandwidth to learn everything there is to learn in a timely fashion.   Ã‚     I wanted to work with a publisher who had ample experience with publishing and selling books, and I wanted a team to give my book its best chance. After much research, I chose the cream of the hybrid crop- She Writes Press (SWP). This innovative press is blazing quality ground in the publishing industry right now. Here’s what their hybrid model looks like:   Ã‚     Emphasis on quality books- they carefully curate their list;   Ã‚     Traditional distribution through Ingram Publisher Services (IPS)- that means a dedicated sales team from IPS sells SWP books directly to booksellers, so your physical books end up in stores;   Ã‚     Generous royalties- You invest up front for editorial, book production and printing, but you get a higher royalty per book sold than you would with traditional publishers (60% of the net profits on print books and close to 80% of the net profits on ebooks);   Ã‚     Respect for authors- Authors are partners in the publishing process, get an education in how best to sell books, have a say in how books look, and retain ownership rights;   Ã‚     Community- SWP fosters a supportive community of women authors, who learn from each other and support each other throughout the publishing process and beyond;   Ã‚     Housekeeping- they take care of all the â€Å"metadata,† which goes to all outlets where books are sold, they warehouse books, file copyright and Library of Congress numbers, fulfill orders †¦ all the stuff you don’t want to have to do from home. One thing I worried about at first was whether working with a hybrid would limit my book in some way - would booksellers consider the hybrid press a poor cousin to traditional publishers? Would I be eligible for the big literary awards and grants? In the case of SWP, I’ve seen no indication whatsoever that booksellers are thinking twice about carrying my book (my preorder numbers from bookstores were quite high). I’ve easily submitted, and been asked to submit, to many of the big-name book awards. There will be some grants that prohibit me from applying (the NEA Fellowship, for instance), but I’m going to try to blaze a new trail with those institutions Not all hybrids are created equal; there are other models out there to consider. Since I can’t speak about them from experience, I’ll leave you with some good articles for further reading:   Ã‚     Not All Hybrid Publishers Are Created Equal: How Authors Should Evaluate Their Choices, Jane Friedman for Publisher’s Weekly   Ã‚     The Indie Authors Guide to Hybrid Publishing: Hybrid publishers look to combine the best of traditional and self-publishing,