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Work it out while working out

Certain life chapters, seasons or even ordinary days can bring out feelings of overwhelm. Sunday evenings can be particularly challenging. We finally had a moment to disconnect from routine and forget time altogether. Still in weekend bliss, someone mentions tomorrow and there it is: the reality of Monday hitting us with force. The stomach drops. The mind starts racing. As the week towers ahead, we think: Oh no, here we go again. A horrid sensation of being behind on everything, although we technically are still ahead.

For many, the end of May feels especially intense and shaking off those dreaded “Sunday Scaries” becomes harder around this time of year. In the northern hemisphere, daylight stretches longer and people often convince themselves they have more capacity than the day actually holds. Of course, it depends on how much you are taking on, and how well you can handle the pressure. Some of it is in our control, other things pile up because life happens. Work deadlines closing, mid-year reviews looming, late nights extending. We often extend ourselves beyond our limits in preparation for rest, much like we do in December.

Parenthood brings another layer of complexity at the end of spring term. Everything seems to come down to scheduling: exams, sports competitions, dance recitals, signups for camp, family holidays, social activities. With added pressure to make time off feel meaningful, holidays come packed with expectations and financial strain.

Ironically, much of the exhaustion before a break comes from overpreparing in order to relax. We overcommit, overwork and overdo it, trying to create the optimal conditions for rest, only to arrive for summer break already broken.

What sometimes greets us instead is tensions ready to overflow and an immune system that has had enough. Additionally, nagging overwhelm can continue at the mere thought of returning, bringing another cycle of playing constant catchup.

Enough to make the going away feel like a punishment and not a reward.

When the mind is swamped, everything becomes more difficult, more stressful, more exhausting. We tense up. Breathing becomes shallower. Nights extend the suffering, something I wrote about in Sleep. When we’re stuck physically, we easily get stuck in rumination. In Back to the point, I wrote about how modern sedentary lifestyles and chronic stress contribute to back pain, and an unexpected solution I found on my healing journey.

Staying open to different modalities for stress relief can help us through times like these, especially when days look like an uphill march of commitments, deadlines and things that drain rather than energise.

One of my favourite ways of managing overwhelm is through movement. Whatever the root cause: a decision, a complex problem, emotional overload, or the accumulation of stress, (which I explored in depth in this article A path away from Stress) everything becomes more manageable after a workout. It is the single most effective way I have found of getting out of my head and into my body. Because when that happens, the mind opens up again. The sweatier and more physically exhausted I feel, the more clear-minded I tend to feel.

I always work things out while working out.

Usually, I solve dilemmas and come up with more ideas while dynamically moving. I grew up with the Nordic culture with an outdoorsy active lifestyle so I’m always finding ways to move. Movement really is medicine, and especially effective when I think I don’t have the time. My greatest passion is yoga for all its physical, mental, emotional and spiritual benefits. I also love running, swimming, walking, tennis, lifting weights, cycling and reformer Pilates. Practical movement counts too: carrying, lifting, climbing stairs, gardening, physical work. The body responds well to variety. Anything that gets the blood flowing instead of remaining physically still for hours at a time.

Movement changes the entire quality of time.

You might wonder which workout you should be doing, or where to start. My honest view is the best workout is the one you are going to do and keep doing. When choosing how to move, prioritise enjoyment and consistency over the search for a perfect, optimised routine.

When in doubt, move. Making time for a workout might take some rearranging, especially when you are stretched, but once you’re there, you will rarely regret it and instead find that things do tend to work out.