Stress-Relief: The Role of Exercise in Stress Management
Every day, one thing or the other causes us to stress ourselves. Stress occurs when a person is in a state of disharmony because of a real or perceived challenge. Situations that cause the body to stress itself are called Stressors. Either positive or negative, the body has its natural way of responding to stress. For most people, they give either of the fight or flight responses. There are a lot of things that can make a person stressed and to state the fact, it is impossible to avoid being stressed.
This is because we see different people with different energy, we face challenges at work, problems at home, and even if you decide to be alone, your worries are enough to make you stressed. This means that we can either choose to sit down, do nothing about our stress, and stress-eat or we can get up and deal with it. The choice is yours. There are several ways to get rid of stress and improve your mental health which includes staying positive, meditating, and exercising. Exercise is a great way to manage stress and this article explains the roles that exercise plays in managing our stress.
- It increases the production of Endorphins: When we are stressed, the heart and respiration rates increase. Our blood pressure and energy levels also increase, and this is followed by a decrease in the secretion of endorphin - the hormone that reduces pain and makes us feel happy. However, it has been discovered that engaging in physical activities can help the production of endorphins and there is no other way to engage yourself in physical activities than to perform exercises. Activities like running, swimming, that allow you to flex your muscles can help produce more endorphins thus your mental health getting better. Taking a walk can also be all that you need.
- It triggers sleep and makes you feel better: Sleep is an important element when it comes to mental health. For some people, one way to run away from stress is to fall asleep. However, when you are stressed you find it hard to close your eyes or sleep. If you manage to sleep, you might not have a sound sleep. Exercise is a great way to force your body to get fatigued and break down. When you wake up from sleep after being stressed, you feel much better than you were before you slept. Exercise helps to shed off stress and when you are less stressed, you will be able to sleep better. Waking up from sleep stress-free will make you feel relaxed, put you in a better mood, and also enhance your self-esteem.
- It helps to keep the brain active: When you exercise, your body releases Norepinephrine and Endorphin hormones which make you happy and help you stay away from anxiety. These hormones are very helpful in starting your day. If you have a small gym in your house, you can visit the gym to do some morning exercise and kick-start yourself for a great day. Exercise causes your brain to produce chemicals that fight stress and boost your cardiovascular activities. Getting gym equipment by Tonic Experience for your home gym is a giant step that you need to take to use your energy on more positive issues than stress.
- It prepares you for the effects of stress: As it was mentioned earlier, when people are stressed, the body initiates a fight or flight response. When you exercise regularly, the body simulates these responses and prepares itself to overcome stress. Hence, if you become stressed while going about your daily activities, exercise provides a defense mechanism for your body and helps you easily overcome stress. If not overcoming stress completely surely exercise helps you manage stress and that’s the key to better your mental health. You may not know but being stressed affects your digestive and immune system and exercising will help you protect the vital organs that make up these systems.
- It allows you to focus on your body: Have you noticed that when you perform an exercise, you are conscious of the movement of your body. Your mind is clear and you are happy that you are fit. Exercise helps to focus on better things than stress. It makes you optimistic and you will possess positive energy.
When you are stressed, your heart begins to work faster than normal which is why people suffer heart attacks when they are stressed. You can avoid this by performing regular exercise. Exercise makes your body well-coordinated, makes your system function properly, and has a positive effect on mental health. Remember that it is impossible to avoid stress but you can prepare your body to overcome any stress that you encounter. Exercise and sleep are all that you need. That’s a hard thing to do, is it?
Sylvia Owen
Sylvia is a mental health counselor with 10 years of experience, with focused expertise on self-therapy methods. She is also known by people as someone that enjoys traveling and believes that it always works with mental health issues. It reflects positively on people's mindset. When doing her job she motivates the clients to be active in any kind of way because it will surely reflect on their overall health.
Follow Me:
