Stress Busting Tips

Before I begin it’s important to note that I am not an expert, neither do I possess the qualifications to advise on mental health. What I do have is the ability to share my experiences and what works for me in times of stress. The more we share, the more we understand each other and the more empathetic we become. Everyone reacts to stress and difficult situations differently, but perhaps talking about what our triggers are and what works and what doesn’t work for us as individuals, we can benefit from shared experiences.

The stress reaction is a healthy, normal part of being alive. The cascade of physical reactions that we experience during times of stress is simply our bodies telling us that the situation needs to change. The stress response helps us think and act quickly, but when our stress levels stay high, we start to run into problems. Excessive stress has been linked with many serious health issues, including weight gain, high blood pressure, anxiety, heart disease, and high blood sugar in people with diabetes.

For all these reasons, it’s essential to make stress relief practices a part of our daily lives. Here are some of the ways I do just that:

Training

For me, training is about activating all the good chemicals in my body for that feel-good factor. Sometimes that may mean a vigorous and punishing session, and other times it can be the simple act of sitting on a bike and watching others smash their goals – that gives me value and makes me happy. It’s also really important to train in the right environment. It has to be somewhere I feel comfortable being me, where I can play the kind of music I want to hear when I’m training, and where the people I train and socialise with have a similar mindset.

Healthy eating

No fad diets, no quick fix, no magic pill, no free lunch. Take food at regular intervals and try to eat a well-balanced diet that includes proteins, fats, carbs and a lot of fruit and veg. Well, that’s the plan but it doesn’t always work out that way. I, like the rest of you, try to stick to a healthy diet, but I believe if we train the right way and often, and manage our stress, there’s room for a little of whatever we fancy. Denying ourselves some of life’s pleasures just makes us want them more.

If you would like to seek more advice on this subject head to our Instructors page where our guys would be more than happy to talk you through nutrition and supplement plans.

Relaxation

The saying ‘if you want something done, ask a busy person’ is, in my opinion, bang on, but even busy people have to stop and rest now and again. Escaping the electric pace of the everyday world is something we all crave, yet it can often feel confined and unattainable. This is where mindfulness comes in, and the power of it shouldn’t be underestimated. Admittedly, this is something I haven’t yet mastered, generally because I like to keep my hands busy, but we can’t refute the evidence, and there’s lots of it. Breathing, meditation, visualisation, yoga, mindful podcasts, talking therapies, CBT…there’s something for everyone, we just have to investigate the possibilities and find out what works for us.

Planning

When stress sets in I always seem to have less time. That’s when I activate my planning mode. I sit down and make lists of everything I need to do, put it all into my schedule and then prioritise. These priorities fall into three categories - what needs to be done immediately, what isn’t so urgent, and what is more of a want than a need. It stops me from being overwhelmed and makes me more focussed on the tasks ahead.

Nature

I’ve learned to stop and smell the roses occasionally as I’ve realised (especially of late) that it can keep me from straying too far off the path in the long run. For me, immersing myself in nature and deep breathing fresh air, even just for ten minutes a day, has a positive effect on my mindset. That may be a newspaper and coffee on a park bench in the sunshine, a two-hour hike in the South Downs or the simple act of playing with the neighbour’s cat in my back garden. Most definitely not whiling away minutes and hours on my phone scrolling through social media posts. This isn't where relaxation is found, it is in fact where more stress is located, disguised as fake and misleading news. Turn it off, leave it at home or just ignore it for 30 minutes. If that's hard to do then we definitely need to chat more.

I love being around animals and believe that they can greatly reduce stress and anxiety, and aid depression. There are hundreds of studies that show how beneficial animals are for our mental and physical health. In my opinion, there’s nothing more enjoyable than a long dog walk in the countryside to clear my mind and be in the moment. For that reason, and many more, I’ve decided it’s the right time for me to get a furry buddy of my own and stop stealing friend’s dogs and snatching time with a friend’s kitten, so look out for a new gym member in the coming months – he or she won’t be much cop on the SkiErg, but they will definitely put a smile on your faces!