Nowadays, the world demands a lot from a man, from financial success to confidence, and all those magazine cover ripped bodies you always end up scrolling through on Instagram; there’s pressure everywhere. And, while we’ve made a lot of progress on self-love and self-acceptance, if there’s one prevalent issue that keeps pulling us back to square one is the everyday stress we face almost nonstop.
Look, nobody will admit that they enjoy stress, and while a good amount of it does help us experience growth, there comes the point when it’s just too much and beyond unbearable. What’s worse, it clouds your judgment and fills your head with negative thoughts that only make you feel more down than you need to be. And it’s high time we start addressing this issue head-on unless we want to start seeing our fellow guys succumb to something that shouldn’t be holding them back.
Stress Is Good But Only To A Certain Degree
There’s no denying that stress teaches us resilience and decisiveness in times of crisis, but when you’re in a constant state of panic and disorder, the mind starts taking a toll and might leave some irreversible trauma on your hands. Yes, stress is good, but only to a certain degree, and we must acknowledge when it is no longer beneficial.
-
You Don’t Want It To Seep Into Recovery
Every guy out there deserves a good night’s rest, but when you find yourself constantly thinking about deadlines and the work you’ll be doing the next day when you’re supposed to be getting some shut-eye; we have a problem. When stress starts seeping into recovery, you won’t have the sufficient energy to do all the things you’re stressing about, which puts you in a lose-lose scenario.
-
It Shouldn’t Take Over Your Every Waking Moment
On the opposite end, if you’re also thinking about it and it’s circling your thoughts when you’re supposed to be enjoying your lunch, then this is a dead giveaway that whatever’s causing you all this problem has gone out of hand. Stress shouldn’t be taking over every single second of your life because there’s more to life than just worrying about problems.
#1 Fuel Your Workouts And Go Hard
There’s no better way to use up all that stress and pent-up negative emotion than as fuel for your next workout. You see, if there’s one place where you’re free to let everything out in the most productive way possible, then nothing compares to the freedom of working on some weights. There’s just some level of feedback you get from letting it out and actually feeling tired right after; it wires your mind into thinking that you’ve actually let go of the stress and turned it into muscle! So, instead of lying around at home and pacing over something you can’t solve right now, we strongly recommend hitting the gym.
#2 Invest In A Good Old DIY Home Project
Our minds like to focus on one thing, and an excellent way of repurposing that stress into productivity is by keeping yourself busy with a good old DIY home project. When your body starts moving and your hands start getting to work, your brain will just click into a state of flow, and you won’t even notice what you were stressing about in the first place. Plus, if you’re working on something that you actually enjoy, like installing customized garage cabinets for your workshop, then you’ll end up feeling more satisfied when it’s all finished. So, don’t shy away from DIY home projects because they might just be the solution you need.
#3 Get Busy And Exciting In The Kitchen
Nobody will deny a good dish with excellent plating once it’s right in front of them, and if you’re looking for a fulfilling method to redirect that stress into something more productive, then why not get busy in the kitchen? There are numerous dishes you can explore, and there’s no better time to work on your culinary skills because we’re all stuck staying at home anyways. Plus, if you’re into counting macros, brushing up on your cooking skills will help solve the food variety issue in your weekly meal prepping session. On a side note, you could also work on your classic cocktails to make your weekend even spicier.
Care For Your Personal Well-Being
In conclusion, we guys need to start looking out for our personal well-being more often because this tough-guy act we put on when it comes to stress is just not helping us one bit, especially in the long run. We are all much better off addressing this problem head-on and practicing healthy ways to repurpose the stress and emotion into much more productive activities. So, feel free to try all of these recommendations out and experiment with your own styles as well.
