Tuesday Truths - "April is Stress Awareness Month" Stress Affects Us All!

April 4, 2023

There is no way to get around it. Stress is part of “normal life” or “human existence,” & no one is immune to it.

It is the physical, mental, and emotional strain & tension of daily living of family, relationships, work, and especially health.

However, you can learn some techniques to reduce Stress and anxiety.

National Stress Awareness Month’s goal is to raise awareness of the impact of Stress and how debilitating and can aggravate health problems.

It has been held since 1992. This year’s theme is “Anxiety!”

When you have less Stress and anxiety, you will have increased emotional stability, improved mood, and better overall health!

If you take five minutes to breathe and relax, you can add mental and physical benefits to keep you engaged throughout your day.

According to the research scientists at North Carolina State University, taking “microbreaks” throughout the day:

Stress in the workplace has increased by 40% since the Pandemic, according to WebMD/Holistic Well-Being, June 22, 2021.

So how can employers support their employee’s Stress and boost resilience?

Build a supportive “corporate culture” –

Permit employees to prioritize well-being *& self-care.
Encourage time off to recharge/mental health days.
Support setting boundaries.
Flexibility to manage work & home responsibilities.
All fosters open dialogue open to check on workload.
Bosses should walk the walk & talk the talk –
Set examples to take care of one’s own physical & mental health.
Provide Stress Management Tools & Training –
Provide free access to mindfulness & meditation apps.
Offer wellness services with a personalized health coach & online program.
Offer the benefits of the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and provide financial wellness services and caregiving assistance.
Help employees increase their resilience – the ability to deal with adversity to recover quickly.
These adaptive changes are a critical skill set needed for the workforce of today & tomorrow!

Stress Awareness is essential!

Let’s think about the symptoms that long-term Stress can cause:

Some of these symptoms – lead to Stroke and Heart Disease.

Recognizing when Stress affects us or someone around us is the first step to feeling better.

Understanding the Mind/Body/Stress/Health/Connection CAN help you manage Stress and improve your health and well-being!

Here are Three Simple Ways to Improve Stress on Your Own, according to the Harvard Health Blog:

Reframe Your Thinking – Taking a new approach to situations in your life may help reduce several stressors. For example, why am I feeling this way? Think positive.
Exercise – Cortisol levels that affect Stress can be reduced by physical activity. Cortisol, a steroid hormone, affects stress response, immune response, and metabolism. So don’t let the IDEA of EXERCISE stress you out. Instead, participate in workouts you enjoy to keep you motivated and recharge.
Take Time to Organize – Carving out weekly time to create a schedule, exercise, plan meals, and organize your work and personal spaces can help reduce Stress. Having routines can handle your day-to-day activities with more ease.

Here are some other additional other Stress Relieving Natural practices:

Deep Breathing
Yoga
Gratitude Journaling
Guided Meditation
Social Connection
Self-care
Nature
and the Tapping technique – Helps you access your body’s energy and send signals to the part of the brain that controls Stress.

I wear three additional hats to my 30+ years as a …. Preventive Health Professional.

Health and Life Coach, and Woman’s Fitness Specialist.

Total WELL-BEING is the MIND, BODY, and SPIRIT Connection.

They work synergistically together. You can’t do one without the other to benefit.

I hope you see how all these talks are coming together to practice AGE-GILITLY.

I invite you to contact me to learn more about these Stress Relieving practices.

Until next week…. Trust Your Truth, Practice Reducing Stress, and Live with AGE-GILITY!

Bye for now!

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