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April is Stress Awareness Month - Tips for Managing Stress from a Mental Health Therapist

Heather Rafanello, MSW, LCSW

@GrowingMindsetTherapy 


April is Stress Awareness Month, and paired with Spring it can be the perfect time of year to dedicate time for new beginnings, and learning to nourish ourselves in ways that reduce the stressors in your life (and let’s be honest, there is plenty to stress about these days). 


Everyone experiences stress, and stress itself is not actually a bad thing. Feeling stressed is a natural way for the body to bring awareness to something that is important, and helps people to adapt and prepare. It’s also a form of protection. For example, the body releases stress hormones when a person is in danger, allowing you to engage your short term stress responses of fight, flight, fawn, or freeze. A less dangerous, yet still adaptive example of the function of stress is how we tend to feel stressed before a presentation, an interview, or a first date. This stress is your body’s way of saying “hey, this meeting is important to you because you care what other people think about you - you don’t want to make a fool of yourself.” Stress however becomes problematic when it’s chronic, happening all too frequently, or when the amount of stress we feel doesn’t match the size of the stressor. 


Once you better understand the things that cause you stress, otherwise known as your stressors, you can then work to manage, reduce, and eliminate the stress. 


Some people tend to avoid stress by procrastinating, numbing their feelings, or using distractions to avoid feeling the stress - but the truth is, it’s not always helpful to avoid stress because its purpose is to alert us of something - stress is kind of like a messenger. This avoidance only pauses or delays the feeling, but inevitably it will need to be felt. Instead of avoiding stress, perhaps you can learn ways to hold space for it. Our recommendations - Ask yourself, where is this stress coming from? What could it be trying to teach me? How does this stress impact my energy, or how do I hold stress in my body? 


Once you have some answers to these questions you can more effectively manage the stress. If your stress is draining you - you might need to do something to recharge. If your stress instead is giving you energy, or causing anxiety - it might help to take a break, or do something to cool off, or slow down. Alternatively, if your stress is causing too much energy we might also need to release it through movement, or venting. 


Here are some tools to manage stress, proactively and reactively: 


It can be most effective to approach stress management from two angles: proactively and reactively. Proactively managing stress involves regular, and consistent efforts to maintain balance. This balance looks different for everyone, but often includes regular movement, sleep, balanced diet, structure, and routine. Reactive stress shows up when there’s added stressors, danger, or something unexpected. Managing this stress requires an understanding of the stressor, and a specific plan for action.


While today is an international day of awareness for stress, it’s something that should be monitored and addressed much more consistently. Let today be the day you commit to understanding your stress + see where this journey takes you!


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DISCLAIMER: This article is not intended to treat, or diagnose and medical conditions, nor is it a replacement for mental health or medical treatment. If you or someone you know is in need of clinical support, our team is able to provide therapy services to those in NJ and FL. Contact us to learn more. If you or someone you know is in need of immediate support please contact emergency services. U.S. Mental health crisis line: dial 988 ; medical emergency dial 911.

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