Sport should be a relaxing pastime; but elite sport can become quite stressful – not only for the participants but for spectators as well.
And so it is that recently many millions of Australians have felt the excitement and stress of the football finals. The newly established soccer A League games are continuing and anticipation of the upcoming Australia/England Ashes series is already creating a good deal of interest; but there is no doubt the three major football codes stimulate an enormous amount of extra emotion. This year the World Cup soccer magnified that emotion to an even greater degree.
Of course, there can only be one winner; so there will be many disappointed football fans. Even if you supported the team that finished on top, there will have been often an emotional let down after the event. Nothing unusual about that; those feelings are quite normal. We all have these emotional highs and lows, times of elation and times of disappointment.
It’s also normal to feel anxious now and again. We’ve all had that experience of butterflies in our stomach maybe before an exam or a job interview. Anxiety is actually a normal and reasonable response to danger or stress; it’s an emotion that triggers our body’s nervous system to be able to make quick, and hopefully, correct decisions.
We certainly don’t need to be reminded about stress, but perhaps we do need to be reminded about how best to manage it. Each year, World Mental Health Day aims to promote good mental health and aims to raise public awareness of mental health issues.
There have been many explanations offered as to why we experience excessive stress. Some studies suggest that we inherit the tendency to feel more stress. Other studies describe stress as a response that is learned over a lifetime. In any event, people who experience high levels of stress, tend to hold beliefs which make them feel threatened, ultra vigilant and out of control.
There is no doubt too much stress can be a health hazard; so the first important step in stress management involves being aware of when our stress levels become unhealthy. Once stress overload is recognised there is a range of stress management skills available to address the problem.
If you feel tense or “stressed out” almost all the time, and anxiety is affecting your everyday activities, then you might just benefit from the top ten Stress Less Tips from your state Mental Health Association. Check out their website at: www.mentalhealth.asn.au
Whatever your political point of view, you could follow our Prime Minister’s exercise example: go for a regular walk, or maybe a bike ride; delegate some of your work; schedule in some quiet time for yourself; relax with a good book or a movie; take regular tea breaks; catch up with friends or family; accept a compliment and give one back; cook yourself a healthy meal; book your next holiday; and don’t take life too seriously – “reduce tears, increase cheers.”
Your pharmacist can help too. There is a series of mental health information cards available from pharmacies around Australia as part of the Pharmaceutical Society’s Self Care Program. Developed with the assistance of the Department of Veterans Affairs, they cover a number of topics such as Anxiety, Depression and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Whether you have been on the winning or losing side recently, it’s important to be able to manage those tense times during and after the event.
And throughout life – not just sporting life – there’ll be plenty of stressful situations for us to cope with. Just how we cope will determine how healthy we stay. For a little extra help on how to stress less, ask your Self Care Pharmacist for the fact card titled Anxiety. There are also useful cards on subjects such as Relaxation Techniques and Sleeping Problems.
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