When it comes to our mental wellbeing, the stresses of daily life can start to take a toll. Chronic stress in itself is becoming more and more prevalent in today’s society. We live in a world that’s constantly on the go with the pressure to perform at your best 110% of the time and where being constantly busy is a sign of ‘success.
We can hardly escape from the constant noise around us.
We now have notifications going off on our screens, in our pockets and on our wrists! We literally don’t get a moment where there’s nothing to distract us. What this means is that our mind is constantly on the go, subconsciously waiting for a notification and afraid of silence.
This state of being keeps us in our sympathetic nervous system – the fight or flight response – which leaves us feeling wired, tired and burnt out.
Mental Stress as a Physical Symptom…
Think about what your body does when it’s in this chronic state of stress. Clenched jaw, hunched shoulders, stiff neck and shallow breathing.
So how can exercise help and what does meditation have to do with it?
Think about how you feel after doing some exercise – you stand tall, walk out feeling refreshed, with shoulders relaxed. You feel more energised, in a better mood and ready to take on the day.
Meditation is simply the practice of being able to slow down and be still even in the fast lane we call life. Practicing this allows us to be better prepared for when life throws you curveballs and more able to cope when things don’t go as planned. Exercise gives you the opportunity to do just this – slow down the mental chatter.
Put these two together and you get a moving meditation. A two in one dose of the ultimate stress-buster cure. But don’t take my word for it, get out there and try it out for yourself. Because remember,
You won’t know how much you need it until you’ve done it…
