Take Charge of Your Health - Stress Awareness
Stress is an important dragon to slay, or at least to tame, in your life.
-Marilu Henner
Stressed Out
OMG…talk about stress…who knew that since 1992 there is a whole month dedicated to Stress Awareness? The National Stress Awareness Month was specifically identified with the goal to increase public awareness about the causes and cures of stress, in recognition of the stress epidemic that affects our country. It is a fact of life in today's modern world that most of us have stress in our lives. The key is managing it successfully. We know that left unchecked, stress can negatively affect our health and cause issues with mood, sleep and appetite, as well as our immune system. Even cardiac issues are at risk from the incidental effects of stress like exercising less, smoking or consuming more alcohol.
So, what can we do? A recent special report on stress from Harvard Medical School offers the following 5 techniques to reduce stress.
Stay Positive: Laughter is good. So is finding joy in the small moments of relishing every day
Meditate: Meditation, yoga, prayer relax the mind and the body.
Exercise: Endorphins are your friends. They cause stress to melt away.
Unplug: Take time each day to escape from connecting to the world.
Find healthy ways to take the edge off your stress: Soak in a warm bath, take a walk, repeat a mantra, listen to music, take the time to indulge a passion.
A timely Blue Cross report indicates that our millennial generation is experiencing health issues far earlier than their elder cohorts did. Many of these issues surround mental health and depression. This fact will have serious repercussions throughout the health care system. No matter what our age, it is important to find ways to model healthy behaviors that others can follow. The Stress Management Society offers 4 simple things we can do:
Talk about Stress and its effects: It will help reduce the stigma that is associated with stress by talking about the topic openly and freely with friends, family and colleagues.
Share your coping mechanisms: If something has worked for you, why not share it. It might benefit someone you care about and, it might help you take your focus off your own challenges.
Be nice to those who are stressed and anxious: We are all undoubtedly going to experience stress and anxiety in our lifetime, so treat others going through it with compassion and empathy.
Look after yourself: Take time each day to relax or do something that you enjoy. Don’t forget to exercise and eat well, even when you feel too stressed.
We would love to hear from you about a stress-buster (or dragon-slayer) that works for you and we will be happy to share it…
These are a few resources from our website that we hope will be useful to you:
https://www.health-e3.com/integrative-therapies
https://www.health-e3.com/support-groups-and-psychotherapy
https://www.health-e3.com/spiritual-care