April has been recognized as “National Stress Awareness Month.” At the time this piece is being written, the whole world is in the grips of a pandemic, and a large chunk of the United States is under lockdown. In other words, the majority of persons are acutely aware of their current levels of stress. However, depending on one’s perspective, stress might provide some potential benefits. Stress may make us more resilient and able to withstand greater amounts of stress. Similarly to how exercise is a kind of physical stress that is put on the body to make it stronger, stress also has the ability to make us stronger. The most critical step, according to the experts, is adopting the mindset that experiencing stress may result in positive effects.
To properly handle this current reality, you will need to establish effective strategies for adapting to the current level of stress and for learning how to alter your mindset in order to produce excellent outcomes for both you and your organization. The good news is that if you regularly exercise, you already know a great deal about how to adapt to and eliminate the harmful effects of stress.
Lessons Learned From the Military
Special operations units in the armed services are forced to operate in some of the most stressful circumstances imaginable. They have designed strategies to assist them get through the difficult scenario so they may reach their objective. In addition to his employment as an operational psychologist with the United States Army, where he works with special operations groups, Dr. Jess Harmon acts as a consultant with O2X, an organization that works with tactical athletes from all over the globe. She supports individuals in coping with the difficulties connected with their line of work. When asked how people may handle the current stress they may be experiencing, Harmon emphasizes the need of adaptability as a solution. According to Harmon, you may improve how you feel about the situation and get more used to discomfort by moving your focus from what you cannot control to the components of the condition that you can.
This is but one example: Consider the last time you completed a genuinely difficult activity. You experienced agony as you pushed your body to its limits, but how did you feel afterwards? You certainly felt relieved when it was over, but you may have also gained confidence in your capacity to withstand and maybe even thrive in similar situations in the future. You can apply the same mindset to the problems you experience on a daily basis by finding out ways to adapt to the situation and seeing it as an opportunity to increase your resilience by being physically stronger and better equipped to handle greater levels of stress.
Keeping in touch with your consumers via an internet portal is an immediate activity that may be made to adapt to the current conditions. A few weeks ago, the American Council on Exercise (ACE) convened an online panel debate to determine how health and exercise experts may launch an online training business. If you are apprehensive about providing personal teaching through a virtual platform, see this follow-up ACE panel discussion on how to conduct an online training session. The conversation will guide you through the necessary stages.
Paul McCullough founded O2X and formerly served in the Navy SEALs. When asked how he dealt with stress while serving in the SEAL teams, he said that being a member of a team was essential to acquiring the confidence to tackle really difficult situations. This was his response to the question of how he coped with stress. How does working out with other people make you feel? It may be very challenging, but seeing others overcome similar obstacles can inspire you to do the same. Take the following approach to combating COVID19: In what particular ways can you help to the team’s broader effort to flatten the curve? If you participate in behaviors such as consistently washing your hands, remaining home and maintaining a safe distance from others, and wearing a mask if you need to conduct errands outside, then you are already a part of the group attempting to eradicate this illness.
Everything Depends on Your Perspective
Kelly McGonigal, Ph.D., is a health psychologist who studies the physiological effects of stress at Stanford University. Dr. McGonigal gave a well-attended TED Talk in which she outlined effective techniques for changing the negative impacts of stress into positive ones. However, the study also demonstrated that believing that stress may be beneficial influences how people experience the negative effects of stress, including how their bodies respond. This research, which she outlines in her presentation, indicates that if you feel that stress is detrimental to your health, it will be.
Another viewpoint on the current situation is as follows: Consider this time as a prolonged period of endurance training; yes, it is tough on many levels, but you will get through it, and one day you will marvel how you survived. If you have previously run a marathon, you should find a 5K to be rather easy.
Keep Your Contacts Active
McCullough and Dr. McGonigal agree on one essential issue, namely that working in a group or maintaining meaningful connections with others is one of the greatest strategies to mitigate the harmful effects of stress. As a result of the shelter-in-place directives, an increasing number of group fitness instructors are rapidly acquiring the skills required to offer virtual sessions using sites such as Zoom and Facebook Live. Reach out to the members of your tribe to organize a virtual exercise session if you often feel stressed and yearn for the companionship of leading a training group. Consider how much better you’ll feel when you’re leading a workout on Facebook Live or Zoom with all of your regulars there.
We may participate in the experience by reaching out to others and interacting with them via virtual platforms, which, as both McGonigal and Harmon point out, is essential to overcoming whatever you may be feeling.
Few of us were prepared to deal with the unique situation produced by recent events, and stress is often an unavoidable aspect of modern life. It is essential to have a positive mental attitude. If you consistently worry about how COVID19 may affect you, you may have a tough time during the duration of the disease. If, on the other hand, you see the current situation as an opportunity to acquire new skills by teaching courses through an online platform or establishing an online personal training business, you will be able to utilize COVID19 to boost your business.
