Hi, it's me! Premium Pilates Dad Chris. Today, I'm going to talk to you about stress.
What is Stress?
In a nutshell, stress is a physiological response from your body. Stress isn't necessarily a bad thing but is mainly associated with times we feel overwhelmed. Whether it's your toddler crying because you have turned off Bluey, your wife screaming at you for telling her you do 60% of the house work (I'm going to get in trouble for that one), or simply your dog is non-stop barking at everything that walks past your house, managing stress can be a difficult task. So, let's chat about ways to alleviate it!
My 5 Tips to Manage Stress
- I try my best to acknowledge when I am stressed. By acknowledging I am stressed, I can communicate better with the people close to me, allowing me the opportunity to perform an activity that will help reduce my stress
- Do an activity you enjoy! For me, it's video games or exercising. Exercise is a great stress relief, whilst providing a different kind of stress on the body (the good kind I talked about earlier)
- Using my Calm app. Admittedly, I have been pretty shit at using this, even with all the reminders on my phone. However, when I do end up using it, I find it to be quite helpful and relaxing
- Have a nap! I love sleep. Sleep is something that is vital for your everyday functioning and almost lauded as a badge of honour for not getting enough. If you struggle to get 7 to 9 hours at night, try a day time nap if given the opportunity. P.S. Lack of sleep could be one of the reasons you are stressed!
Anything to avoid?
As much as we love to think it is a good stress relief, alcohol is not a good stress relief. Alcohol is considered medically to be a depressant which can exacerbate an already unhappy mind (check out Understanding Nutrition for more on this topic).
So remember, some stress is good, too much is not! Try to unwind with some of my tips. Remember, they are purely anecdotal and work for me. They might not work for you, but worth a shot!
Thanks for reading, until next time!
