I am Sheamus - Very Personal Development

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We all suffer from stress. Some more than others, for sure, but from personal experience anyone who tells you they don’t ever feel stressed should be consumed with a hefty pinch. Even ultra-laidback golfer Fred Couples felt the pinch when he arrived at Amen Corner during the US Masters in 1992. Not showing stress, and not feeling stressed, are two very different things.

What is stress? Succinctly, it is the consequence of an individual’s failure to adapt to change - for example, a sudden increase in workload. When the demands of a given situation exceed - or, commonly, appear to exceed - the resources of a person, tension elevates to the point where their condition becomes erratic and self-destructive. They become distressed.

Image Source: Velvet G

What causes stress? Unfortunately, certainly in these heady modern times, pretty much anything and everything.

Common examples include:

• Money
• Exams
• Unemployment
• Deadlines
• Relationships
• Illness
• Driving
• Family
• Lifestyle choices
• Clutter

More specific examples might be:

• Constant noise (children, music, television, roadwork)
• Excessive alcohol consumption
• Lack of sleep
• Feeling overwhelmed by personal responsibility
• Prescription medication
• Non-prescription medication
• Your diet
• Lack of exercise
• Bullying
• Lack of self-identity or meaning

To be honest, if one was to list each and every source of stress you could quite easily fill a book the size of an encyclopaedia, and possibly a complete A-to-Z.

In 1974, psychologist Richard Lazarus theorised that stress could be divided into two forms - distress, which was negative and self-destructive, and eustress, which was healthy and fulfilling. While both kinds of stress can be taxing on mind and body, the benefits of eustress leave the recipient feeling satisfied and accomplished, therefore placing them in a better position to handle the strain. Conversely, if distress is not quickly remedied the individual risks prolonged suffering, depression and high-anxiety. Collectively, these also have a tendency to prolong the healing process.

While some sources of stress are too broad for quick fixes and require deeper analysis and even counselling, everyday trials and tribulations can often be countered with simple but productive steps. De-stressing the body and mind - turning distress into eustress - is entirely possible. You just have to take action.

Here are seven tried and tested methods to turn that frown upside down.

Go Hit Lots And Lots Of Golf Balls

Image Source: Island-Life

I know lots of people think golf is boring. And I know lots of those same people have never played golf. That doesn’t matter. Very few things on this earth are as therapeutic and calming as going to a driving range and whacking away at hundreds of balls. It doesn’t matter if you have a scratch handicap or you’ve never picked up a pitching wedge your entire life - hitting those little white balls feels great. Particularly on those rare moments when you connect perfectly with the sweet spot on the face of the club. Indeed, it’s those once- or twice-a-round occurrences - where you feel like a pro - that keep all club players coming back for more.

Years ago I used to regularly go to one driving range that was very popular. A few times a day, one of the green-keepers would take this box car - which was essentially a golf cart with a steel cage on top of it - and go out on to the range to collect all the balls. Naturally there were thousands of them and this procedure would take him maybe half an hour or so. Which was simply not long enough, as every time the guy came out everybody on the range would adjust their body and swing so that all the balls they hit were aimed right at him.

The green-keeper was safe - the cart was underneath that steel cage for a reason - but none of that mattered. Just having the option to blast away at the poor chap was more than enough to fix any and all of that day’s ills. Seeing - and better, hearing - a ball clang off the roof of his cage never failed to bring a smile to your face. This was especially true during those rare moments when dozens of balls connected at once, like machine-gun fire. I think back to those days fondly, and sometimes even the thought of it is enough to clear my mind of stress.

And you never know - you may actually end up liking golf, too.

Run. Then Run Some More.

Readers will be aware of my current running streak but my belief in this method goes back a decade and more. Here’s the deal - life feels better when you are running. Furthermore, life feels better after you have run, too.

When you’re out there pounding the streets (trails, track or treadmill), step by step, one foot in front of the other, there’s a certain something you’re looking for. A moment. Some people call it ‘The Zone’. Others refer to it as running Zen.

It’s hard to explain unless you’ve experienced it yourself. But for me, I knew I was in this zone when my body felt like it was made up of two different parts. The best way to describe it is a feeling like my upper body was ‘me’, and it (and I) was sitting on my legs, which were independent and doing all of the running work. I - the top half - was just along for the ride on the working bottom half. It was a feeling somewhat akin to being in the passenger seat of a car.

During these periods - which might last anything from a few seconds to half an hour or more - my mind would be completely removed from the realisation that I was running. My legs, after all, which during those times felt like a separate entity to me, were doing all that. I was simply tagging along. It is often at these moments that I had my most brilliant thoughts. This breakthrough was not lost on me.

Of course, running automatically alters your mood simply through the release of endorphins. These naturally-occurring hormones attach themselves to receptors on the brain and spinal cord to combat pain, which triggers an euphoric feeling - often called ‘runner’s high’ - that is a great stress-buster.

Additionally, after a run I always go through an extended period of feeling ‘well’ or content. This, again, is a somewhat Zen-like state of mind - a feeling of being centred. I find myself feeling significantly more calm and collected than I did before I ran. It can last anything from an hour to the rest of the day.

Running has all manner of positive effects on the body.

• It burns a significant amount of energy. As such, it is one of the best ways to achieve your ideal body weight
• It raises your metabolism
• It is a great way to improve cardiovascular health
• It lowers blood pressure
• Because it strengthens bones, tendons and central nervous system, it can help slow down the aging process

What are you waiting for? Put those sneakers on now and get outside!

