A faithful companion to the lives of almost all of us, stress is familiar – unfortunately – to so many people. The accelerated pace of modern life, work, commitments, or even the opposite, forced inactivity, worries about the future, and any major or minor difficulties. All of those listed are sources of stress. We all suffer from it for good or ill, and suffering from it means that the more we are exposed to it, the more nefarious and problematic the consequences are.
What is stress
Although it is a widespread existential condition nowadays, the origins of stress are exactly as old as mankind: indeed, its function is to provoke a reaction in the body and mind of an individual in distress. So the reason stress exists is to protect us. Limited to dangers and contingencies, stress is a perfectly natural response of the body and mind. The problem is that when this condition is prolonged over time, it can only cause harm. Type: headaches, anxiety, irritability, panic, accelerated heart rate, stroke, hypertension, arrhythmia, digestive problems, insomnia, muscle tension, depression, ulcers, and immune system dysfunction. And that’s not even all he’s capable of doing but I’ll spare you the rest of the catalog of clinical misfortunes. https://runlovers.it/2019/respirare-bene-per-stare-meglio/
What to do?
It would be easy to tell you that all you have to do is run and it will go away, but in this case there are other remedies besides running and, in general, physical activity, which is still perfectly fine for relieving tension and airing out the brain. The first step is to identify the source of stress, which can be generated by: – The environment in which you live/work – Your body – Your head. As you can easily guess, the environment and the head are linked: the stress your environment causes you can affect your mind (and thus cause you anxiety, dissatisfaction, disillusionment, demotivation, and depression) but the opposite can also happen. Indeed, the mind can in a sense take control and decide to allow itself to be challenged only by situations on which it can act. What situations, in other words, can really produce stress? Those over which you have no control (other people, the city or house you live in, your workplace, social situation, etc.). It is also true, however, that with respect to these situations you can decide how to react. In other words and as we often tell you:
It doesn’t matter what happens to you but how you react.
A few tricks
But here’s the gift for you who have read this far: some tips for controlling stress with little effort:
- Count to 10 before reacting to whatever happens to you
- Do a very simple breathing exercise to check your reaction and response
- Walk: really, if you are stressed go for a walk
- Of course: run!
- Do one thing at a time
- Sleep: to regain your strength and allow your brain to do what it does in dreaming: clear the mental toxins of the day just gone by.
It’s better already, isn’t it? (Inspired by Jamie Logie)