P - Paired Muscle Relaxation

Paired Muscle Relaxation

This can be done in combination with paced breathing, or on its own. To practice, tense all or one of your muscles on an inhale, and slowly release them as you exhale. You can do this globally (entire body) or locally (one muscle at a time), beginning with your feet. This practice shifts your awareness to your body, and it also changes the oxygen flow in your muscles, which help to slow down your nervous system. You should feel more relaxed after you have tensed and released the muscle.

When we use TIPP, we have four different tools to pull out of our back pocket at a moment’s notice. Perhaps in the past we didn’t have any healthy coping mechanisms to use when we felt stressed, so we reached for the easiest thing we could find in a pinch: alcohol. The goal of living life alcohol-free is to build a life we don’t need to escape from, full of healthy and helpful coping mechanisms when stressors arise.