by Jane Hendry

Created on: March 01, 2010

Stress is a part of everyday life and without it we would achieve nothing. Stress is something we can't live without if we want to get ahead in life and so we have to find ways to live with it, even when it becomes too much.

Life for most of us is a hamster wheel of work, family and relationship, financial and time stress. Other stresses such as divorce, moving house, and losing a loved one can compound our everyday stresses until they become too much to cope with. The reality of today's society is that we should be looking for positive coping mechanisms for stress rather than trying to rid ourselves of it.

Stress is a physiological reaction to the continual demands we place on our bodies and minds. To a point it is productive and necessary as it helps us to strive for improvement. The human body is equipped to use stress to our advantage but unfortunately the levels of stress which we tend to live under can reach saturation point and those chemicals that were helping us to keep going start to break us down. This is the reason why we need to find an outlet to diminish our stress levels regularly and enable us to cope better and not burn out.

Exercise is commonly heralded as one of the simplest and most accessible forms of stress relief, as just going for a leisurely stroll can reduce stress. But if you need a bit more than that, if your stress is sending you towards burnout, then taking up a more vigorous form of exercise could really be the answer you are looking for.

Running is a form of exercise that anybody can do, after all we all ran around when we were children. It is inexpensive and easily transportable as the only gear you need to get started is a pair of sneakers, sweat pants and a t-shirt. And best of all running counteracts the physiological damage that stress causes. It raises the heart rate, sending oxygenated blood pulsing round the body, improves muscle tone for better overall fitness, releases feel good endorphins into the body and increases lung capacity for deeper breathing once again increasing the oxygen flow to the muscles and brain, all of which stimulates the body and mind making us better equipped to cope with the stresses of daily life.

Running also offers the opportunity to be surrounded by like minded people who are also looking for positive coping mechanisms thus providing a great support network. It enables the runner to have at least half an hour of dedicated me-time in which you can work through problems experienced during the day, make plans for the upcoming day, or simply enjoy the scenery and take a break from worrying about life.

Running is a fantastic form of stress relieving exercise because it improves fitness which creates more physical and mental energy and clears the body and mind of unwanted toxins enabling clearer thinking and more efficient stress management.

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