Work Out Your Stress

In part two of this series, I mentioned our upcoming family vacation. Well, we survived (thanks to many, many breathing exercises) and actually managed to create a few happy vacation memories.

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