Simple Suggestions for Stress Awareness Month

This month I will be doing my best to not bite my nails (and I mean chomp my poor nails, so bad), to not continuously check the locks on my doors when I know they have been locked (can someone say OCD?), to not re-check my phone to make sure my alarm is set at all hours of the night (I set an alarm to make sure my alarm is on, no joke) and to not remind myself of things happening in my Blackberry, AOL calender, planner AND notebook (I thought just purchasing the blackberry would keep me a line but it didn't). If anyone stresses, it's me.

April is Stress Awareness Month– a time when healthcare professionals, health promotion experts, and caregivers across the country join forces to raise public awareness about the cause and cures for our modern stress epidemic.

Here are some great tips for you (and me) to reduce our stress level this month from Jennifer Riley, a reporter at the Christian Post:

• Provide a listening ear. Often, those who are going through stressful times simply need someone to talk to. Make an extra phone call or meet a friend for coffee and offer the opportunity for them to talk.

• Send an encouraging note. Words are powerful. In the age of emails and text messages, handwritten notes show that you took time and effort to show you care.

• Say “thank you.” Offer your gratitude for people. Thank a coworker for his or her hard work or a waiter for serving you dinner. Everyone wants to feel appreciated.

• Laugh with someone. A good hearty laugh can relax you both and mentally lighten your load. Tell a joke or rent a funny movie with a friend.

• Perform a random act of kindness. Surprise someone with the unexpected. It can be as simple as paying for a friend’s coffee or offering to watch the kids so a mom or dad can have time to relax.

• Get a massage. It is said that an hour of professional massage can be as restful as 3-4 hours of sleep.

• Help someone organize. When the places and things around us are in order, we feel a little more put together. Take time to help a friend clean out a closet or scrub the bathtub.

• Take a walk. Exercise releases endorphins and makes us feel better all around. Walk around the mall with a coworker on your lunch break or meet a friend at a park after work and enjoy the fresh air.

• Share a smile. This contagious act can easily brighten someone’s day. Smile to a passing stranger; it may make a big difference in his or her day.

• Get away. Get away from the everyday circumstances that may be causing stress. Plan a weekend getaway or a day trip with a friend.

• Pray. Say a quick prayer for your friend and put his or her stress in the hands of the Ultimate Provider and Healer.

National Stress Awareness Day is April 16.

To your health & happiness- and a stress-free month!