Combat bad stress with a lot of good exercise
Sweating it out with yoga, research shows, is an effective destresser
Stress that lasts for a prolonged period is called ‘chronic stress’, a top cause for health issues
The annual appraisal season — that time of year when stress goes through the roof — is upon us. It is common for managers to be stressed about assessing their team members, and for the appraisees to lose sleep over what is in store for them. This is over and above the stresses that regular life and work throw at us.
Stress is a natural physiological response of the human body when faced with challenges, demands, or perceived threats. When a person perceives that the demands exceed their personal and social resources, they experience stress, says Dr. Vinayak Agrawal, director and head of clinical cardiology and cardiac imaging at the Fortis Memorial Research Institute in Gurugram. Despite the clear risks it poses to our health and wellbeing, not all stress is bad. It can be productive and help us adapt quickly to situations. This kind of good stress is called ‘eustress’. Neutral stress is known as ‘neustress’ while ‘distress’ is the most harmful kind. “It is the bad stress we need to worry about. When bad stress is of high intensity but for a short duration, it is called acute stress. When it is low intensity stress that lasts for a prolonged period of time, it is chronic stress. It is this chronic stress that seems to be the cause of most problems, including disease and illness,” explains Agrawal.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared stress a health epidemic of the 21st century because of the serious and widespread impact it has on humans. Among the most common causes of stress are major life changes, challenging workplace dynamics, strained interpersonal relationships, conflicts at home, financial troubles, social media, academic pressure and much more. In fact, normal life is a constant source of stress, points out Agrawal. Common physical symptoms of stress include headaches, muscle tension, fatigue, sleep disturbances, digestion problems, irregular bowel movements and unhealthy eating habits.
While breath work, meditation and medication are popular ways of dealing with stress, one of the most effective stress-busters is physical exercise. “Exercise promotes better sleep and reduces muscle tension, contributing to overall stress reduction,” says Spoorthi S., a fitness expert at Cult.Fit.
One of the most effective forms of exercise to combat stress is yoga, say doctors and coaches—as it combines physical activity, meditation and breath work. A 2020 study titled, How Does Yoga Reduce Stress? A Clinical Trial Testing Psychological Mechanisms
found that yoga interventions of increased mindfulness, interoceptive awareness, spiritual well-being and self-compassion reduce perceived stress; it can also reduce stress reactivity. Yoga’s emphasis on mindfulness, and its meditative aspect can create a sense of calm, improve focus, and break the cycle of stressful thoughts by encouraging present-moment awareness.