Stress refers to a physical, emotional, or mental factor that causes tension to the body or mind. Prolonged episodes of stress can lead to many undesired medical conditions, including anxiety and depression hence the need to manage stress for a healthy living. Managing stress means applying various techniques and procedures that help people deal with stress effectively by identifying their stress triggers and identifying the best action to minimize the effects of these triggers. Individuals coping with stress must place a relaxation technique, activity, or procedure that helps a person relax and attain a state of calmness, thus reducing the levels of pain and anxiety ("Introduction to stress and stress management," 2013).
I have been one victim of the effects of stress, which has made me embark on a fourteen-day experiment to determine the best and most effective method or activity to apply as the best stress-coping mechanism to reduce my stress levels. Somebody recommended that I experiment on weight lifting as a stress management activity since it had effectively worked wonders on him. I embraced the idea since I had always wanted to try out bodybuilding as a fitness technique, so I rushed to the fitness shop and purchased a set of weights to use at home. For the next two weeks, I began to engage in weightlifting for thirty minutes per day. I would engage in this activity at the time of day when I felt that my body was most susceptible to stress, which for me, was mostly in the afternoon hours.
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Starting weightlifting on the first day felt like an impossible milestone that wasn't worth my efforts. I got tired too fast, and this activity seemed like a bad idea to do as a stress relaxation technique. I had hoped that starting and getting my body to adapt to the workout routine would be a walk in the park, but the harsh reality met my expectations that this was the most challenging endeavor which required all my hard work and commitment. I wondered what was running through my mind when I decided to purchase these weights; how could I waste my money on such a useless undertaking? I felt like giving up on the activity before I even started. However, I decided that giving up without trying was a stupid idea since I had already purchased the weights, and there was no way I could return them and get a refund. I decided to thoroughly commit to the course and assess the significance of its results after the two weeks.
During the first week of my exercise, I would experience an overwhelming feeling of anxiety before starting my workout session. However, I realized that the anxiety levels began to decrease within the first ten minutes of my workout. After fifteen to twenty minutes of continuously working out, my stress levels would completely seize to exist. It seemed that the more I worked out and experienced fatigue, the more my stress levels would continue to exist. With every single lift, my body was rewarding my muscle fatigue by reducing my stress levels. After completing the thirsty minute’s workout, my mind would feel so clear and relaxed that it felt unreal. I had never experienced such a level of relaxation in my life. During the second week of my workout routine, I began to experience the full rewards of this activity. All the anxiety that I felt before exercising had wholly vanished. It now got replaced by an urge to engage in the workout exercise. It now felt like my body was requesting o demanding me to engage in the workout exercise. On many occasions, I managed to go past the thirty-minute workout time and extend it by ten to thirty minutes more. I could now comfortably exercise for an hour without experiencing anxiety. The more the time I put into it, the greater the relaxation levels I achieved. My mind could now focus more on an essential task without getting distracted by minor distractions, and I could now have a sound sleep at night compared to the past weeks, where I would experience a lot of restlessness. Overall, I seem to have a happier and healthier mind, which I attribute to my workout routine. I intend to continue with weightlifting as a stress-coping mechanism for its psychological and physical benefits on me.
Reference
Introduction to stress and stress management. (2013). Stress Management . https://doi.org/10.5040/9781492595946.ch-001
