National Stress Awareness Day

Stress – everybody has it. Jam-packed schedules and many obligations can make modern life stressful. National Stress Awareness Day on the first Wednesday in November aims to identify and reduce the stress factors in your life. Some amount of stress is actually good for us. It helps motivate us to take action and to respond to changes in life. For example, if you have a lot of things to do in one day, that stress can help stimulate you and focus in order to complete those tasks in time. It can also help people learn the best way to overcome and manage stressful situations such as a deadline at work. Stress is also our body’s way of protecting itself from harm. 

However, too much stress can be harmful. Excessive amounts of stress is detrimental to our mental, physical, and emotional health. Stress is known to contribute to chronic conditions like high blood pressure, stroke, migraines, glaucoma, and physical pain, like back and neck pain. Stress can also cause mental health issues and make existing problems worse. On the other hand, mental health problems can also lead to stress. The good news is, there are many things people can do to manage stress, improve mental health, and lead a healthier, fitter life.

The first step to managing stress is to take care of your physical needs. Are you eating enough? Sleeping enough? Exercising regularly? Following a healthy lifestyle does in fact help mitigate stress. Another step, though not quite as easy, is to identify your stressors. This is very important because that way you can try to avoid or lessen stress. For instance, does sitting in traffic stress you out? Try travelling at a time where there is likely to be less traffic, or if you cannot change that, then you can try listening to calming classical music on the radio, or take a bite or two of dark chocolate. Does the thought of doing taxes make your head swim? Outsource it. Life is too short to get stuck and succumb to stress. 

To help further deal, stress relief activities are crucial for well being. Thankfully, there are many enjoyable ways of doing this, and everyone can find one that fits. Develop a routine to help you lessen your tension. Go for a walk, do some deep breathing, get some exercise or a massage, or take a long, relaxing bath. Engaging in hobbies and spending time with love ones are also great stress-busters. Science has proven that mindfulness and being in the moment is key to managing and even preventing stress. This can include things like meditation, yoga, painting, walking, or anything else that requires your focus and is enjoyable.  

For National Stress Awareness Day, Private Home Care encourages everyone to take a step back and assess how they are feeling and the stress in their lives. What can you do to reduce stress? If you cannot change something, how can you change your mindset? Can you see this source of stress or challenge as an opportunity instead? What are your daily habits? How can you better manage stress? When we are aware of something then we can take steps forward to improve our health and quality of life.