April is Stress Awareness Month – A month of taking Action to manage your stress
This is a great opportunity to assess the origins of stress, anxiety or tension in your life, learn about effective coping skills and work on ways to reduce the stress, anxiety or tension you experience on a daily basis.
Stress is your response to the world around you – like a situation or an event. It is also a response to a thought or feeling. While stress can be related to good or bad events, our body’s response can be the same. Like a race car at a starting line, the body gears-up to meet the challenge of the stressful situation.
Recognize that you have the power to make decisions, to more effectively manage your stress levels
Firstly you need to Recognize your personal Stress!
We can experience stress on 4 levels:
| Physical | Mental | Emotional | Social |
| Muscle tension
Headaches Restless sleeps Stomach and digestive problems Skin problems Back Pain Stiff Jaws Twitching in eyes Emotional eating Developing allergies Low Energy |
Poor concentration Racing thoughts Forgetfulness Overthinking negatively Anxious mind Poor Decisions |
Irritability
Anxiety Mood swings Cynicism Lack of fulfilment Loneliness Low self-worth |
Intolerance for others
Lashing out Unable to interact with others |
We’ve all experienced some of these signs in our lives brought on by varying degrees of stress. But if you have been experiencing these signs over a prolonged time, it’s an indicator that you may have an unhealthy level of stress and you should take steps to eliminate the stressors.
Getting in touch with your stress:
Daily for the next 2 weeks, journal what stressed you out. What about the situation stressed you out? What thoughts you were having during the stressful situation?
Just list all that comes up without judgement or analysis. Do you see a pattern? Do you see a common situation that is causing you stress? Thoughts or beliefs that are stressing you out?