Exercise for Stress

by Sarah
(Bloomington, MN, USA)

Dealing with Stress Through Exercise and Relaxation.

I have recently found some ways to successfully overcome the stress I have found in my life. Recently, things were become more and more stressful for me - work was becoming busier, with my responsibilities mounting often, and with that, the pressure to do a good job with minimal errors.

Along with that, things were stressful at home - money was tight, and we were busy with a variety of different activities. I could feel the stress building, and knew that if I didn't find a good release for it all soon, it would end up making me sick.

So, I turned to exercise. I'm not one who loves to exercise, but I have found it to be a good release in the past, and decided to try it again. For me, boxing and kick boxing routines seemed to be the best stress busters - I could imagine that the causes of stress in my life were there in front of me, and I could punch and kick them away. It may sound cheesy, but it really worked for me.

Exercise helped me to get my mind off of the stress, and gave me an outlet for the excess energy that comes along with my stress. Being able to physically exhaust myself meant that the stress seemed to be less significant.

Also, on the weekends, I made sure I took time to relax. I went for walks with my husband and my dog, and relaxed and watched my favorite baseball team on TV. While those activities might not be relaxing for everyone, they are things that relax me, and they also helped me to recuperate on the weekends, and gave me a fresh focus going into the next work week. So, overall, a combination of hard exercise and time to relax and unwind were what helped me kick my stress and find some relief.