Work Out Your Stress
On the return trip, however, things were a bit more hairy. Of course, the trip home is never as much fun, but as I sat researching my next article in the cramped back seat – an attempt to “divide and conquer” the kids – I came to understand part of the reason for all of the tension. We were trapped.
When you think about the “fight or flight” response, it becomes quite clear why stress is such a problem today. When we experience stress, our body reacts with an adrenaline boost, designed to give the strength to either fight the stress or run from it. However, in most of today’s stressful situations, neither is a possibility. You can’t very well turn and run away when your boss, child or spouse makes unreasonable demands on you. Therefore, muscles grow tense, breathing becomes shallow and adrenaline levels continue to build as your adrenal glands go into overdrive.
On our first trip, we made lengthy stops and allowed the kids to run and everyone to stretch. But on the return trip we made one big mistake, we were so anxious to get home that we didn’t take as much time to stop, move around and stretch. Our minivan became overloaded with adrenaline.
Physical activity is one of the best methods of managing stress. It benefits your stress levels in five basic ways.
1. Exercise is physically and mentally strengthening, allowing your body to withstand the effects of stress.
2. Exercise stretches muscles that have grown tight due to stress.
3. Exercise requires the mind to focus on the activity at hand, rather than what happened earlier in the day.
4. Exercise burns adrenaline stores, built up from minor daily stresses, and releases endorphins, which cause a calming effect on the brain (know as a “runners high”).
5. Exercise increases your oxygen intake. (See last week’s column, “O2 for Stress”)
Try to incorporate the following simple exercises into your daily routine and see if you notice the benefits:
Stretching
* Before you get out of bed each morning, imagine you are a waking cat and indulge in a good stretch. Often we are so rushed to get going in the morning that we leap (or drag) from bed without first stretching our muscles. A good stretch will warm and relax the muscles, preparing them for activity.
* Remember to stretch thoroughly before and after physical exercise.
Physical Exercise
* Make time for 20-30 minutes per day of aerobic exercise – something that will get your heart pumping – preferably something that you enjoy doing, whether it’s jogging, biking, swimming or playing kickball with the kids. The benefits are numerous. Adrenaline is burned, blood flow to the brain is increased, positive feelings of accomplishment will add to the overall benefit package. Of course, if you have health concerns, check with your doctor before beginning an exercise program.
* Along with your exercise, you may want to add some type of meditation to help focus your mind. For example, as you walk try repeating left, right, left, right (or any repetitive phrase) as you step.
Progressive Relaxation Exercise
* This exercise can be done at any time that you feel the need to relax. Think about each part of your body and progressively tense and then slowly relax each area, one at a time. The whole process should take about 20 minutes.
* I remember learning this exercise years ago in my first childbirth classes. I don’t believe it ever dawned on me to actually use it in childbirth, but it has helped me on many sleepless nights to relax enough to fall asleep.
Above all, try to think of exercise as a treat, not a chore or a punishment. Remember the joy that you felt as a child racing across a wide-open space, jumping rope or climbing a tree? Recapture that sense of joy and you have made the first step toward better health.
