How to use it
- Pick Full for bed or a comfy chair, Desk for quiet moves at a desk or in class, or Short for a quick reset.
- Press Start. For each part of your body, tense the muscles for five seconds, then let go and notice how it feels as they soften.
- Follow the ring: it tightens while you squeeze and loosens as you let go. A soft tone marks each change.
Why it works
This is progressive muscle relaxation: tensing one group of muscles, then letting it go, one part of the body at a time. NHS guides suggest a count of about five (Oxford Health (opens in a new tab)).
In a small trial with 60 healthy students, one 20-minute recorded session left people feeling more relaxed than a control group, and their skin conductance (a sign of arousal) fell steadily; heart rate showed no clear change (Toussaint et al., 2021 (opens in a new tab)). A 2024 review of 46 studies with over 3,400 adults found it reduced stress, anxiety and low mood, though most studies were of patients and health workers, and only English-language studies were included (Khir et al., 2024 (opens in a new tab)). In 51 hospital patients with COVID-19, 30 minutes a day for five days lowered anxiety and improved sleep scores compared with usual care (Liu et al., 2020 (opens in a new tab)). Those sessions were longer than ours.
If you have an injury or pain, check with a health professional first; it can feel a bit odd the first time (HPRC (opens in a new tab)).
When to use it
- In bed, when your body still feels wired after a late session.
- At a desk or in class, when your shoulders creep up and your jaw is tight.
- Before something stressful, if you'd rather do something with your body than just breathe. The breathing pacer pairs well.
More tools
Not medical advice. This is a wellbeing tool, not a treatment. If things feel heavy, talk to someone.