April is National Stress Awareness Month
With life’s demands, we all experience stress. Stress is how our body and brain responds to those demands. How each one of us deals with stress is different. Some people deal with stress effectively and/or may recover more quickly than other people, even if they have experienced the same stressful event. Even though it is healthy to have some amounts of stress in our lives, such as motivation to getting tasks accomplished or as a survival response to a dangerous situation, chronic stress puts our physical and mental health at risk. Not only is our health compromised, it can become a financial burden for treatment(s) of the related conditions and illnesses.
There are many ways to help manage or cope with stress. However, in order to manage stress, we need to be able to identify the signs. Knowing the signs can help you to take action before it becomes more serious. Some signs include excessive anger or crying, increased forgetfulness, sleep problems, inability to concentrate, lashing out at others and substance abuse.
Fortunately, many ways to help manage or cope with stress are low cost, even no cost. Some of these include: taking at least three slow, deep breaths; physically moving on a regular basis; reading or listening to things that make you laugh; connecting with a friend or someone who is a good listener, supportive and/or encouraging; writing in a journal; setting realistic goals and priorities (this may mean saying “no” to some things) which helps you see what you accomplished; stretching muscles to relieve tension; and setting aside time specifically for hobbies or other activities you enjoy doing either alone or with others.
In addition, mindfulness is very beneficial and can be done anytime or anywhere. By being mindful, you are listening to your body and have an increased awareness of what is going on in the present. A way to practice this is to intensely observe your current surroundings. Concentrate and listen to sounds, observe the sensation of touch, visually observe colors, textures and movements. The focus is not on what has happened in the past or might happen in the future, not what you need to get done or how you’re going to solve a problem. It is becoming more aware of the here and now to achieve calmness and ultimately reduce stress and anxiety.
It is also important to acknowledge some situations that cause stress are beyond our control, especially natural occurrences. By trying to let go of those areas we have no control over and recognizing and putting our efforts into the areas that we do have control over, will help reduce our overall stress.
The above information was taken from MSU Extension MontGuides #MT201605HR, Understanding and Managing Stress and #MT200016HR, 50 Stress Busting Ideas for Your Well-being and the National Institute of Mental Health. Additional information is also available by contacting Janell at the Chouteau County Extension Office at 622-3036, janellb@montana.edu or in the Chouteau County Courthouse at 1308 Franklin St in Fort Benton.
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