All lifes niceties seem to have been taken away. Things we took for grantedgoing out to dinner, meeting friends for drinks, going to the theatreall gone. Gone, it seems, like that old axiom, in the blink of an eye.

And were stressed and frustrated thats for sure.

Whats happening to us in this pandemic is nothing that people in the past havent experienced in one way or the other. For some of us its a comfort knowing that those people made it through dark times. For others its a that was then, this is now way of thinking.

Were just frustrated that our lives have been upended so swiftly and stressed that we cant get back to the way we were just a few short weeks ago. How do we deal?

Having a coping mechanism helps say mental health experts. Thats an activity we do to seek and apply solutions to stressful situations. Some people learned coping skills as a child from their parents. They saw how a stressful situation was dealt with by the adults in their lives and they carried that into their own adulthood. That can be cooking, puzzle solving, board games, etc.

There are those who use music to deal with a stressor. Listening to music, singing along to itall are proven to lower stress. The cadence of the sounds seems to calm and soothe brain waves improving your mood. So sing along loudly to your favorite music and enjoy your performance!

One of the best ways to cope with stress is movementnamely exercise. Im an avid tennis player and dancer but, truthfully, I hadnt felt much like moving when it hit week four of social distancing.

Tennis was outeven outdoor courts were closed. Dancing? Nope. Classes canceled until further notice. So I didnt move at all, choosing instead to watch movies or binge series shows for most of eight hours a day. Not a good thing and my body felt it.

Grudgingly I forced myself to get up and do some barre exercises, go for a walk, run in placeanything just to move. My muscles hurt as they went from complete couch queen mode to moving again. I hated it! But

As much as I hated it at first, I noticed that my body was actually feeling better. I didnt wince when my back hurt as I got up from a chair or curse the tired feeling in my legs going downstairs to the laundry room to wash clothes. It was a good way of coping with physical stress brought on by an objectmy bodyat way too much rest. My body in motion felt so much better.

Endorphins, your brains feel-good neurotransmitters, are released when you do a physical activity. They trigger a positive feeling in the body, similar to that of morphine but without a chemical addiction. That alone should make us want to do some form of physical activity in this stressful time.

Basically, any form of exercise or movement can decrease your stress. You dont have to suddenly become a marathon runner to gain the mental benefits of moving your body. The most important thing is to pick an activity that you can do at home and one that you enjoy.

No one likes uncertainty or living with anxiety. Its not healthy. Do something good and positive for your body and mental attitude. Include as little as fifteen minutes of movement a day into your life. It will make a huge difference in your life.

We all need this right now.

Read the original here:
How to Deal with Stress and Frustration? Move! - Thrive Global