Lift Weights

Image Source: CapturingTheMoment

It’s pretty ironic that the time when you are least likely to hit the gym - when you’ve had a bad day - is the time when you most need to go. Like running, lifting weights can reap enormous benefits for body and mind. Furthermore, regular trips to the gym will ensure that you’re more capable of handling stressful situations before they get on top of you.

• Like running, lifting weights releases those lovely endorphins into the body
• It raises your metabolism
• It fills your body with energy
• It can improve your posture
• Improvements in body shape will boost your self-esteem
• Stronger skeletal muscles can decrease skeletal pain (i.e., your back)
• You’ll sleep like a baby

Therefore, not only can a session at the gym have an immediate improvement on your mood, but the effects of a regular program can really make a difference to your life.

Power Nap

By mid-afternoon, most people, especially after a meal, are naturally sleepy. It’s no coincidence that it is at these times that you will typically feel most stressed (and most likely to vocalise that feeling).

It’s a total cliché, but one of the most effective ways to deal with stress is, literally, to ‘sleep on it’. As one matures into an adult, society tends to look down on those who nap; indeed, a country like Spain, which functions around a culture where the siesta is not only the norm, but actively encouraged, are often considered lazy or old-fashioned by other, particularly Western nations.

In South Asia, and notably Japan, post-lunch naps are common. Many Japanese offices feature special ‘napping rooms’ that allow workers to rest after meals or periods of overtime.
And for good reason, too - the power nap is a very effective way to not only decrease stress, but to increase productivity. Durations of 20-30 minutes are recommended as this prevents the napper entering but failing to complete a full sleep cycle (which can be quite detrimental to mental health). The actual length of time required will vary from person to person, but you should wake after your nap feeling refreshed and energetic, not lethargic or dazed.

Six-time Hawaii Ironman champion Mark Allen was a firm believer in the power nap. In his 1988 book Total Triathlete, Allen writes about how he would take advantage of this tool during his short flights to races, conditioning himself to wake up fully refreshed and energised after each nap. (Allen’s book, which was published before his first win in Hawaii, and thus focuses more on his failures up to that point in his life, makes for excellent motivational reading and is recommended if you can track down a copy - try the used options on Amazon.)

Some advocates recommend a moderate intake of caffeine immediately prior to napping. These caffeine naps are considered to be doubly-effective as caffeine typically takes about 20 minutes to take effect. Hence, the person wakes from the nap with extra energy.

SHOUT!

Primal therapy is a form of psychotherapy where the patient is encouraged to relive events, often by screaming or crying to achieve catharsis. As psychological defenses are broken down, the individual experiences a feeling of calm and well-being.

During periods of high stress, it is very easy for a person to resort to raising their voice in an often vain attempt to make their point or position understood. In an argument the person who begins shouting first is often considered to be admitting defeat - that their hope is by raising their voice they can somehow overpower their opponent, even after the logic of their reasoning has failed.

However, shouting or screaming, in and of itself, can be an excellent way to rid the body of stress.

Here’s the best way to do it:

1. Get into your car.
2. Drive to somewhere as far away as possible. Make sure it’s a safe place, but it’s important to be as isolated as you can be. You needn’t even leave your car if that is an issue - just make sure you are out of earshot.
3. Scream. Vent. Shout. Rage. Yell. Cry.
4. Once it’s all out of your system, drive back.

Believe me - you will feel a lot better. And nobody else needs to know.

Do Something That Makes You Laugh

Image Source: Teggie

This might include watching a movie or a sitcom, reading a book, playing with your kids or simply entering the word ‘jokes’ into Google and lapping it all up.

Laughter really is the best medicine. It completely detoxes the feeling of stress. While the idea of popping one of your favourite comedies into the DVD player seems like the last thing you want to do during those moments when you’re feeling at your most stressed, it can reap almost instant benefits. Same goes for your favourite sitcoms - I find just dropping in on older episodes of Friends or Frasier can provide a very quick pick-me-up.

(Of course, if you do not like those shows then obviously replace them with examples that you do. Otherwise you’ll inevitably become more stressed.)

Smash Something Up

Smashing stuff - notably hotels if you’re a celebrity, or one of thirty lucky Spaniards in July last year - is a really effective way to take care of your bad day.

The problem is, while storming into our own living rooms and destroying everything in our path might feel like a great idea for, oh, about two minutes, the after-effects of such a decision is inevitably going to make us feel a whole lot worse.

So, what can we break? Here are some ideas:

• Glass - the sound of glass smashing at a bottle bank is very satisfying.
• Wood - we all have an old chair we hate. Its time has come.
• Cardboard - save up cardboard boxes for your angriest days. Take them out to the yard. Stamp on them.
• Clothes - declutter your wardrobe and find all the old clothes you’ve kept that you know you’re never going to wear again. Filter out anything that even the charity shops won’t touch. Now tear it into strips, Hulk-style. Ripping up an old t-shirt feels great. Tip: It’s even better if you - or your partner - are actually wearing it at the time.
• Sand - go to the beach and spend hours building a sandcastle that is both technically impressive and formidable in size. Stand back and admire your work. Now smash it to blue blazes. Really get in there, like you’re a wild animal or something. (Important: smashing up somebody else’s sandcastle is bullying and does not have the consent of this blog. Look out for those skinny guys - they fight until they’re burger.)

Please use the comments section below to tell me the ways you manage your own elevated stress levels.

How do you turn distress into eustress?

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• How To Achieve Sickcess - Tips For Taking Care Of Business When You’re Unwell
• The Power Of Motivation
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