You’ve heard of stress management, right? State management is just a slightly different take and the good news is you’re probably already doing it. At least to a point.
Whenever you get angry or frustrated and you take a few breaths and talk yourself down, you’re managing your state. Whenever you hit a training session and decide to back the weight off a little so you can maintain technique, you’re managing your state. Whenever you get an early night because you’ve had a hectic day, you’re managing your state.
The stress is still there, but instead of focusing on stress management; managing the external, you’re managing your response to the stress. Managing the internal; physically and mentally. Deal with the internal and watch your external transform,
Unfortunately, not always. As easy as it is to do, it’s just as easy to fall into the trap of failing to pay attention, ignoring the warning signs and instead of choosing our response and managing our state we simply react to what’s going on – we react to the stress.
We’ve all been there, right?
I remember my partner and I going to an outdoor festival/concert kind of thing that started on a Sunday afternoon and went until 10pm. Then there was getting out of the venue and a 35-minute drive home. In bed just after 11pm. Not bad.
Problem is, I’m someone who is usually tucked up in bed by 9pm. After doing my pre-bed routine and gradually winding down for sleep, of course.
Unfortunately, my post festival pre-bed routine involved beer, questionable food choices and loud music. Needless to say I slept terribly. I was experiencing the effects of stress, but there wasn’t much I could do as far as stress management goes. The opportunity had been and gone.
But, I could manage my state.
I still got up at my regular 5am time on the Monday and hit the pool for my daily swim and Sauna. But, I was very aware I needed some recovery time and I was not going to smash Monday out of the park as far as performance goes.
I kept the swim easy, very low volume and my Sauna was only 10-minutes. Less than half of what I normally spend in there. I knew my body didn’t need the extra stress. I had a decent breakfast, drank plenty of water, did some gentle movement flow work around midday and had a short afternoon nap. Then, I got an early night.
If I didn’t have the awareness around stress and state management (PLUS the lifestyle flexibility) to have a low-stress day, I would have found myself come Tuesday having to do some damage control to get my state back to something resembling my normal. Burning the candle at both ends may be ok for a few days, but no one gets a state management free pass.
Fortunately, I have a job and a personal situation which allows for some flexibility in regard to managing my state.
It hasn’t always been that way. Shift work for 20-years, 3 kids under 5, a big mortgage etc etc. Let’s just say I’ve got some idea of what a lack of lifestyle flexibility is like. I get it.
It starts with self-awareness; identifying your weak points and then deliberately practising how to intercept and choose a response that will help, rather than harm.
Some areas you can delve into that may help:
Learning to use your breath as a tool in managing your state is a simple and readily accessible strategy which can have a huge impact. Breathwork can be a deep rabbit hole, but it doesn’t have to be. Simply start by bringing an awareness to your breath as you go about your everyday life. Try to breathe through your nose as much as possible. When it comes to training, aim to stay in control of your breathing regardless of how intense the session is.
There are mountains of research showing only bad things happen (technical term) when you don’t get sufficient, restorative sleep. Also, when you’re tired it can be so much harder to choose a helpful response. A pre-bed routine is a must. It can be as short; 5 minutes, or as long; 1-hour plus, as you like. The important thing is you’re doing something consistently to signal to your body and brain it’s time to wind down. Anyone who has had kids knows the importance of a pre-bed routine when it comes to babies and toddlers. We adults are no different in that regard.
The things we consume give our body messages; release this hormone, suppress this one, send help to this area… When we consume nutrient-dense foods in quantities supporting our energy needs, we are sending messages that help to positively manage our state. When we grab whatever we can find to stuff in our mouth we are reacting to primitive signals which may negatively impact our state; they create more stress. Eating more vegetables is probably a good place to start for most; aim for at least 5 serves a day.
We are designed to move. If you’ve ever done a long-haul flight you’ll know the feeling of getting off the plane at the other end feeling pretty damn rough. It’s not just the jet-lag or the sucking in of recycled farts. It has a lot to do with sitting on your butt for so long. Sit in an artificially lit office for 8-hours a day? Not much different. There’s a reason you feel exhausted after a day at work, even though you’ve hardly moved. It’s not so much the work stress – all the sitting around negatively impacts our state. Exercise and movement are the antidotes. Do it outside for extra credit points.
We are pack animals. We’re not designed to be by ourselves. Mess up in days gone by and a common punishment was exclusion from the tribe. We thrive on human connection. This can come from family, work colleagues, the people you chat to at the gym, a community group, a sporting team… what it’s not is followers on social media. Sitting at home scrolling or hitting like is not connection. While social media can help us to connect with others, the connection really occurs when we’re spending time with people, having great conversations, sharing our thoughts. These days, this can be one of the more difficult components of state management. It’s easy to disengage and spend our lives disconnected. I know it’s a tough one for me.
Without getting too esoteric or woo-woo, when I say meaning and purpose I’m talking about having something to work towards. Floating aimlessly through life is a really good way to negatively impact your state. It’s amazing what setting a goal, finding some focus and having a purpose can do for your state.
This article isn’t intended to overwhelm. More so, I’d like to provoke some thought on your behalf about what step, or steps, you may be able to take to help you improve your state management and improve your well-being. To inspire you to take a step, no matter how small.
My advice, start with one thing. Make it a small thing you can work on doing consistently. When you have consistency; you’re getting in the reps, add something else.
It’s the small things, done consistently which lead to massive change.
Need help? Reach out and we’ll chat.
