Is Stress sabotaging your peace of mind and sucking the joy from your life?

Coping With Stress in busy times

When I ask students what they hope to get out of practising Yoga, invariably, apart from the health benefits, the answer is to “reduce stress” or “to achieve some mental relaxation”. It’s indicative of the times we live in. Despite all of the time saving devices and tools that we now have access to, most people find themselves over-committed and time poor. And it can really affect our peace of mind.

For many working people, gone are the lazy weekends when families would spend lengthy lunches catching up over a roast or barbecue and enjoying a game of cricket or some other inclusive family activity. Today, weekends are often spent racing from one sporting fixture to another (or other extra-curricular activity) for the kids! Then there are the fundraising activities (not to be discouraged), fitness activities/classes, chores, grocery shopping, tending to the pets, maintaining the house, garden and pool, keeping up with social media, keeping abreast of the local, national and global news and events, upskilling and training seminars to maintain employment prospects/relevance, social commitments etc. And somewhere in between all this we need to find time to “relax”. Sometimes it’s just all too much and we succumb to sickness and are simply forced to take time out to rest and recover.

And there’s the rub!

Are we content to jog along on cue filling in every moment of our lives without actually spending the time to nourish ourselves and attend to the needs of our bodies, minds and souls? We might snatch a glimpse of a magazine or newspaper article over a coffee or end up gazing at our mobiles to catch up on “everything”! We might manage a relaxing massage or facial once in a while – blissful! Or even dinner and a movie. But there’s a perception that our “relaxation” times are sandwiched in between an ever-increasing succession of commitments and obligations.

Precious time!

And yet when we do find we have time on our hands, what to do with it can become an issue. For many, even the thought of being alone or still or quiet can bring on a stressful response. Stress can affect your thoughts, feelings and behaviour and can manifest in umpteen ways, physiologically and psychologically –increased heart rate, high blood pressure, short shallow breath, skin rashes, hot flushes, stomach acidity, physical and mental fatigue, short fuse, defensive/aggressive responses, lack of motivation, and the list goes on…

Stress can certainly be brought on by external factors such as losing one’s job, death of a loved one, financial pressures, moving house, work pressures, relationship problems, family pressures etc. There may be nothing you can do to change the situation or stressor. But can we do something about our response to the situation? If we look at the internal causes of stress such as poor health and fitness, poor nutrition, fear, worry, anger, negative thoughts and attitudes, anticipation - even imagination and memory can cause stress - we might be able to ameliorate the level of stress we generate.

Studio yoga class at Embodied Yoga at Toowong

Yoga can help lower stress levels

Yoga can assist us in dealing with stress and even prevent stress by helping release muscle tension with postures that involve stretching and compression, along with breathing and relaxation techniques. We can reduce our heart-rate levels with meditation and by slowing down our breath. We can reduce worry and anxiety by giving ourselves a mental break, changing our thought patterns and learning to have a more measured response to situations rather than over-reactions. This where Yoga comes into its own.

Enjoy life - don't just exist

But in the long term, we might also need to look at our lifestyles and possibly make changes to the number of commitments and obligations we sign up for. A simpler lifestyle or even a change of pace could well be the panacea we are looking for to reduce the causes of stress. Combined with techniques to improve our well-being, build up our immune systems and provide us with the mental resilience we can also prevent our stress levels from increasing.

A more relaxed frame of mind gives us the freedom to be in the moment and enjoy each day. If you're not already enjoying the benefits of Yoga in your life, maybe it's time to take on the challenge in the new year?

Jenny Sherlock