April 16th - National Stress Awareness Day

Today is National Stress Awareness Day!

We all have stress in our lives, both positive and negative! Life without stress would be boring and un-motivating!!

We all experience stress from time to time. When stress gets to be too much, it can take a toll on our health and wellbeing. That's why effective stress relievers are essential in restoring inner peace and physical health. Here is a growing list of stress relievers that can help you feel less affected by stress in your life.

Here are some tips to help relieve stress when you feel overwhelmed or stressed!!

1.Journaling

Journaling can be used in several different ways, all of which can relieve stress. Because journaling is proven by research to bring several health benefits in addition to stress relief, this stress reliever is highly recommended.

2. Meditation

Meditation brings short-term stress relief as well as lasting stress management benefits. There are many different forms of meditation to try--each one is unique and brings its own appeal.

3. PMR

Progressive muscle relaxation, or PMR, is a technique that allows you to relax all of the muscles in your body, group by group. Beginning sessions take several minutes, and allow you to feel physically and emotionally relaxed when done. With practice, you can achieve full-body relaxation within seconds.

4. Breathing

Breathing exercises provide convenient and simple stress relief in that they can be used anytime, anywhere, and they work quickly.

5. Playing games

Enjoying a good game with a group of friends, or playing something relaxing online can take your mind off of your stressors, and can lead to a more relaxed state. Games are stress relievers that work well because people enjoy them enough to use them regularly.

6. Laugh OFTEN!!!!

The physical act of laughing releases tension and brings positive physiological changes. Finding ways to work more laughter into your day can be an effective route to stress relief.

7. Listen to those tunes!

Music can alter your physiology in ways that help you to relieve stress. It's an enjoyable, passive route to stress relief. Formal music therapy sessions can help with a variety of stress-related issues.

8. Take a Walk

Exercise is a fantastic stress reliever that can work in minutes. Taking a walk allows you to enjoy a change in scenery, which can get you into a different frame of mind, and brings the benefits of exercise as well. Learn about the other benefits of walking as a stress reliever.

9. Don't Procrastinate!

Putting off a stressful or labor-intensive project can only increase the stress you experience. Learn how to stop procrastination can allow you to get done what you need to do, without the added stress of rushing for a deadline.

10. Enjoy Aromatherapy!

Aromatherapy has proven benefits for stress relief--it can help you to become energized, more relaxed, or more present.


I hope that today you will use oone of these techniques to reduce the negative stress in your llife...

and if all else fails... eat desserts!! (stressed spelled backwards!).

Havee a great Monday!!

Ha ha! I like the very last idea

I do the journaling a lot. I really feel like I can't vent to my mom, my sister, or others because it somehow always gets back to DH!!! Since he works with my mom, she'll ask him about a fight etc. & then he gets irritated. So, I journal a lot! He rarely finds those

I'll be laughing this evening! We have our bi-weekly scrap night at the community center and the ladies there are a barrel of monkeys!

Also just got back from a walk with the youngest two and this morning had our family devotion time. Today should be good!

I laugh a lot when at work and I walk a lot when at work, from one end of the counter to the other a gazillion times LOL

Don't do music, don't like it

I play games online a lot.

I eat desserts!! LOL!! Actually... I like the idea of keeping a journal. I have started one a million times, but really should do a bit everyday! Maybe starting today!!!

I journal a lot. Now, you would htink that I'm not really here but au contraire. I'm not where you think I am.. (speaking of stress).. our van went wacky just outside Sudbury so we're checked into a hotel here and it's in the garage! Dh is feeling more stress than me... I am feeling just "zen"... He's walking back and forth between the hotel and the garage and I'm catching up on my email.

Yes, this was a good "lesson" for today.

I laugh, especially when DH gets home.

Love listening to tunes.

Jessica have a great night.

I do quite a few of those. PMR sounds interesting. I love the last one. Never noticed that before!

I do those PMR exercises at night if I can't fall asleep, which thankfully isn't too often, and they really help Gail!

I've never done PMR (as such). How do you start?

My sister told me to lay on my stomach, and then think of all the muscles in your lower leg and squeeze them tight... then release. Then work your way up to your neck... it does seem to relax you!!! Try it Kelly! I would imagaine laying on your back would work too.

99 more posts!!

I see that, I would probably get leg craps if I did that.

Colleen wrote:

I see that, I would probably get leg craps if I did that.

you'd get what?!?

actually you start with your feet... and as you relax them you image your stress leaving your body with breath when you exhale as you are relax the muscles. At the same time you imagine yourself at the top of a staircase that is leading into this marvelous grand ballroom... and with each exhale you are getting closer and closer...
or imagine anything that you would like that would help you relax..

KZ wrote:

Colleen wrote:

I see that, I would probably get leg craps if I did that.

you'd get what?!?

Glad I wasn't having a tea.

I can do all this except the aromatherapy... One of the reasons I couldn't breathe today was because of places with scents... For some reason my lungs just totally freak out on all scents... I really like them but just can't be around any kind of scented anything...

I get massages once or twice a month at Massage Envy. That helps me a lot... And scrapbooking - at least when I can just get into it and forget the world around me. I'm due again for a few days of that!

To relieve stress I do at least 7 out of the 10.My sense of smell isn't that good anymore-I think it's because of my sinuses,so that aromatherapy one would be of no help and I don't journal too many things on an everyday basis-sometimes I will write stuff down if it really is bothering me.Rest of the pointers I practise off and on for stress relief.

i think i need to do more of these....just don't wanna stress myself by over doing it lol

I'm eating chocolate as I type!!!

PatiO wrote:

To relieve stress I do at least 7 out of the 10.My sense of smell isn't that good anymore-I think it's because of my sinuses,so that aromatherapy one would be of no help and I don't journal too many things on an everyday basis-sometimes I will write stuff down if it really is bothering me.Rest of the pointers I practise off and on for stress relief.

You're so lucky Pat. My sense of smell has heightened over the years and it's not pleasant either. Like Ginni, I am very sensitive to scents and can get rabid headaches from them...

I envy you.