Step 13: Set Your Stress Free!
How do you define stress? Some say it is how you feel under the push and pull of life. Some make statements like, “I’m so stressed, I can’t think clearly.” Others say, “My office is a full of stress.” It seems people do not always distinguish between the psychological and physiological state of stress. You may be wondering at this point, “Who really cares what stress is – all I know is it is making my life hell!”
We care about defining stress because by doing so, we will be able to alleviate it. Stress is a biological response in your body to a threat. Stress (like many other things) has evolved in order for humans react to danger and adapt. Stress spits out chemicals in the body like adrenaline, epinephrine, and cortisol to help us fight or run away. We needed this chemical reaction for millions of years to be able to prepare us to fight or to flee from lions, storms, and other cavemen trying to kill us for our food.
In the context of this danger, stress was very useful. Well, obviously, times have changed. You may think about your break-up, invoke stress, release the chemicals, and then just lie down. The chemicals have no where to go, so they build up and cause damage to your cells; essentially, you feel worse. In addition, the stress response was made to keep us focused on the danger. If you find yourself ruminating on the same negative thoughts or have difficulty in learning new things at work or school – this is directly correlated to high stress.
Humans were not built for chronic stress. We were certainly not prepared to feel it over and over again and not release it. In order to minimize the effects of stress or simply eliminate it all together, you must expend physical energy. In other words – you must exercise. You have been told in the past that exercise will ‘make you feel better’. I am now telling you why you will feel better from a scientific point of view. You have stress built up in your body in a very physical sense; to release it you must embrace 30-minutes of exercise each day.
The other great thing about exercise is that it can help you eliminate ruminating thoughts, jealousy, anxiety, and panic. The explanation for this and many other concepts about setting your stress free is in the video. The requirement for this step is that you watch the video and understand it. Watch it twice to help get the point across.