Happy National Stress Awareness month!

By: Danielle Carranza

Happy National Stress Awareness month! I say HAPPY because learning how to deal with our 

Stress is good news. We can learn to adapt, avoid, alter, or accept. Our ultimate goal is always to achieve balance and harmony with our schedules, relationships, and emotions. The USDA discuses These coping strategies: They call it the four A’s: 

Avoid unnecessary stress-LEARN TO and PRACTICE saying “NO” -Avoid people and topics that stress you out like grandma at 9am or politics/religion talks -Have no direction? Create a todo list -Too much to do? Shorten your todo lists Alter the situation -Learn to express your feelings, talk to a trusted friend or therapist -Learn to compromise while also being able to hold your “no”  -Practice being more assertive in life -Attempt to manage time better

Adapt to the stressor -Reframe problems -Look at the big picture, ask “will this be important in 1 year?” -Don’t strive for perfection, Perfectionism is a major stressor to many people -Focus on the positive by reflecting on all the things that would can appreciate in life  Accept the things you cannot change  -Don’t try to control things that are out of our control -Try to see challenges as personal growth opportunities -Stop living in “unforgiveness”, unforgiveness can contribute to resentment and bleed through our life in way we can’t see

Test your stress level for free here Dancing in your living room music (YouTube) Link to HelpGuide meditations Stress Management 10 minute reads

Citations: USDA document adapted from Help Guide