One of the best strategies to reduce and prevent stress overload is physical activity. Your heart works harder, but in a much more pleasant way than when you’re feeling anxious or angry! This is what’s called “positive stress”. It helps your body balance the impact of stress overload.
You’re limited to a small space? There’s lots of things you can do without moving about the room. For example, weightlifting.
No equipment? Fill up some bottles or bags to create your own custom weights.
Strength training is a proven method of preventing anxiety and depression. If you’ve never tried it before, start out with lighter weights to build muscle without injuring yourself.
By loading the video, you agree to YouTube’s privacy policy.
Learn more
And don’t forget to stretch before and after! Stretching helps your body reduce stress.
When we’re very worried, we often feel it in our bodies, for example “tightness” or “hardness”.
What kind of physical activity helps you feel “looser” or at ease?
What differences do you notice in your body after physical activity that pumps up your heart rate?
Experiment: Try doing something strenuous for at least 3 Minutes, then observe how your body returns to a resting state. Does this feel any different than how you felt before exercising, or not?
