Check Your Stress: April is National Stress Awareness Month

By Samantha Munro

Red Cross graphic – Find a small way every day to cope with stress.

April is recognized as National Stress Awareness Month to bring attention to the negative impact of stress. Managing stress is an essential component of a healthy lifestyle. Knowing how to manage stress can improve mental and physical well-being as well as minimize severity of health-related issues.

The origins of National Stress Awareness Month can be traced back to 1992 when the Health Resource Network (HRN), a non-profit health education organization, launched a campaign to encourage people to learn about the effects of stress and to provide information on how to manage it.

As a humanitarian organization, The American Red Cross responds to an average of more than 60,000 disasters every year. Even when the immediate danger has. People may feel grief or anger over the damage or loss, fear or hopelessness when thinking about rebuilding their lives, and not knowing where or how to begin.

The Red Cross offers Disaster Mental Health services provided by licensed professionals who volunteer their time and talent when disaster strikes. It is crucial for people to know that there is help available to them after experiencing a disaster. Knowing that you are not alone, that there are people who are available to assist you with getting your life back on track one day at a time.

Keeping a balanced life and limiting the amount of stress is very important. Here are some resources that can be of great benefit to anyone seeking additional information:

• The Mental Health American (MHA) provides some tips on how to reduce your stress by utilizing a Stress Screener.
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website offers strategies for stress management
• The National Institutes of Health offers several resources that can assist managers and employees in dealing with stress and anxiety.

Mental Health Awareness Month: Understanding and managing stress

By Neel Govil

Red Cross graphic: Your Mental Health Matters.

Andrew was a very happy and highly motivated high school student. He had high goals for both his academic and athletic endeavors. He was a standout student and a member of the basketball varsity squad. Yet as Andrew entered his senior year, he started to feel the strain of keeping up his stellar academic and athletic achievements. Suddenly there was too much to do, with standardized testing, college applications, GPA, and other extracurricular activities. He was constantly anxious and irritated, and his social life and his grades started to suffer. The truth about stress – which Andrew did not understand at that time – is that it has an adverse effect on your entire health, both mental and physical.

According to Better Help, stress can lead to heart disease, dementia, strokes, aging, depression, and other disorders. Furthermore, people experiencing stress don’t often understand the signs that showcase they are having stress problems. Understanding the signs of stress can help you recognize them faster and begin using strategies that can help you manage stress.

Some of the signs of stress include:

• Physical symptoms: Headaches, muscle tension or pain, fatigue, stomach problems, chest pain, increased heart rate, and difficulty sleeping.
• Emotional symptoms: Anxiety, irritability, depression, mood swings, and feeling overwhelmed.
• Behavioral symptoms: Alterations in eating or sleeping patterns, withdrawal from others, putting things off, abusing drugs or alcohol more frequently.

Stress has many harmful impacts on children and adults, and Andrew’s story is only a small point in case of the larger issue that stress has grown to be for everyone across the globe. Individuals deal with these issues on a daily basis at work and in school, which has an effect on their relationships, health, and a variety of other things, including their mental well-being. In today’s technologically advanced society, it is even more crucial for adults and students to know how to deal with stress.

There are various ways to cope with stress:

1. Practicing relaxation techniques – Deep breathing, meditation, gradual muscle relaxation, and yoga.
2. Exercising regularly – Physical Exercise as well as mental exercise will help
3. Avoiding drugs and alcohol – Drinking alcohol can also interfere with your sleep, making stress harder to deal with.
4. Practicing time management – Set priorities for your work and divide it into manageable portions. You’ll feel more in control and less overwhelmed as a result.
5. Seeking professional help from doctors and friends.

As showcased above, Andrew also was able to manage his stress levels effectively through practicing relaxation techniques, managing time properly, and talking with friends and therapists. In the end, Andrew understood how crucial it was to maintain his mental health in addition to his academic and athletic goals. He was able to overcome his stress and accomplish his goals by promoting stress management and asking for support, and you can too.

To sum up, stress is a natural part of life, but it can seriously harm our health and wellbeing if it persists or becomes severe. We may lessen the bad impacts of stress and raise our general quality of life by engaging in appropriate self-care, asking for assistance when necessary, and adopting efficient stress management practices.