Most people are aware of the wisdom that exercise helps stress – but, too often, pressuring yourself to exercise can become a source of stress in itself. Here’s how to get past that barrier.
After a year of coronavirus restrictions, we’ve all had to get used to dealing with stresses that weren’t there before. Whether we’ve been struggling with our livelihoods, home-schooling our children, or simply missing our friends and families, this is a period of collective, prolonged stress rarely seen before in our lifetimes.
Simple self-care strategies have become critical – staying as socially connected as possible, getting enough sleep, eating well and staying active. Many of us know from experience what kind of difference this can make to our mental health.
However, the advice to stay active can so often degenerate into what feels like an unhelpful pressure. At a time when you may be juggling work and caring responsibilities, you probably don’t want to hear about how to ‘get perfectly shredded abs in a month’, or why ‘lockdown is the perfect time to train for a marathon’.
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