You and I aren’t all that different than dogs. Depending on your position on our fur covered best friends, that may have been offensive. Sorry if so, but hear me out.
Let me tell you what I mean, if you’ve ever owned a dog, you know that if that dog doesn’t get exercise or “work”, it gets destructive and misbehaves. If you leave a dog inside all day without any activity and nowhere to run, undoubtedly that dog will destroy something you love.
And who can blame it? Dogs are remarkably intelligent and are generally quite physically capable. When those two things aren’t indulged appropriately, they’re going to find a way to do it inappropriately.
BTW, parents out there will know that kids are the same. But fewer of you would read this if I didn’t sorta insult you in the beginning.
In fact, my point in all of this is to recognize how similar to pets and kids we are, even as adults with all of our big-time responsibilities and concerns.
When we don’t have an outlet, we go crazy.
If you’ve been exercising religiously for any period of time, you’ll know how cranky, irritable and stressed you can get when you don’t work out. I sorta laugh when people talk about how “hard” a workout is when I think about how “hard” it is for me to be a normally functioning part of society when I don’t work out.
Like a dog, when I don’t work out, I find things to destroy. Luckily I’m mature enough to not eat books or destroy pillows. Instead, I create problems in my head and try and find things to “fix”.
I bet you and I aren’t all that different.
So what’s the point?
If you’re feeling stressed, irritable or cranky, go do something physical or find something productive to channel your energy into. In fact, even if you aren’t, you should find something to do to stay ahead of it. Keep your relationships, your sanity and your pillows safe from your unused energy.