The sport of NASCAR is about as intensive and high-stress as it gets. Whether trying to avoid crashing into other cars on the speedway, chasing the leader, or getting the best out of yourself and your race car, if you don’t have nerves of steel, you best go do something else for a living.
Here we look at how NASCAR drivers get their stress levels down, relax when not racing so they can leave it all on track, and what other activities we recommend for easing the tension from your body.
How Ty Dillion Finds Pockets of Lower Stress Time
Ty Dillion, a popular NASCAR driver, finds that before every race it’s nearly impossible to relax. Fans can approach him when he’s about to climb into his race car and strap in, and there are so many other responsibilities to the press and sponsors ahead of a race that it never stops. The calm before the storm, when he is properly strapped in, has a helmet on and audio communication is reaching the team, is when he finally gets to chill out before the intensity ramps up at race time.
After the race and on non-racing days, Dillion is naturally a laid-back personality.
Taking Care of the Body to Recover from Highly-Charged Periods
Dillion finds comfort in returning to his motorhome after the race to be greeted by his wife. She’s a source of encouragement whether the race was won or lost. Any NASCAR race is mentally and physically exhausting on the body. Re-hydration is important after being crammed into a car for numerous hot laps with minimal air ventilation and a drink is the first order of the day.
With the frequent travel, just being who you really are and not putting on a front to the world avoids wasting energy on useless vanity. Even when the schedule is hectic, being able to mentally calm the mind to relax helps to de-stress the body, mind, and spirit.
What Other Activities Help with Relaxation?
We all feel stress from work and the fast pace of life. It’s important to not let too much cortisol into the bloodstream because it has a draining effect on performance when stress is not balanced out with appropriate release and endorphins.
There are different ways to go about having fun or being peaceful to let the stress move out of your body. One way is to learn to standup paddle board. You bravely stand up on a floating board and use a paddle to guide you and your board through the calm water. Unlike with surfing, it’s easier to do when you’re older and you don’t need perfect waves either as any clean body of water will do. To learn more about SUPs, click over to waveschamp.com where they have more information about it. Another approach is to use meditation to calm the mind and relax the body.
Much can be learned from people who handle high-stress environments well. Whether it’s NASCAR race drivers, Special Operations warriors, or Olympic athletes who don’t fold under intense pressure, us mere mortals can still find inspiration and apply techniques that allow us to cope better.
