DON’T SWEAT IT: Balancing workouts & stress

When it comes to living well, ‘everything in moderation’ is a phrase that comes up a lot. And yes, it’s true. But it’s not just talking about bakery trips and pizza y’know?

While it’s a crucial component to any fit and healthy lifestyle, exercise is something else that should be treated mindfully – especially through highly stressful periods or if you’re someone suffering with anxiety or panic disorder.

It might seem like a good idea to let it all out with a savage gym sesh, but if your body’s running on survival mode, it could end up being just as much overkill as smashing allllllllll of the cakes and pizza. 

Feeling the burn(out)

The thing we tend forget is that working out – whether it’s cardio, weight training or even dynamic yoga practice – is a stressor.  When we’re feeling at our best, that stress is actually a good thing. In fact, we need it! It’s by activating our muscles and loading our joints through different movements that they build strength causing our bodies to adapt and our fitness to improve. 

But if we’re already feeling fried or we’ve been living in a stressed state for a while? Well, it doesn’t take a genius to work out that massive stress x massive stressor does not = a blissed-out body and mind!

“Does that mean I shouldn’t work out …?”

Not at all, working out is of course awesome and we should all be doing it! It’s just about paying attention to how we’re feeling and responding to what our bodies need. If you’re struggling with sleep, constantly feeling “on edge” and feel like you’re living in survival mode, then this is a prime example of when to look at your fitness and well-being routine.

Remember that rest is imperative to healing and functioning at your best – so perhaps first ask if you’re giving your body and brain enough breaks throughout the day. And that definitely includes phone and screen use! One of my favourite ways to rest my brain when I’ve been using screens a lot is to get outside and look into the distance to give my eyes a break.

It's also good to note that it can be common when you begin to break the stress cycle that you'll feel extremely tired. I’ve worked with many clients who have dealt with feelings of exhaustion as they’ve begun to slowly address their anxiety, stress and trauma. So always listen to your body. It tends to know best.

Striking the balance

If you’re going through a rough patch mentally or are finding yourself exhausted after workouts here are my top 3 tips for striking a better balance…

#1 GO GENTLE 🧘

If it’s a short period of stress or anxiety and you just want to move your body, try going gently. Trading a high-energy pummelling for an option like slow or yin yoga will down-regulate your nervous system and help relax both body and mind. If that’s not your vibe, then try a run but maybe try reducing your pace, distance and try nasal breathing through it. It will reduce stress on your body as well as give you the little mood boost you might be craving (see no. 3)

#2 TRY DIFFERENT 💁

Another option to make your movement more mindful is to switch things up with something completely new. For example give climbing a go, tennis, badminton… whatever! Because you’ve not done it before you’ll be forced to focus your attention and bring an open mind – and that could be just the change you need to switch out of alert mode and give your brain and nervous system a bit of respite.

#3 FOCUS YOUR BREATH 😮‍💨

Feel like you just NEED the sweatiness only a semi-intense workout can bring? Totally get it – but try using breathwork to help your body regulate as you go.

👉 Keep breathing nasal during your full warm-up to gradually build into your workout with less strain on your body. (Try to stay with it as long as you can!)

👉 Then, for cool down and stretches, focus on slow, nasal breaths while keeping chest and shoulders still. Extend the exhales for a down-regulating effect on your nervous system to stop you from getting stuck in that heightened state.

 
There's lots more information on how and why all of the above works in my  "Breath-work for Anxiety & Stress" course. Understanding the nervous system is a really big plus when it comes to managing symptoms, and we cover it all at length in the first lessons. Get in touch if you’d like to know more! If you’re someone suffering with anxiety, panic disorder or long-term burnout then don’t hesitate to get in touch for 1-1 sessions which might be more suitable for you.