Remember the airplane scene from Die Hard, showcasing the extremely nervous John McClane (played by Bruce Willis)? In the movie, his next seat neighbor offers him a very odd piece of advice: to make fists with his toes. He endorses this technique as being “better than a shower and a hot cup of coffee.” But what is even more peculiar is that this technique in the right context is a legitimate relaxation method. This approach was developed by Dr. Edmund Jacobson and is rightfully named after its inventor. The basic premise of this technique is that by tightening and then relaxing specific muscle groups in sequence, one can attain a very relaxed state. 

Here is a personal confession, I am not only a proponent of this method, but I have tried it myself on many occasions. Perhaps my most stressful time was in my residency program, where I was under enormous pressure and had to cope with an unbelievable workload. That is when I came across a book by John Harvey titled Total Relaxation. The book is very practical and offers many ways to relax. Additionally, it comes with a CD that has a very thorough step-by-step video of this process. Remarkably, I was able to get my anxiety under control. Even though the days of my residency program are long behind me, I still use the Jacobson method when presented with stressful situations.

I have been recommending John Harvey’s book to many of my anxiety patients. The book is only $17 and can be ordered on Amazon––an investment that pales in comparison to the amount of cash one regularly dishes out on coffee and water bills! Moreover, I believe that in a world overrun by the anxiety-inducing menace named COVID, at-home relaxation techniques like the Jacobson Method are more important than ever before. And with John McClane’s endorsement, I hope that more patients will heed Jacobson’s advice for themselves.