| | | | | | | | April is Stress Awareness Month. This has been held every April since 1992 to help increase public awareness about both the causes and cures for modern stress.
Stress is a normal part of human existence and NO ONE is immune to it. It's important that we have the knowledge to recognize when we are stressed. And it is equally important to learn strategies for coping and managing stress before it takes over.
This also happens to be a time when our nation and the world are dealing with some of the most trying times. If you're like most people, you are doing your best to stay calm during the COVID-19 pandemic.
But that can feel incredibly difficult at times.
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| | Types of Stress:
Acute Stress - The Fight or Flight reaction. The body prepares to defend itself. It can take about 90 minutes for the metabolism to return to normal when the stress response is over.
Chronic Stress - The cost of daily living: bills, kids, jobs, illness - this is the stress we tend to ignore or push down. Left uncontrolled this stress affects the body, mind and your immune system.
Eustress - Stress in daily life that has a positive meaning. This can be marriage, job promotion, baby, winning money, new friends or graduation. This type of stress can also be very motivating!
Distress - Stress in daily life that has a negative meaning. This could be divorce, punishment, injury, financial problems, negative feelings, or work difficulties. |
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| | People have very different ideas for their definition of stress. Most people define stress as "something that causes distress". This definition and many perceptions of stress are on the negative feelings and emotions it produces. However, stress is not always harmful. Any definition of stress should also include good stress or eustress. Eustress can help you grow and push you to new heights. It doesn't always feel good but in reality, it is good for you. This can drive you to achieve better things. Distress vs. Eustress Eustress is good but distress can be bad for you. Cumulative negative stress can affect your physical and mental wellbeing. It can be tough to tell whether you're experiencing good or bad stress. Start by looking at events in terms of "threats" and "challenges". Undeniably, a threat is a bad thing - such as failing grade, family member's illness, or an abusive relationship. While challenges are difficult, they can be overcome. For example, you've been rejected by a person you really wanted to date. This encourages you to improve yourself, reevaluate your approach and search for a silver lining. Eustress also helps develop resilience. Living through hard days teaches us how to survive those hard days and eustress is vital to this process. Good stress can become bad stress and vice versa.
Although stress can't be completely avoided, the trick is to be able to regulate, monitor and completely harness stress so that you are able to benefit from it rather than suffer from it.
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| | | Your health and wellbeing is my utmost priority, if you have any questions or concerns,
please do not hesitate to contact me today.
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| | | | | The Road to Healing
Begins Here! |
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