Get moving to lower stress levels

BY THE time you read this column I will have hopefully finished my first half marathon. But it’s too predictable for me to write about the Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon this weekend. So, I’m going to write about the other “big thing” in my life right now – stress.

Apart from tackling the marathon, I’m also heading to the US for the annual Paleo f(x) Conference and to complete my certification as a Primal Play movement coach.

So, to say I’m feeling stressed is a bit of an understatement.

April is Stress Awareness Month so I’ve been flooded with information about what causes stress and how best to tackle it.

While the Oxford dictionary defines it simply as “a state of mental or emotional strain”, other resources point out that rather than being a diagnosis, stress is a process which causes discomfort or distress and could lead to mental health problems like anxiety and depression as well as physical illness like cardiovascular disease.

Stress is subjective, with some people being able to deal with the same set of stressors more capably than others. The key is not to judge your – or someone else’s – ability to deal with these causes of stress.

For example, someone who is accustomed to travelling alone often, may find my anxiety about my trip irrational.

Then there are people whose stress is caused by situations many of us might never imagine living in. An example is people who live in communities ravaged by violence, or those who live in extreme poverty.

Children are particularly at risk because we often don’t recognise what they’re going through.

I read about an organisation that goes to schools to teach mindfulness and yoga to pupils in communities where they are exposed to violence, drugs and gangsterism. Since September last year more than 900 pupils and 160 teachers have participated in the Mindful Living programme introduced by the Western Cape Education Department as part of their Trauma-Informed Schools Initiative.

While stress is key to our survival, too much of it – and for prolonged periods – can take its toll on our immune systems and our emotional well-being. It is essential to learn to identify your stressors and equip yourself with techniques to avoid or deal with stress.

Just about any expert will recommend exercise. Even if you feel your stress is bad enough for you to see a counsellor about it, chances are the mental health specialist will also recommend outdoor activity.

The reason exercise is effective is that it helps to lower your stress hormones and releases endorphins, the “feel-good hormones”.

Exercise can also improve your quality of sleep and increase your confidence.

Other simple techniques for dealing with stress:

¡ Write down your anxieties or list

the things you are grateful for.

¡ Spend time with friends who

make you happy.

¡ Find something to laugh at.

¡ Start tackling your to-do list.

¡ Do yoga and/or breathing

exercises or meditate.

¡ Play with your pet.

¡ Hug someone – positive physical contact helps lower the levels of your stress hormones.