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Sport helps combat stress – but not always

In my last blog post, I wrote about an insight that is particularly important to me in connection with stress. That there is not only bad stress, but also good stress.

Now the question is how to deal with stress. Of course, depending on the type and intensity of the stress, as well as the personality of the sufferer, there are many different possibilities. Acute stress due to an upcoming test is not the same as chronic stress caused, for example, by the loss of a loved one.

For myself, I can say that in many cases sport has proven to be pretty much ideal for reducing stress. This is also demonstrated by the latest findings in neuroscience: sport promotes stress relief.

But there is a problem: sport itself can become a stress factor. This is the case if you go to training in an over-ambitious frame of mind. Believe me, I know this from my own experience only too well!

In the past, when I was still a professional athlete, it caught me in a vicious circle: I wanted to perform even though I was tired. I put more pressure on myself and became even more tired.

It’s dangerous. And counterproductive. But what can you do about it?

There is no way around being attentive to oneself. Attentiveness is half the cure. It’s all about doing sport consciously – and once in a while consciously NOT doing any sport at all.

Let’s be honest: if you’re not a competitive athlete, you don’t have to prove anything to anyone in sport! Ask yourself how you feel before your workout. Do you really feel like it? Stop training when you realise that you really want to do something completely different. Stop if you’ve already started.

Just yesterday I was in CrossFit. I thought I had to climb up that rope like a deranged monkey. Until I got to the middle and asked myself: what are you doing here? I didn’t feel like it at all. I stopped the exercise and realised that I had just fallen into an old pattern of behaviour.

Be kind to your body. And give it a break when it needs it. Sometimes a break is the best remedy for stress, even better than sport.

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