"Embracing Mental Wellness: Recognizing National Stress Awareness Day in November"

By Isabelle (Izzy) Sutton

As October ends and ‘spooky season’ is a thing of the past we are still left with the scary fact that the fall is slowly slipping away, and the cold months of winter are coming. This November we celebrate National Stress Awareness Day, and it’s important to recognize the importance of prioritizing our mental well-being not only during the winter season but all year long.

The great news is there are several ways you can get involved and spread awareness:

• Prioritize Self-Care: When you feel your best, that’s when you are in the best state of mind to help others. You can practice methods of stress reduction by implementing mindfulness techniques in your everyday life, taking an art class, or playing a sport.
• Learn more about stress management: By learning about what causes stress in your life and the effects of stress, you can explore healthy strategies for managing stress.
• Share: Volunteer to host or sign up for stress-reduction events in your workplace, school, or community. Utilize your social media to share stress-awareness resources, tips, and information with your online community. Start by re-sharing this blog!
• Support: My final tip for you all is to show your support for mental health initiatives. Put Me In! serves as a great example of how your contribution supports the mental health and well-being of the next generation. Stress management is crucial for children with incarcerated parents as research shows that CIPS are at a 2x increased risk of suffering from mental health challenges. Through studies, we also know that exercise is a leading remedy to counteract stress.? This idea is one of the foundational messages of Put Me In! as we encourage these young individuals to continue playing sports.?

Studies have found that during the winter, the reduced amount of sunlight tampers with our body’s biorhythm, which affects the chemicals in the body impacting our mood. Along with the physical effects on our body, the colder months also impact our mental health. With the holidays approaching, stress and anxiety levels rise and the cost of living in colder environments can increase financial stress for some.?

These stressors can be compounded by the stress of the incarceration of a family member. Studies find that there is a 22% decrease in family income when a father becomes incarcerated. However, with the average family spending around $1300 per child per sport it is easy to see why sports are the first things to be cut from the family budget. Put Me In! recognizes this problem and offers a way to support both the family and the young athlete. Supporting Put Me In! not only helps CIPS but also their caregivers. By giving funds to cover the cost of sports, your support gives their children a healthy outlet for their negative emotions and eliminates the stress from the added cost of sports.