April National Stress Awareness Month

@RedMountainSpa

By Tracey Welsh,
General Manager

You might look at April National Stress Awareness Month and think “Thank you very much. I’m already aware that I have stress, I don’t need a month to remind myself!” Awareness is always a good first step, now, on to “What are you going to do about it?”

Personally, I hate to admit that I’m “stressed,” and I’m the type of person can generally put things aside to make them “go away.” However, when you find that the top five stressors are Personal Relationships, Children, Financial, Workplace and generally being “too busy,” I think even I have to agree – they simply won’t go away – and nor can I imagine my life without any of them.

Now, on to the “what can I do about it?” Give yourself permission and time to deal with your stress. One of our Red Mountain Personal Trainers once said to me, “we all have the same 24 hours a day; it’s how you choose to spend them.” I hear these words every time I have the urge to say “I’m too busy to do it.” Here are five stress reducing techniques to consider:

• Go for a Walk. Around the block, around the office, the place doesn’t really matter, however I think the physical movement, away from the stress, allows you to refocus your energy.


• Take a breath: an excellent stress buster technique to relieve tension, oxygenates the blood, relaxes muscles and gives your brain a boost.


• Taking a mental break. I refer to this one as “changing the channel.” It’s that amazing phenomenon that occurs when you “stop looking for your lost keys, and suddenly find them.” It’s funny how often the answers arrive, when you aren’t dwelling on the question.


• Eat a healthy diet. Add stress to eating poorly and it equals = more stress. If you are going through a high stress period, nurture yourself with good food. I take an apple break at 11 am. Something I can do at my desk, for me!


• Talk it out. Each night when my father came home from work, my mother sat with him, sans kids, and listened to him download his day. This ritual and loving therapy was his daily stress management tool.

Of course, we cannot trivialize the affect of stress on our lives as it’s considered one of the highest factors in preventable disease. With that, you simply can’t afford to not carve time out of your day to find relief to your stress, however indulgent that may seem.