Abstract

Stress is so much a part of our daily experience that we fail to notice its harmful effects. Physical effects of stress include tight muscles, rapid and shallow breathing, increased blood pressure and heart rate, adrenaline secretion and sweating. At the highest stress levels we might be dysfunctional as the excess tension is channeled into symptoms of stress-related disorders. Relaxation simply means doing nothing with muscles. But, it is important to know that people who learn to relax do not lose motivation and productivity. Jacobson became to know muscle tension produce various kinds of diseases and this might reflect the increasing pace of life, and he developed a technique for muscle relaxation, Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR). The key to effective relaxation is to learn to recognize the level of stress we are experiencing at any given moment. To be able to do this it is necessary that we become very relaxed and then notice the difference between the relaxed and tense state. Hence, Progressive muscle relaxation training is a process of deliberately tensing and then relaxing oneself in order to learn to notice the difference between the two states. Tensing and relaxing muscles helps a person to increase the awareness of body's muscular response to stress. Here is the guideline for clinical application of PMR and a example of practice of it. But, you can develop the practice on your own. (Korean J Str Res 2006;14:129∼137)

• Keywords: Stress, Tension, Jacobson, Progressive muscle relaxation;