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Reduce Stress
Stress is often described as the body's normal response to anything that disturbs its natural physical, emotional, or mental balance. Stress reduction is anything which counters this response and helps give us a sense of relaxation and tranquillity.
We all experience stress every day and it may come from within ourselves (internal) or from our environment (external). It does not have to be the result of something unpleasant or harmful. All stimulation is stress, the problems come when stress is high and unremitting.
Our bodies react to stress in a fairly standard fashion. The brain signals to the body and a biochemical reaction occurs which causes the production of adrenaline which in turn causes the heart rate and blood flow to increase. Other hormones are also released in this process.
This response enables us to deal with a variety of situations including physical attack, injury in an accident and so on. However, it is not particularly helpful if the stress is simply caused by the frustration of sitting in a car in a traffic jam. And is very unhelpful if occurring on a regular basis.
For example, ongoing stress can weaken the immune system and expose us to serious illness. It can also cause digestive problems, bring on headaches like migraine, lead to high blood pressure, and even lead to mental illness.
Any steps we can take to reduce ongoing or chronic stress must therefore be good. The first such step to take is to identify the cause of the stress, the stressor. The second step is to gain control over it and eliminate it if possible.
One way to gain control over stress is to take regular exercise such as walking or cycling to work. It is a proven fact that the more fit we are the better we are able to cope with stresses. Walking or cycling to work or other destinations also has the added advantage of taking us out of the traffic jam which caused the stress in first place.
If walking or cycling is not possible, why not take public transport? Buses on bus lanes and QBCs often leave the cars in the traffic jams far behind, while the Luas, DART and commuter rail are not subject to significant traffic delays. And, especially on Luas or rail, you can relax by reading the paper or a book or even preparing for the day’s work.
Click here for a route planner to check out your walking and cycling options.
