Stress Reduction Strategy Four: MOVE

I have already spent some time on this blog talking about physical exercise and the importance it plays in good mental health. You may also be interested in knowing that in a National Association of Social Workers Membership Workforce Study, exercise was the coping mechanism of choice for a large majority of those surveyed, regardless of their particular practice area. And just to give a little more weight to the mindfulness post – meditation was second – but by quite a large amount.

So we like to work off our stress with a little exercise? That’s a great strategy! Be careful – this isn’t about the beautiful body syndrome here. This is about a beautiful heart and a beautiful mind. If we can move more, we can let go of things that weight us down – physically and mentally. So why does this work? Well, it’s those old endorphins! We know aobut those and how much energy they provide. And if you want even more evidence, this article from the Mayo Clinic can help, as well as this one from Mind Tools. They have a great stress management resource section for professionals, with much more information, ideas and suggestions.