Once you have learned how to do the whole tense and release exercise, you can do a short version by clumping some muscle groups together. This is helpful for when you don’t have a lot of time. You still tense your muscles for 5–7 seconds and then release for 10 seconds, but this time you tense and release three groups of muscles one at a time in three steps:

  1. legs, feet, and bum
  2. stomach and chest
  3. arms, shoulders, neck, and face

Doing this exercise can help you release anxiety even if you only do it for a few minutes. Don’t forget to do some calm breathing at the same time.