Stress is a word that we hear often, perhaps too often.  It’s a term that people expect to experience in regular day to day life, and when someone says they're stressed, most people don’t even consider that as a negative experience.  I don’t think it’s a secret that Americans are already a stressed culture, and with the impacts of COVID-19, we continue to see stress levels rise.  Two years later, the American Psychological Association reports that Americans are experiencing additional sources of stress such as economic issues (such as inflation and supply chains) and global uncertainty**.  

Consider the impacts that two years of increased stress levels have had on Americans who were already functioning with poor coping strategies and high expectations.  We have continued to live our lives as “normally” as we can, without increasing our coping strategies to battle the stress.  Many of us haven’t had access to our more traditional coping strategies.  For example, if you are someone who takes vacations to destress, this may not have been an option for you until recently.  Working to maintain “normal” has pushed us to a level of stress that is likely negatively impacting our physical and mental health which includes weight gain, increased alcohol and drug use, decreased sleep, and relationship problems.  

I was recently presented with a definition of stress that helped me to adjust my own perspective on it.  Stress is “what occurs in our body when something that matters is at stake and we think we can do something about it”.  Let’s break this down.  What would happen if we acknowledged our stress levels and recognized that these stress levels exist because they are things that we care about?  If it is something that you chose not to care about, in theory, stress would dissolve.  If you choose to care about it, perhaps that stress can be used to drive your motivation and passion forward.  The second part is also significant, “we think we can do something about it”.  If we are stressed about something that is out of our control, then ultimately the stress serves no purpose.  Focusing on the things that we can control and the things that are most important to us will help us to feel productive, focused and calm.

If your stress level is above a level that you are comfortable with, here are some ways to begin addressing it.

1 - Identify areas that you can reduce your time commitment, tasks, or responsibilities.  Many of us view asking for help as a sign of weakness.  It takes strength to ask for help and to recognize that you can’t do everything alone.  Managing your time with calendars, to do lists, and checklists can also be helpful.

2 - Take care of your body.  This may involve visiting your primary care provider for a physical, adding exercise or mindfulness activities, increasing your sleep hygiene, reducing drug and alcohol use, and adjusting eating habits.

3 - Increase coping strategies.  The Team at The Mental Wellness Center was asked to provide their go to strategies to reduce their stress.  This allows our providers to practice positive self care and enables them to be present and focused in sessions with their clients.

• Reading a book

• Going for a walk

• Dancing

• Listening to music

• Enjoying a hot beverage

• Delegate tasks

• Healthy Boundaries

• Audiobooks

• Streaming stand up comedy

• Hot Shower

• Naps

• Cleaning

• Painting

• Home improvement projects

4 - Engage in therapy.  If you are struggling to cope with your stress level, it may be time to consider meeting with a therapist to help you to build your skills.  Check out our providers at https://www.thementalwellnesscenter.com/providers

**https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress/2022/march-2022-survival-mode