Stress Awareness Month
April is (ridiculously fittingly) Stress Awareness Month, which in today’s world means it is a month for everyone. If someone out there lives 100% stress-free, please, share your secret! Stress is unfortunately just a fact of life in this busy modern world, but it can also be seriously unhealthy. Marking April as Stress Awareness Month gives us a chance to take a serious look at the stress in our lives and see if we can reduce that load a little. This April is extra stressful for all of us, so (since we have it), let’s take a little time to reduce some of our stressors and practice self-care.
It is scientifically proven that stress has a detrimental effect on our health. According to Mayo Clinic, the list of stress side effects is long and includes headaches, stomach issues, exhaustion, lack of motivation, high blood pressure, and even reduced exercise. When stress gets to be too much, it can make us overeat, lash out at friends, or avoid participating in activities we enjoy. Even if your day-to-day isn’t full of high-stress events, having a constant drone of moderate stress can lead to these nasty issues and a decreased quality of life. We’ve definitely experienced the constant overarching stress as we live through this uncharted Coronavirus pandemic.
To properly celebrate Stress Awareness Month, let’s fight back a little against our stress. Look for the stressors in your life and see if there is a way to reduce their effect. Obviously, the current state of the world will be there for all of us, but as Dave Hollis said, "In the rush to return to normal, use this time to consider which parts of normal are worth rushing back to."
We’re missing a lot of our usual activities, but we can use this time to consider things like if there is a task, person, or activity in your (normal) day that brings negativity into your life. Got something? Now think about how you may be able to limit those interactions moving forward. Don’t stop at just one. Try to think of at least three things that affect your stress response in a negative way and how you may be able to minimize those interactions in the future.
When it comes to the stressors you can’t cut out of your life, balance them with self-care. For this step, take some time to consider if there are things, people, or activities in your (normal) day that bring about a sense of relief and lightness. Got something? Great! That’s a stress reliever for you! Now think about how you may be able to allow yourself more of those interactions moving forward. And again, don’t stop at just one. Try to think of at least three things that affect your stress response in a positive way and how you may be able to maximize those opportunities to lessen your stress moving forward.
Another option is to try something new! We've recently added our Zen Tonic CBD Oil to our product offerings. CBD helps minimize unwanted reactions like our stress and inflammatory response, so now may be a great time for you to try adding a CBD Oil to your routine to help you de-stress and relax a bit.