Physical activity can help reduce stress and boost feelings of well-being. However, that general wisdom isn’t necessarily a straightforward equation. There are times when exercise’s therapeutic benefits can turn into a potential witch’s brew of problems.
Exercise And Stress Is A Two-Way Street
Many people find that exercise helps them blow off steam, build confidence and positive self-image, and boost feelings of well-being. Thanks to research, we also know that these emotional benefits get translated into physical ones by reducing stress hormones and producing endorphins, those natural feel-good chemicals responsible for the so-called runner’s high.1 While it is tempting to translate that into a simple message that exercise is good stress relief, it’s a little more complicated than that.
Athletes who are under high levels of stress have been shown to be more injury prone.2 While some of this is related to the fact that stress is distracting, leading to sloppier performances that in turn raise the risk of injury, it is suspected that some of it is due to those same stress hormones mentioned above. When chronically elevated, they have negative affects on the body’s immune system, nervous system, and musculoskeletal system.3 Ironically, this intersecting dynamic between exercise and stress relief can set you up for a potential catch-22. If you use exercise for stress relief but, at the same time, your chronic stress is making you more injury prone, you may end up getting hurt which only leaves you deprived of your main avenue for stress management. The paradox can leave one feeling stuck, which may in turn lead to further stress. In some cases, this can even develop into more serious emotional disturbances from anger to outright depression. 4
Focus On Management And Recovery
In today’s world, where high value is placed on busy lifestyles and intense workloads, it can be hard to free ourselves from the pressures that push us towards this stress/exercise paradox. In fact, we’re often so busy during the day that we seek out the quickest, most high intensity workout we can find in order to keep it’s demand on our time to a minimum. One way to help shift your mindset away from this trap is to remember that exercise is only as good as your recovery. Whenever you exercise your body is knocked out of homeostasis—the fancy term for its physiological equilibrium—and must work to get back there. This recovery phase is just as important as the workout itself. Without recovery, exercise is meaningless. That means that while it might be the norm to think only of a hard workout as valuable to your health, the truth is there are times when it would be better to favor recovery, even at the expense of the workout. What’s more, if you make that recovery something that is also stress relieving, you’ll really be on to something. Maybe it’s finally time to start reading that book on the shelf, or taking some walks through the park, enjoying a hot bath, or even taking a nap. These activities, which might seem like a luxury that you can’t afford, could be the most beneficial thing you can do both mentally and physically. You may even find that you are stronger after having done it than you might have been otherwise and end up getting a better workout the next time you do hit the gym.