They say that often in times of anger, frustration, stress and worry that the best reaction is no reaction at all. I am not sure how realistic that is when the blood is rising to the surface of your face, your hands start to clench, your left leg is twitching like it’s attached to an electric socket and you are finding it hard to breathe!
You then find yourself driving home, screaming at every red light and every other car on the road that isn’t driving the way that suits you. The phones rings and it’s your mum just wanting to check in and say hello, your replies are short and unfriendly as you are punching at the horn!! She hangs up and you are filled with guilt at your behaviour only compounding you current emotional state.
Intellectually you know you should go for a run or to the gym or something to let off some steam, yet it’s dark and its cold and the red wine is calling, what else can you do?
I have all been there at some point, in fact probably more often that I care to admit in this busy and hectic world we all live. I have been told many times to meditate more, do some deep breathing, stop getting so stressed out. What most people don’t know, which was recently stated in an article by the New York Times, is that when your body is in a state of worry. stress or anxiety, being told to calm down and meditate is never going to work.
I have spent years of my career in and around the health and wellness industry and pride myself on understanding exercise physiology, human movement and the impact that it has on how people feel both psychically but more importantly emotionally, however, it was not until multiple life crisis, happening over a period of 5 years, did I realise that I was deploying strategies to help me calm myself and manage terrible stress and anxiety, that I had created ‘hacks’ that everyone could do in times of need. The best part was that most were without the need of gym equipment or hours of time, were in fact were extremely effective and scientifically proven to alter your brain chemistry to combat the stress responses we all get.
So here are 2 of my regulars and also my favourites for you to try next time you feel like you are struggling with life.
Scream really loud
Now, whilst screaming brings up a negative connations, in this context, jumping in the car, turning on your favourite motivation music and screaming at the top of your lungs until all the air is out of them, is actually really cathartic and releases the negative energy from your body. It is probably one of my most used and favourite, as its quick and it’s free and it really feels good when you are done. Sometimes you might scream for a whole song and other times just a few seconds. Be warned you may lose your voice for a minute which isn’t a bad thing!
The good old step up
With everything being so complicated these days, we have forgotten simple and old school ways to move our bodies, which at the end of the day is all you really need to do to let off some steam. So, grab a chair and step away. Set your clock timer for 1 minute. Step up on the same leg for a minute, give yourself 20 seconds rest and switch legs. If you really want your brain to change gears, throw some upright air punches every time you are at the top. This will require your brain to be thinking about far too many other things than what made you get upset in the first place. For those tougher days, repeat it a few times on each leg. Give your quads a little stretch, have a shower and stop and notice how different you feel! You may in fact have a little chuckle at yourself for getting so wound up in the first place.
At the end of the day we are humans and we are emotional. What we need to appreciate is that it isn’t that hard to let off steam and calm down all those chemicals running through our bodies. Who would have thought that a good old scream could make you feel so good! I know it does, regardless of what the drivers in the car next to me think.