TIPP: Progressive Muscle Relaxation

(gentle upbeat music) If you are feeling stressed or anxious right now, it might feel like things are outta your control. There's a therapy tool that we call TIPP, and it stands for temperature and tense exercise, progressive muscle relaxation and paced breathing. And all of these exercises can really help you find a sense of control, and ultimately some relief. Today, we'll try progressive muscle relaxation. For this exercise, we'll be using our fist. If you can't safely use your fist, you can try any other body part that is comfortable for you. You just wanna make sure you're able to flex and release. An example of this would be using your toes to flex and release, or also using your back muscles to flex and release. So I want you to take one hand, and I want you to squeeze it into a fist as hard as you can. You wanna continue to squeeze, squeeze, squeeze until you can feel your fingernails digging into your palms. You might start to notice that your muscles in your fingers are starting to tighten and tense up. And there should be no air between your knuckles. And go tighter and tighter and tighter. It's okay if your palm starts to shake. That's perfectly normal. And when you feel like you just can't squeeze any longer, and all of your focus is on your hand, I want you to release, and I like to give it a little wiggle and kind of stretch my fingers out and just feel that pressure just melting away. Now let's take one big breath together. Inhale. (inhales) Exhale. (exhales) Remember, as you're doing this, that you are completely in control, and just let yourself feel the wave of relief as you just fully reset. And inhale. (inhales) Exhale. (exhales) Along with other TIPP skills, progressive muscle relaxation can be a powerful tool to support you during moments of distress. The more you practice, the easier it'll get. Come back to this exercise whenever you need a moment to simply reset. There are some components of the TIPP technique that may not be safe for individuals with certain health conditions. Use caution and adapt techniques to your personal needs. (gentle music)...