Stress Relief Exercises and Stress Reduction Exercises

The best stress relief exercises are physical exercises, but why does exercise alleviate stress so effectively?

Physical Stress Relief Exercises

Physical exercise is highly beneficial for stress management. When you exert your body, positive, health giving chemicals are released into your brain and body.

For example, endorphins; the a powerful, pain-relieving, mood-elevating hormones are released during exercise.

So, relieving stress by exercise will keep you feeling both relaxed, refreshed and promote deep, restful sleep.

Physical exercise also uses up excess adrenaline, the stress-inducing, fight or flight hormone.

Physical stress relief exercises can effectively distract you from stress-generating thought patterns that can build up during the day. Problems always seem less important when you are running, cycling, swimming, etc.

Competitive sport is especially good at generating reduced stress due to exercise, as your mind is also fully engaged, making it difficult to think about your problems. Physical stress reduction exercise provide an outlet for emotions like anger, frustration, and irritability.

So, physical stress relief exercises can act as a kind of safety valve for relieving stress by exercise from the build up of negative emotions.

Stress reduction exercises like physical exercise, music, reading, dancing, laughing, meditation, massage, yoga, tai chi, etc. rest the nerve cells in the brain used when stressed or worried. This gives those nerve cells time to renew themselves, that you can capably deal with stress and worry when they return.

Enjoy reduced stress due to exercise by taking physical exercise that you enjoy about three times a week for at least 20 minutes. Ideally, do something that brings you into contact with other people like tennis, basketball, volleyball, racquetball, softball, badminton, squash, soccer etc. for the maximum benefit from your stress relief exercises.