April Marks Stress Awareness Month. Let's Learn How to Manage Our Stress.

Stress Awareness Month is an entire month dedicated to raising awareness about how stress affects our minds and bodies, and why learning to manage stress is important.

Stress is a normal part of human life and even necessary at times, however, it is important to recognize when stress interferes with our daily activities, relationships, and even our health. The first step is to recognize the problem so that solutions and coping methods can be put into place.

Seek out a Therapist

Seeking out a therapist can not only help individuals talk through their stress with a trusted professional, but they can also provide personalized coping skills and professional advice by discovering the root causes of stress in each of their patients. Many complain about therapy's effects on their paycheck, but it can be a worthwhile investment in your health. That being said, financial stress is a major contributor to many people all over the world, which is why it's important that people have accessible resources on stress management.

Physical ways to cope with stress

Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR):

Progressive Muscle Relaxation is a technique therapists suggest for training the body to relax by practicing tensing and relaxing individual muscle groups. This is perfect to practice while lying in bed before going to sleep. All you need is a pair of headphones and access to YouTube. Epworth HealthCare provides a great guided PMR video.

PMR has been proven to reduce stress. The key is doing it consistently.

Physical Activity

Regular exercise is another physical technique proven to reduce stress. Exercise can be any physical activity. The Mayo Clinic even states that exercise in short, 10-minute bursts can be beneficial. Don't feel like a 1-hour workout every day is necessary to get some benefit. Again, the key is consistency.

Keep a Routine

Keeping a daily routine has many physical and psychological benefits, including stress reduction. Even planning something as simple as a morning or evening routine can aid in time management and stress reduction.

Mental ways to cope with stress

Mindfulness

Mindfulness is a Meditation Technique that anyone can do. It doesn't even require sitting with crossed legs on a yoga mat. Mindfulness can be practiced anytime, anywhere. Mindfulness consists of simply observing thoughts and feelings without judgment or attempting to repress them. Many times when we experience stress, our first reaction is to distract ourselves or push down negative feelings in an attempt to ignore them, however, this can lead to negative effects on the mind and body. Mindful provides a helpful introductory guide on mindfulness.

Look at your phone

Though our phones may seem like major sources of stress relief, they can also be the biggest culprit. We are constantly being bombarded by shocking news, advertisements, and posts that can slowly take a toll on our mental health without us even noticing. Take time to go through and clean up, or even take a break from, social media and news access.

Talk to a Trusted Person

Talking may seem like a simple solution, but it works, however, talking to the right person is key. Discussing your problems and feelings with a trusted, nonjudgemental party can have many benefits, including stress reduction. Similar to mindfulness, stress allows us to recognize and verbalize our worry instead of repressing it.

The list can go on for the many methods of stress reduction available. The CDC, among many others, provides more information and resources on stress reduction.