How
Physical Activity Improves Stress Management
If you’ve suffered from back pain or injury, you’re not alone. Back pain is second only to headaches for neurological ailments in the US. In fact, Americans spend at least $50 billion a year on low back pain. One of the typical causes of back pain is stress. When you’re stressed out, your body releases stress hormones, which in turn increase the perception of pain. Stress also causes the muscles to tense up, which can cause painful spasms. The neck and back are particularly susceptible to stress-related pain.
"Stress manifests itself to cause our muscles to go 'Boing!' and into a spasm to cause us to cry, not get out of bed, worry about coughing, worry about our jobs, and worry about not being able to work again, among other things," says Michael R. Bracko, Ed.D., FACSM. "Managing stress, knowing other risk factors and working it all out through exercise is a great way to keep back injuries at bay."
Keeping Stress at Bay (and Off Your Back)
Here are a few steps you can take to make sure stress doesn’t become a literal pain-in-your-neck.
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Pinpoint exactly what stresses you out. For example, while your job may be stressful, go deeper and determine what about the job is really stressful. Is it the commute, a co-worker, your boss, the hours, the pay…? Be specific.·
Determine what can be done about the source of stress. Too often, we think we have no control over events in our lives. But just the opposite is true. Do you need to:o
Change your perception of the stressor? What one person perceives as stressful, another allows to roll off his back. Is getting stressed out over this event going to change it (i.e. being stuck in traffic)? If not, change your perception and choose to not allow it to bother you.o
Change your reaction to the stressor? How do you normally react to a stressor? If your normal reaction to something your mother-in-law says is a snide remark, for instance, choose to be kind instead. This will not only decrease your stress (you’re no longer going to allow her to determine your reaction), but it may, over time, shock her into behaving better (you’re actually being nice to her).o
Take action. Many people tend to be either confrontational or avoiders. Which are you? While it’s good to speak up when we should, we all know people who have no problem speaking their mind—and no couth. Find a balance between the two. If you’ve been avoiding confronting your mother-in-law, boss, or co-worker, maybe now is the time.o
Use stress management techniques for those stressors for which the above techniques don’t work. Sometimes, you can go through all the steps, but there will be some things that just stress you out, no matter how hard you try. Deep breathing, relaxation techniques, visualization, going for a run, hitting the heavy bag…they all help keep your stress in check—and off your back.
Sources: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke; American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM)