Tips for Stress Management

It comes at us in many forms – school, work, relationships, training, kids, daily life…shall I go on? It affects everything from our mental state, to our physical state, and probably more than you think it does:

– Your blood vessels constrict & raise your blood pressure.

– Your heart works too hard for too long, raising your risk of hypertension & problems with your blood vessels and heart

– Your liver produces extra blood sugar (glucose) to give you a boost of energy, and you may be at an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

– Under stress, your muscles tense up to protect themselves from injury.
– People under chronic stress are more susceptible to viral illnesses like influenza and the common cold.
– Stress increases risk of other opportunistic diseases and infections.
– Stress can also increase the time it takes to recover from illness or injury.

These are just some of the things that happen to your body…the list can go on and on…Doesn’t sound too good now, does it? Not when it comes to training! Balancing stress in our lives, so we are ready to go on our bikes is key for staying happy, healthy, and getting the most of our training. So how can we manage it? Here are 5 quick tips:

1. Identify the sources of stress in your life – what is going on? What is the actual source of your stress? Start a journal. Track your stress, find the patterns, and find how/why you are responding both physically and emotionally.

2. Learn how to say “no”. – Know your limits, and stick to them. Stop picking up that extra shift at work, stop saying “yes” to everyone, when you don’t have the time. Put yourself first.

3. Avoid people/things that stress you out – Take control of your environment! Put happy, healthy, and positive influences in your life, and make a positive change.

4. Create Balance – plan out your day, plan out your goals, plan out your timeline. Balance work, school, play. Balance enough “you” time in your life to satisfy your needs. Manage your time efficiently.

5. Accept the things you can’t change – Sometimes you can’t do anything about stress – it’s just there. Acceptance is hard, but don’t try to control the situation, look for the upside to the situation, forgive, and share your feelings by writing them down, or verbalizing your emotions.