Stress Is Not the Enemy, But How We Deal with it Matters

Stress Is Not the Enemy, But How We Deal with it Matters

If I asked you how stressed you feel on a scale of one to ten, most people would pause, laugh, and then say something like “honestly… about an eight”. Stress has become so normal that we barely question it anymore. Work stress, family stress, financial stress, social stress. It just piles up quietly until your shoulders live around your ears and your sleep starts falling apart…. Psst sports massage helps with that.

Here is the important part. Stress itself is not bad. Stress is a survival response. It sharpens focus and increases energy, and helps us react to challenges. The problem is not stress. The problem is living in a stressed state all the time with no proper outlet.

Types of stress

Your body does not know the difference between being chased by a predator and being chased by deadlines. The same stress hormones are released either way. Historically, those hormones were followed by movement. Running, climbing, fighting, lifting, carrying. Today, they are followed by sitting, scrolling, and clenching your jaw. If you’ve been for a massage you know I talk about this frequently.

That is where exercise (and sports massage) comes in, and not in the way most people think.

Reduce Stress

Exercise is not just about burning calories or getting fitter. It is one of the most effective ways we have to tell the nervous system, “we handled the threat”. When you move your body with intention, you give stress somewhere to go. You complete the stress cycle instead of storing it in your muscles, digestion, and sleep patterns.

I see this constantly with PT clients. They come in feeling wired, exhausted, overwhelmed. They leave standing taller, breathing deeper, and speaking more calmly. Nothing magical happened, their body simply got to do what it was designed to do under stress.

Don’t over do it

This does not mean you need to smash yourself with brutal workouts. In fact, that can make stress worse if your system is already overloaded – the right kind of exercise meets you where you are. It supports your nervous system instead of hammering it.

Think of movement as a pressure valve, if you never release the pressure, something eventually gives. Exercise is a controlled and positive way to release that pressure before it turns into pain or burnout, or illness.

In the next blog, I want to talk about what is actually happening inside your body when stress builds up, and why certain types of exercise work better than others when your goal is stress relief rather than performance.

I deliver tailored Personal Training sessions for women at my small home studio gym, especially for those of you needing guidance and accountability on your journey to fitness and stress management. Please get in touch at [email protected]

Book online at www.astralfitness.co.uk

Thank you for reading this weeks blog, Kinesiology Taping vs Traditional Strapping.

Thanks for reading,
Chloe