Bills, debt, traffic, jobs, deadlines, family…the list goes on and they are all major contributors to our stress in today's fast-paced world.
I read somewhere once…or perhaps someone told me, "Stress is a lot like a rocking chair, it will keep you occupied but it won't get you anywhere." That saying has stuck with me for a long time and it is so true.
What is Stress?
Stress is defined as a state of mental or emotional strain or suspense, typically characterized by headaches, irritability, muscular tension, depression, anxiety, increased heart rate and blood pressure.
Stress can cause all sorts of problems with the body and make a person depressed, anxious or panicky, irritable and fatigued. Stress can cause major interruptions in your productivity and lead to sleeplessness.
Suffering from stress for long enough has been tied to a plethora of diseases and disorders that include but are not limited to: heart attacks, hypertension, depression, weight gain and headaches.
How Do We Reduce Stress?
Thankfully there are many methods to help combat and reduce stress in our lives. Some of these include:
Regular Exercise
Sports, weight training, martial arts, yoga, all these types of things are great for reducing stress. When we work out our body sees an increase in blood flow and thereby oxygen. Endorphins are released (our bodies ‘feel good' chemical). In short exercise clears the cobwebs, and helps us knock out that anxiety and tension.
On days that seem really bleak and depressing, its often the last thing we want to do – but if you can at least get a bit of exercise in you will feel as though you accomplished something positive (for the mental well being) and the physical benefit will do your body good.
Sleep
Laying in bed tossing and turning, thinking about the previous day or the upcoming one? Stress can definitely hurt our sleep requirements. Sleep is one of the most important things for us, its when we recover, and rebuild. Without adequate rest and sleep we will only get worse. Regular exercise helps us sleep better by using up that nervous and anxious energy in a constructive way.
Eat Healthy
One of the causalities of a stressful lifestyle is our diet. In fact stress can suppress our appetites and this isn't good. We need proper nutrition, and lots of water everyday. Our bodies need good fuel to run healthy.
Get yourself Organized
Being disorganized or procrastinating only adds to stress.
Conclusion
By exercising you are doing something very positive for yourself. Feeling good and looking good is great for our self-esteem and confidence and these both contribute combating daily stress. Regular exercise helps clear the cobwebs and lets us see that there are many more solutions or options to the problems that we are plagued with.
So get out there and get some exercise, and look forward to a brighter less stress filled future!
