When was the last time you had stress? Some of you know I have recently started a new position at my work. I am so thankful for the new opportunities this new role will provide for my family and me, but I am also nervous about the transition. There are many moving parts that I have to keep up with in this new role, and I am worried I am going to miss something or mess something up. I am sure you have felt the same way before, or you may even feel this way now. I hope this post will encourage you.
Stress is always going to be a regular part of our daily lives. Because of this, we should not try to eliminate stress entirely but instead increase our resilience to stress.
The risks that come with stress.
Stress is awful for many disease processes and increases the risk of acute complications. Stress can increase blood pressure and heart rate. Sustained elevated blood pressure can be associated with diabetes Mellitus, kidney disease, sleep apnea, and high cholesterol. Stress can lead to heart attack, stroke, hypertension, abnormal heart rhythm, depression, anxiety, and more.
Steps to decrease stress in your life
Get active. Increasing physical activity and working out are great stress relievers. When we exercise, our bodies release hormones/neurotransmitters like endorphins, dopamine, and serotonin.
- Dopamine is a neurotransmitter/hormone that elevates mood, increases energy, and enhances focus.
• Serotonin is an inhibitory neurotransmitter that regulates sleeping patterns, anxiety, mood, and pain. It also affects learning, memory, reward, and more.
• Endorphins are also inhibitory neurotransmitters released by the hypothalamus (the leading player in homeostasis) and the pituitary gland (the main endocrine gland). These hormones enhance your well-being, improve mood, alleviate pain, and decrease stress.
Working out helps decrease resting blood pressure and heart rate, reducing the workload and pressure on our heart and arteries.
What is the difference between aerobic and anaerobic exercise?
Aerobic activity is an exercise that improves the body’s efficiency in absorbing and transporting oxygen to its tissues. These exercises produce endurance by increasing respiratory and heart rates throughout the workout. Examples include running, swimming, bicycling, etc.
Anaerobic activities are short-burst, high-intensity exercises like weight training or HIT workouts. These workouts do not use your body’s oxygen as its primary energy source; instead, they utilize glucose as fuel through a process called glycolysis. Glycolysis is the metabolic pathway that converts glucose into energy that our body can use by converting one glucose molecule into two pyruvate molecules, producing ATP (adenosine triphosphate).
Cellular respiration has three steps: glycolysis, the Krebs cycle, and the electron transport chain. Yes, if you are in the world of science or health, you probably shuddered and had a flashback when you read the phrase “Krebs cycle.” I did, too, haha. Glycolysis and the Krebs cycle are very complex and can be overwhelming, so I did not go into too much detail to keep it simple. Still, if you want to learn more, I linked two videos below that explain both processes well.
It does not matter if you are doing something intense like hot Pilates, CrossFit, a cycling class, or something less intense like hiking or playing pickleball. As long as your heart and respiratory rates increase, you are doing good for your cardiovascular system, positively affecting your whole body.
Be anxious about nothing.
It sounds much easier said than done when Paul says this in Philippians.
Have you ever noticed that when you are working out, walking in the park with a friend, or swimming at the pool, you aren’t thinking about the things that are causing you stress? This decrease in stress is due to your body focusing on the physical activity you are doing at that time. Your body is distracted from the day’s stressors to focus on the task at hand. One step, rep, stroke, and breath at a time.
What you put in today can benefit you tomorrow.
We are not made to be slothful, nor is our purpose to be couch potatoes. The Lord gave us our bodies to use for his purpose and plan. We are to treat our bodies as a temple and care for them. You only get one body; don’t treat it like garbage. Gain muscle, strengthen your heart and lungs, and increase your range of motion and mobility. The healthy habits we establish today will help us now and when we are in our 80s, Lord willing.
It is also beneficial to stop putting pressure on ourselves and begin having a healthier relationship with stress and worry. If we start this practice today, we will be much better off a decade from now. What I have been using is a cognitive behavioral therapy tool called Decatastrophizing. I learned this from a psychology professor in nursing school. Decatastrophizing the situation is telling yourself, okay, I am human, so I am going to make a mistake at some point. What is the worst that can happen? My supervisor will educate me on what I did wrong. When this happens, it is going to be okay; I will just have to fix my mistakes, and anything can be fixed.
Place your worries in God’s hands.
We have to let our stress go and not fret. Stress and worry never make the future event better, it is just taking away from what you could get out of the present moment. When we are focused on what could happen, we are distracted from what God is doing in each moment. Do not let worry still your joy. Today is the day the Lord has made let us rejoice and be glad in it. Even though it is a marathon and not a sprint, I hope this has encouraged you to take a deep breath and lay your worries in the Lord’s hands. He holds all things anyway.
Lord, thank you so much for the ability to move and build strength. You give us peace and hope. You prepare us for each day that you have given us. Let us rest assured that you are good and you hold all things. To you all praise and glory, Amen.
“And we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28, ESV.)
“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.” (Isaiah 26:3, ESV.)
RESOURCES
Dr. Matt Barton and Dr. Mike Todorovic. (2023, March 24). Krebs Cycle Made Easy! Youtube. https://youtu.be/JOncWQUpMzc?si=tlTqht0uoR6AX6FN
Dr. Matt Barton and Dr. Mike Todorovic. (2023, March 17). Glycolysis Made Easy! Youtube. https://youtu.be/TnQGcKpahfM?si=qg2EJP2JeyKTVQxE