Everyone has stress, even those of us with the most luxurious lifestyles. What separates the constantly stressed from the folks who are cool and collected, is simply a matter of stress relief management.
Some of us just use the right techniques like mindfulness, healthy eating, physical activity and social support to handle our negative or stressful feelings, whereas others tend to isolate, emotionally eat or engage in other unhelpful and destructive behaviors to cope with tough times.
How can you tell if you are tense and in need of some serious stress relief?
- Low energy
- Insomnia
- Dry mouth
- Stomach upset
- Chest pain and/or rapid heart beat
- Mood swings
- Clenching teeth or jaw
While these symptoms may not seem very serious over time, if your body is constantly stressed, this can wreak havoc on the body. Stress causes cortisol and other hormones to flood your body. A constant flood of stress hormones will take a toll on your health. Not to mention, your mood.
A Round of Golf To Relieve Tension
Physical activity is an incredibly great way to relieve stress in your life.
Science has shown for years how physical movement keeps your brain and mental aptitude sharp, as well as reducing fatigue and improving your ability to focus. Let’s not forget that a round of golf is also good for keeping you in shape! But now you can add that golf game to your list of “ways to relieve stress!” So the next time someone says to you, “You’re playing a round of golf again?” you can say, “It’s good for me!”
When you go out for a golf game, you’re relieving stress and tension because:
- Exercise helps your brain make endorphins—the chemicals in your brain that help when you’re in pain and that help you get some zz’s.
- You’re out in the fresh air amongst nature! Psychologist and coach Miriam Akhtar says that golf offers a lot of feel-good factors like “an active social life and ‘green exercise’ outside in nature.”
Your golf game is essentially extending multiple health benefits that last long after you leave the green!
Golf gives you:
- You’re not playing golf alone unless you’re simply practicing your stroke. Golf is an opportunity to socialize and form vital friendships, which in turn, make for a great support system and a happier life.
- Reason to Move: Even if you’re not as buff as you used to be, being an active golfer means staying fit and healthy. It gives you reason to move.
- Fresh Air: Too many people sit around these days on their smartphones or laptops. Golf is an excuse to get fresh air and step away from the pace of modern life.
So the next time you are feeling stressed, sad or antsy, grab your golf clubs and get out on the course! A few strokes and holes, and you may find yourself feeling better already. Even if you don’t have any available friends that day, practicing your swing by yourself for a while could not only uplift your mood but it may also help you work out a particular problem or issue you’re having as you spend the day swinging and thinking out in the fresh open air!