De-stressing on National Stress Awareness Day
National Stress Awareness Day is November 4, 2020. The day was designed to make people aware of the stressors in their lives and work to counteract them.
Some stress is good for you. It is one way your body deals with changes in life and protects itself. However, high amounts of stress can be damaging, both physically and psychologically. It affects your ability to think clearly, enjoy life and fully function.
On this National Stress Awareness Day, try a few of these tactics to reduce undue stress in your life.
- Identify stressors
There are a number of sources for stress: workloads, financial burdens, family issues. Whatever the cause, a good first step to reducing stress is to identify the source of your stress and address it. Often, there are big changes that are easy to identify. However, there can sometimes be more hidden, underlying issues to tackle. Sometimes, there is an effective course of action you can take to eliminate the stressor from your life. Other times, things are out of your control. When you feel like you don’t have control, it’s best to let things go.
- Manage your time
You hear it all the time: “There’s just so much going on right now.” Often, people increase stress in their life by failing to manage their time. People with overbooked schedules, lack of time for breaks and rest and too much responsibility often find themselves stretched to the point of no return. Prioritizing, saying no when you need to and delegating responsibility can all help you better manage your time and avoid taking on too much at once.
- Exercise
Exercise is a great way to reduce stress. Physical activities release endorphins, helping you to feel happier and distract you from day-to-day worries. The best approach is to aim for at least 30 minutes of exercise each day. You don’t have to lift weights or go on a run to get physically active. Go for a walk. Play an active game with your kids. Walk up and down your stairs at home. Whatever you choose to do, just try to at least get your 30 minutes in, and you’ll be adding another anti-stress weapon to your tool belt.
- Balanced Lifestyle
Healthier eating habits help you resist stress. Eat a balanced breakfast, lunch and dinner. Avoiding foods that cause “crashes” like caffeine and sugar can help keep you in a positive mood and in high energy. Often times, people deal with stress by excessive consumption of alcohol, tobacco or drugs. However, this type of self-medication only ends up hiding issues and doing more harm than good. Finally, it is important to get enough sleep. Sleep is proven to increase brain functioning and help you think more clearly and rationally in stressful situations. Overall, having a control on your lifestyle can be a great way to combat stress.
Dealing with stress isn’t always simple yet being aware of the problems and addressing them can drastically improve your lifestyle. Take some time to rest, relax and reflect on this National Stress Awareness Day.
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