If money could buy emotional wellbeing and a stress-free life, dentists would be the happiest of the lot. With an annual average salary of over $174,000, it’s fair to say they would have the money to keep the stress away.
That, though, is far from the reality. Dentistry is a high-stress profession. In fact, it’s suicide rates are among the highest. And it’s not only dentists. Firefighters, enlisted military personnel, and airline pilots also hold some of the most stressful jobs in the country.
The good news? You can beat the pressures of a high-stress job by engaging in the right relaxing activity.
Keep reading to gain more insight into stress-relieving activities.
What Determines Your Choice of a Relaxing Activity?
Before we explore the various stress relieving activities you can indulge in, it’s vital to know how to pick the right fit.
Your Routine
Your day to day schedule will influence your choice of relaxing activities because different activities require varying levels of commitment.
For instance, if your favorite relaxing activity is hitting the cinema over the weekends, you won’t do it often if you’ve working weekends.
As you pick your list of relaxing activities, evaluate how your routine will affect your availability. Settle on ones that easily blend into your schedule.
Your Goals
When you have a high-stress job, a couple of things are likely to happen.
One, you will obviously not look forward to going to work, and every hour you spend at work will feel like two lifetimes. Two, and more worryingly, your emotional and mental health might decline. People in high-stress professions are twice more likely to develop depression than those with low-stress jobs.
The point of this is, you have to keep your goals in mind when choosing a relaxing activity. If the stress is taking a toll on your mental health, it’s important you choose an activity that will boost your mental health. If you feel the stress has affected your social well-being, go for an activity that keeps you close to people.
Your Hobbies/Interests
At the end of the day, you need to enjoy a relaxing activity. Otherwise, you won’t reap maximum benefits.
Yoga, for instance, is hugely popular in the country. Americans spend about $2.5 billion on it every year. And attaining wellness is the number #1 reason yogis practice it. But if you’re not the kind of person who loves being around people, it’s unlikely you will enjoy it, regardless of its popularity and effectiveness.
Therefore, choose a relaxing activity that aligns with your interests. If flying drones and capturing photos is the trending relaxing activity, don’t hop on it just because it’s trending. You need to have an interest in planes and photography to enjoy flying the little birds during your downtime.
On that note, here is an opportunity for you to discover more about what it takes to keep those birds in the air.
Can You Afford It?
Relaxing costs money.
From the easily affordable, such as jogging around the hood, to the inexplicably expensive, such as motor gliding, quality downtime comes at a cost.
And so choosing a relaxing activity, think about affordability. You don’t want to choose an activity that will stretch your pockets and leave you with more pressure.
Yes, it’s fine to indulge in the pleasures of life, but ensure you can comfortably afford.
Examples of Relaxing Activities for High-Pressure Jobs
Running
The powers of running (and breaking a good sweat) are well-documented: stronger muscles and bones, greater cardiovascular fitness, weight loss…
Did you also know running can help you relax, especially after a tough day in the office?
Well, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, running reduces the symptoms of anxiety, a common condition among people with high-pressure jobs.
If lacing up and hitting the paths is too much work for you, worry not, because brisk walking is also ideal. In fact, a 10-minute walk is as good as a, wait for it, 45-minute workout!
Swimming and bicycling are also good alternatives to walking/running. Water buoyancy, in particular, has a therapeutic effect.
Gardening
Surprised?
We guess so, especially if you’re the kind of person who finds no value in keeping a home garden.
Shock on you, because gardening and planting could be all you need to decompress from the pressures of your job. Spending 2.5 hours a week tending to your garden reduces your risk for depression and other conditions.
No, seriously. Just think about it. Rather picture yourself in a garden, surrounded by fresh plants and whiffs of fresh air hitting you as the sun goes down. Refreshing and relaxing. Isn’t it?
Yoga
A high-pressure job clutters your mind and shuts your focus. Especially if you’re a beginning dentist with huge student loans to pay and a busy practice to run, it’s easy to crumble under the weight of your responsibilities.
That’s where yoga comes in.
Yoga is a powerful stress fighter. It combines physical poses, controlled breathing, and meditation to help you relax and find mental serenity.
After a difficult day at work, don’t be afraid to take a mat and start posing your way to a peacefulness of mind and body.
Team Sport
Spending time with your buddies is a way to unwind, particularly if you love a glass of wine — or shots of whiskey — after a long day.
That, however, doesn’t do your mind and health any good. You’ll probably end up drinking too much and taking a hangover to work the next day.
What you really need is to engage in a team sport. Call up those buddies and play a few rounds of golf, for instance. The golf course scenery alone is enough to bring calm to your mind.
Team sports, besides enhancing your physical fitness, help you expand your social network and build your sense of belonging.
A High-Pressure Job Is a Thing of the Mind
Sure, high-pressure jobs do exist. But they do because, for the most part, we allow them to infiltrate our nerves.
If you hold such a job, there are coping mechanisms. As we’ve illustrated, engaging in a relaxing activity offers a path to mental clarity. All you need to do is find the right activity for you.
Need more work-life hacks? Explore our blog.