April is National Stress Awareness Month

Everyone feels stressed from time to time with their busy lifestyle. If left unchecked, it tends to be a real joy-killer. Stress can also lead to several major health problems, ranging from anxiety to severe depression and from mild acne to life-threatening heart attacks. It is easy to see why it is so vitally important to keep life’s major stressors in check.

What is stress? We hear people talk about stress all the time. We say we’re “stressed out”, but many of us may not know what stress really is. The term ‘stress’ refers to the response you have when facing circumstances that force you to act, change, or adjust in some way to maintain your footing or to keep things balanced.

Here are 5 tips that, when observed, will help you take charge and beat the stress:

  1. Focus on Your Health —You are not healthy when you’re constantly tired and run down. Make an annual physical appointment with your doctor. Staying healthy and feeling good is essential to reducing stress.
  2. Learn to Relax — Take a moment to just breathe, meditate, pray, etc. Take a breath and think about something positive, peaceful, and soothing. It’s a perfect way to break the cycle of task-related stresses.
  3. Get Some Exercise — When you’re stressed, exercise may be the last thing you feel like doing. However, helping your body relieve stress through regular exercise will improve your stamina, help you feel good about yourself, and help avoid exhaustion in the long run. Walking 3-5 times a week is a great way to start an exercise regimen.
  4. Talk to Your Inner Self — Keep a journal or talk to yourself while driving. It doesn’t matter if the conversation is one-sided and reflective. It just matters that you take the time to think about your experiences. You’ll be amazed at how getting things out will lighten your spirit.
  5. Smile — Seriously, just smile. It will help. It’s a fact. You can’t hold a negative thought with a genuine smile on your face. Very few things can reduce stress better than a funny moment and the smile it brings. Laughter is, after all, the best medicine.
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