No matter how turbulent life gets and no matter what situation you find yourself in, you’ve a lot more control than you think. It begins by letting go of the things you have no control over, and by putting your attention on the things that you can control.
Because every day you’re faced with choices. If your life feels out of balance, you’re feeling stressed out, or you’re running on adrenaline you can choose to incorporate activities into your day that will break that cycle.
For example, without a doubt some form of physical exercise is one of the best ways to break the stress cycle. Exercise pumps up your endorphins (feel-good hormones) and decreases your stress hormones.
It also reduces chronic muscle tension, helps you sleep better, and decreases anxiety.
Exercise is also a natural way to increase your energy level, alertness and concentration, so you can cut back on the coffee and energy drinks.
But in addition to simply increasing blood flow, and hence oxygen to the brain, did you know that physical activity actually helps create new brain cells or neurons, and helps them connect better with each other!
But not all exercise is created equally.
When it comes to super charging your brain, the best forms of physical exercise are the ones that also involve focus and concentration.
So learning a new sport, for example, is a fantastic way to take care of your stress levels for the short-term as well as boost your brain for long-term health. Try it!
Excerpted from Liz Fletcher Brown’s book FULL WATTAGE! A Practical Guide to Living an Engaging and Purposeful Life Worth Celebrating. Get your free chapters of FULL WATTAGE! and other goodies.
