Time Under Tension

Time Under Tension

I’ve been working out on my own for a while now, and recently, I felt like I was stuck in a rut. To shake things up, I hired a trainer to work with me twice a week. His focus for my workouts is all about "time under tension"—a method that helps build muscle by keeping them engaged for longer periods.

As I thought about this concept, I couldn’t help but wonder: If time under tension is how our physical muscles grow, what about our mental and emotional muscles?

Time under tension is never a comfortable place to be. At least when I’m working out, there’s someone counting down, “5, 4, 3, 2, 1,” so I know when the effort will end. But in daily life, we don’t have that luxury. There’s no magical countdown telling us when life’s stressors and pressures will let up. We just have to keep holding on, with no clear idea of when the tension will ease.

When I'm on the leg press at the gym, I'm in control of when to release the pressure. But when life presses me, I don't have that control. I can’t simply decide when the stress ends or when the burden lifts. All I can do is choose how to respond in the meantime—whether to give up or to keep pushing through, trusting that the tension is shaping me into someone stronger.

So, how are you preparing for the pressures that life inevitably brings—and likely has already brought your way? What mechanisms will you use to hold on during those times of tension?