This a complex and overlooked issue. Is "stress" really the issue, or is it our response? As the journalist points out, many of us can turn any conflict into a big issue. So often our own expectations, or how we play into the expectations of friends and family, are a huge driver.
Beyond all of that, breath control and imagery should be second nature to us swimmers. We should all really tap into this. Did Ande have this in one of his tips? (There are so many good tips in that thread that I'd have to re-read it many times to digest it).
I have found yoga to be very helpful for both my shoulders (which is why I started doing it) and for my overall outlook. I even have a mantra: "less caffeine, more breathing". It sounds sappy and ridiculous to some but it works for me.
Nice post. I agree there is a difference between stress and our response to it. But I prefer to think of it as internal stress vs. external stress. How we handle stress is obviously important. I've found it's best to avoid "drama" with the expectations of family and friends as much as possible. There can be a lot of unproductive circular finger pointing nonsense going on. So I try to opt out or compartmentalize it while still being empathetic when needed. I tend to not like drama overly much.
Some external stress is inevitable though. You're working on a dealine, you've got a big meeting with a client, a surgery, a project due. Not that you can't work on calm responses to that too. When I was living in my old law firm, grace under pressure was a highly valued skill. I used to try to do my fantasy baseball picks while simultaneously finalizing a brief for filing. That helped. But it's sometimes difficult to be calm in the midst of frenzied chaos and screaming people.
Or you're stuck in your 10,0000th traffic jam of the week. That's one good thing about Rochester, Tom. You probably aren't too worried about traffic. Try having a low blood pressure where I live in traffic. I've been rear ended three times in the last month. Now, they are always plowing into the hitch on my Durango, so it's usually their car that gets damaged. So I've gotten pretty sanguine about that. Nonethless, having to get 3 kids to 3 different places in an hour isn't always easy with Radio Disney blasting in the background. This is one reason I'm a night owl. I like a little decompression after the kids have gone to bed.
Is caffeine really bad for breathing? I try to only drink it in the morning, but I'm curious about that as a congested person, partially due to the former swampland I live in.
This a complex and overlooked issue. Is "stress" really the issue, or is it our response? As the journalist points out, many of us can turn any conflict into a big issue. So often our own expectations, or how we play into the expectations of friends and family, are a huge driver.
Beyond all of that, breath control and imagery should be second nature to us swimmers. We should all really tap into this. Did Ande have this in one of his tips? (There are so many good tips in that thread that I'd have to re-read it many times to digest it).
I have found yoga to be very helpful for both my shoulders (which is why I started doing it) and for my overall outlook. I even have a mantra: "less caffeine, more breathing". It sounds sappy and ridiculous to some but it works for me.
Nice post. I agree there is a difference between stress and our response to it. But I prefer to think of it as internal stress vs. external stress. How we handle stress is obviously important. I've found it's best to avoid "drama" with the expectations of family and friends as much as possible. There can be a lot of unproductive circular finger pointing nonsense going on. So I try to opt out or compartmentalize it while still being empathetic when needed. I tend to not like drama overly much.
Some external stress is inevitable though. You're working on a dealine, you've got a big meeting with a client, a surgery, a project due. Not that you can't work on calm responses to that too. When I was living in my old law firm, grace under pressure was a highly valued skill. I used to try to do my fantasy baseball picks while simultaneously finalizing a brief for filing. That helped. But it's sometimes difficult to be calm in the midst of frenzied chaos and screaming people.
Or you're stuck in your 10,0000th traffic jam of the week. That's one good thing about Rochester, Tom. You probably aren't too worried about traffic. Try having a low blood pressure where I live in traffic. I've been rear ended three times in the last month. Now, they are always plowing into the hitch on my Durango, so it's usually their car that gets damaged. So I've gotten pretty sanguine about that. Nonethless, having to get 3 kids to 3 different places in an hour isn't always easy with Radio Disney blasting in the background. This is one reason I'm a night owl. I like a little decompression after the kids have gone to bed.
Is caffeine really bad for breathing? I try to only drink it in the morning, but I'm curious about that as a congested person, partially due to the former swampland I live in.
