Stress List

Athletes are certainly not immune to stress, and reducing even some of it can have a significant impact on overall training and racing. Reducing or eliminating individual stresses is easier if you write them down on paper. Here’s an example:

 

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  • On a page, make three columns, one each for physical, chemical, and mental stresses.
  • In each category, write down what you think are your stresses. This may take several days to complete since you probably won’t think of all your different stresses right away.
  • When you’re done, prioritize by placing the biggest stress of each category on top.
  • Then, work on reducing or eliminating one stress at a time. Or, if you can handle it, work on one stress at a time from each category.

Reducing or eliminating unnecessary stress from your life will give your body a better chance to cope with other stresses you may not be able to change right now.

As you make your list, put a star by the stresses over which you have some control. This may include unhealthy eating habits like rushing or skipping your meals, drinking too much coffee, or not taking time to warm-up or cool-down properly during training.

Simply draw a line through those stresses that you can’t control. If there’s nothing you can do about them anyway, don’t worry about them for now. Many people expend lots of energy on stresses they can’t—or in most cases won’t—do anything about. This may include job stress or the weather, though in reality almost any stress can be modified or eliminated—it’s just a question of how far you’re willing to go for optimal fitness and health. As time goes on, you may want to reconsider some of the items you’ve crossed off. You’ll realize, for example, that changing jobs is a must, or moving to a more compatible climate will significantly improve both fitness and health.

Once you can “see” your stress listed on paper, it will be easier to manage. Start with your starred stresses first, because you have more control over them—not that it’s always easy. Circle the three biggest stresses from the starred list and begin to work on them. You may be able to improve on some and totally eliminate others. Some will require habit changes. It’s a big task, but one that will return great benefits. When you’ve succeeded in eliminating or modifying each one, remove it from your list and circle the three next most stressful ones, so you always have three to work on.

In addition to self-managing your stress list, here’s some other strategies for dealing with stress:

 

 

 
  • Learn to say “no” when asked to do something you really don’t want to do.
  • Decide not to waste your time worrying about the past or the future. That’s not to say you should ignore the past or not plan for the future, but live in the present.
    • Learn some relaxation techniques, and perform them regularly. The most powerful one is respiratory biofeedback, described in chapter 28. This is especially valuable around the time of competition.
    • When you’re concerned about something, talk it over with someone you trust.
    • Simplify your life. Start by eliminating trivia. Ask yourself: “Is this really important?”
    • Prioritize your busy schedule: do the most important things first, but don’t neglect the enjoyable things. Before getting out of bed in the morning, ask yourself: “What fun things do I have planned for today?”
    • Know your passion and pursue it.

What’s most important about stress is that too much of it interferes with rest. Or more accurately, recovering from excess stress requires more rest. If you don’t get enough rest, usually in the form of sleep, the effects of stress will continue accumulating. One of the questions to ask yourself is whether you’re getting enough sleep, considering the amount of stress you have. As you will see, one of the symptoms of excess stress is insomnia. In fact, too much of the stress hormone cortisol can interfere with sleep, waking you in the middle of the night and causing difficulty returning to sleep. A disturbed night’s sleep not only is a stress, but reduces recovery.

By learning to take control of the various types of stress in your life, you can improve the quality of your training, perform better, and be healthier. This will also help your adrenal glands regulate other stresses better.