Progressive muscle relaxation: Reduce muscle tension by systematically tensing and relaxing different muscle groups.
Lay on your back and just pay attention to your breathing for a few minutes (breathe in and out calmly 20 times). Then tense individual body parts as tightly as possible (5 to 7 seconds). For the next 20 seconds or so, feel the relaxation and muscle sensation.
- Dominant hand and arm ("clench fist and press arm against support");
- Non-dominant hand and arm ("clench fist and press arm against support");
- Head and face ("grimace, squint eyes, wrinkle nose, press head against support");
- Upper body, stomach and buttocks ("consciously tense, clench buttocks tightly");
- Dominant foot and dominant leg ("clench feet slightly, lift whole leg off the floor at the same time");
- Non-dominant foot and leg ("clench feet slightly, lift whole leg off the floor at the same time").
Variant:
Power of imagination. The sequence is the same as the exercise above. However, you only imagine the tension (without performing it).
