What’s your favorite form of stress relief? For me, it’s fitness.
Not too long ago, I went through a stressful few weeks where I was working on something really important to me and it ended up not turning out the way I’d hoped. I had put in hours of hard work and preparation only to not get the result I wanted.
Having to experience that failure SUCKED. Almost a month has passed since then, and I still can’t really talk about it.
One thing that I can talk about, however, is how fitness helped me during that time and in the weeks that have passed since.
So many people think of fitness as punishment, or as a means to an end. You have to work out if you want to lose weight. You have to go for a run so you don’t feel guilty about eating that cupcake. You have to exercise if you want to look good for your [wedding, vacation, high school reunion, whatever important event you have coming up in the not-so-distant future]. Once you reach your goal weight, or your special event is over, fitness is no longer a priority. You may forget about working out entirely.
But when working out is truly a part of your lifestyle, it’s a whole different story.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I tend to work out longer when I’m going to a party and will be eating a lot of food later that day. When I have an event or vacation coming up, I feel extra motivated to keep up with my routine so I can look my best.
However, fitness is about so much more than looking good and trying to negate poor food choices. I usually only work out for an hour at the most, 4-5 days a week. But if I didn’t have that, I’m not sure what I’d do. Even just that small amount of time that I spend exercising is a huge form of stress relief for me. Pushing my body through a hard routine, running outside in the fresh air, throwing heavy weights over my head – it doesn’t matter what I’m doing. Any kind of workout helps me take my mind off everything else in my life.
When I was dealing with that stressful period not too long ago, staying active really helped me get through it. Going out for a walk when I felt overwhelmed helped me clear my head and come back to work with a fresh perspective. Going to Crossfit classes and tossing around the barbell helped calm me down when I started to feel anxious. I also found it easier to make sure I slept enough. Since I usually work out in the morning, I need to go to bed early so I can get plenty of sleep. It was the perfect reason for me to go to bed at a decent hour, instead of driving myself crazy working on my project late at night.
If you’re dealing with some stress, or you’ve been working really hard lately, take a few minutes to move your body. It doesn’t even have to be a long or intense workout. Go for a walk, stretch, do some pushups or situps or pullups. You’ll feel so much better and find it much easier to deal with your emotions, I promise!
