Summer is in full swing! I thought I would share a quick plug for more exercise at this time of year.
I’m reading the book, “Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle” by Emily & Amelia Nagoski.
A couple thoughts from the book are sticking with me. First of all, there is a difference between the Stressor and the Stress Response Cycle. Just getting rid of the stressor will not result in us completing the cycle on a body level. AND, we CAN’T just think our way out of the stress response cycle. It has to be completed on a physical level.
Think about that for a moment. How many uncompleted stress response cycles might we have accumulating in our bodies over time (even from just this past semester) if we are not engaging in regular physical activity to complete these cycles?
“You know how everyone says that exercise is good for you? That it helps with stress and improves your health and mood and intelligence and basically you should get some? This is why. Physical activity is what tells your brain you have successfully survived the threat and now your body is a safe place to live. Physical activity is the single most efficient strategy for completing the stress response cycle.”
So, whatever you choose to do (ie., run, swim, dance, etc.) if you will move your body enough to get yourself breathing deeply for at least 20 minutes a day – every day – you will be engaging in the single most effective and efficient form of burnout prevention we know about.
Happy moving this summer!
Shake the Sillies Out:
- Stand still like a statue. Breathe in and hold your breath.
- Breathe out and shake out your arms. Shake them high. Shake them low.
- Shake out your legs. Shake them this way. Shake them that way.
- Shake your body until it’s loose. Shake, shake, shake your sillies out. See them fly off you like water droplets.
- Flap down gently into a chair or onto a mat. Now let that last silly out: “Ahhh!”
- Take three soft, slow, mindful breaths. Fill your nose, your lungs and your tummy. Then return to your day.
Sarai Trujilo
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