We all need energy. It helps you get up in the morning, achieve your goals, and just have a good time. In a narrow sense, we get energy from food and spend it on movement - the work of the brain, muscles, internal organs and, in general, all the cells of the body. But in a broader sense, energy is our life force. We draw them not only from the nutrients from food, but also from work, communication, creation and contemplation of something beautiful. And we also spend energy in different ways - sometimes efficiently, and sometimes not very much.
How stress takes energy
Prolonged stress is the main eater of our vitality. He does it imperceptibly, but rather painfully. Stress is the body's response to stimuli. On a lion that rushes at you to eat. On a turbulent river, in which you can drown without ever getting home. Or a rival who threatens to take away your best partner to create offspring. But today lions have been replaced by deadlines, crowds on the subway, conflicts at work and at home. And the reaction to them remains the same - the brain activates the "fight and run" mode: it directs blood to the muscles and strains them to give the body acceleration and strength, squeezes the lungs, turns off digestion, reduces cognitive function (we will think when we deal with the threat to life).
Since deadlines, unlike wild predators, do not go anywhere, we freeze in this combat state for days or even weeks. The energy that we could use to communicate with loved ones, solve interesting problems and other pleasant things is spent to our detriment. Constant muscle tension provokes spasms and pain, psychological stress leads to chronic fatigue, digestive problems can result in disease. Fortunately, there is a way out of chronic stress - and not even one.
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How to recuperate
Practice mindfulness. This can be done with the help of specific exercises that have proven effectiveness, take the body out of a state of alertness and train it to quickly switch between two states - stressful and calm. These practices primarily include breathing exercises, meditation, and yoga. But in fact, you can restore balance with the help of any activities that take place in a calm environment, suggest rhythmic breathing and concentrated attention. For example, walking or singing.
Move. It has been proven that regular physical activity improves psychological well-being. You don't have to go to the gym every day, just try to move more throughout the day and devote at least 10-30 minutes to sports. Do light morning exercises or relaxed yoga in the evenings, walk another 20 minutes around the office in the afternoon, or walk part of the way to work. Use the stairs, dance, and do simple exercises in bed when you wake up. As a bonus to mental calmness, you will get an improvement in brain function and especially memory.
Eat good quality food. In a state of stress, it is very easy to start eating up your experiences with chips and cakes, and wash down problems with alcohol. Unfortunately, this kind of indulgence is the worst thing you can do for your body. Fast food, due to its high sugar content, causes energy surges, and alcohol disrupts sleep and causes memory problems. Try to find tasty and nutritious substitutes for junk food. Eat a bowl of berries instead of a brownie, replace the chips with vegetable sticks with hummus. And instead of a glass of wine, use other, healthier ways to relax: light scented candles, take a hot bath, read a book.
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Get some rest. You also need to do this wisely. Spending two hours a day in gray traffic jams? Add color to life: go to an exhibition in a museum, go to the cinema, spend a day in nature. Do you communicate with clients all day long and give them all your energy? Spend the weekend alone with a book, or have dinner with someone who always energizes you, listens carefully, or offers timely words of encouragement. And most importantly, try to get enough sleep. Sleep is the most effective, natural and completely free way to recuperate.
Do what you like often. We adopt a "fighting stance" not only in the face of danger, but also when we feel internal resistance. If you often have to do what you really do not want, spend days at an unloved job, conflict with loved ones, force yourself to adhere to some kind of diet and test yourself for strength in other ways, internal strength gradually dries up and the body wears out faster. Listen to yourself and try to be happy as often as possible. Even the smallest pleasures can be a powerful defense against stress. A short telephone conversation with a loved one, a cup of fragrant tea, one episode of your favorite TV show, a delicious donut (one!), A free evening in the middle of a difficult week - all these everyday little things charge us with energy, give joy and make our life beautiful even in the most stressful moments. >