April is Counseling Awareness and Stress Awareness Month
Stress is a natural part of life and can be good for your health in reasonable doses, but too much stress can have negative effects on your physical and mental health. That is why April is designated as National Stress Awareness Month, to highlight the importance of proper stress management.
The first step in stress management is understanding what stress looks like in your life and learning how to be resilience against it. Leah Squires, PhD, is the Chief of Psychology Service at the Washington DC VA Medical Center. She, along with a team of more than 50 VA Psychologists, help Veterans develop coping mechanisms to deal with stress in a healthy way. Some of those coping mechanisms may include:
Being active
Physical activity can pump up your feel-good endorphins and other natural neural chemicals that enhance your sense of well-being. Exercise can also refocus your mind on your body's movements, which can improve your mood and help the day's irritations fade away.
Eating a healthy diet
Eating a healthy diet is an important part of taking care of yourself. Aim to eat a variety of fruits and vegetables, and whole grains.
Avoiding unhealthy habits
Some people may deal with stress by drinking too much caffeine or alcohol, smoking, eating too much, or using illegal substances. These habits can harm your health.
Meditating
Meditation can instill a sense of calm, peace and balance that can benefit both your emotional well-being and your overall health.
Laughing more
Laughter lightens the mental load and causes positive physical changes in the body. Laughter also fires up and then cools down your stress response.
Connecting with others
Social contact is a good stress reliever because it can offer distraction, provide support and help you tolerate life's up and downs. When you're stressed and irritable, your instinct may be to isolate yourself. Instead, reach out to family and friends and make social connections.
Asserting yourself
You might want to do it all, but you can't, at least not without paying a price. Learning to say no or being willing to delegate can help you manage your to-do list and your stress.
Getting enough sleep
Sleep is the time when your brain and body recharge, and the quality and amount of sleep you get can affect your mood, energy level, concentration and overall functioning. If you have sleep troubles, make sure that you have a quiet, relaxing bedtime routine, listen to soothing music, put clocks away, and stick to a consistent schedule.
Keeping a journal
Writing down your thoughts and feelings can be a good release for otherwise pent-up emotions. Don't think about what to write, just let your thoughts flow on paper or computer screen.
Counseling
For many, counseling is an important part of the stress management process. That’s why in addition to Stress Awareness Month, April is also designated Counseling Awareness Month, to promote mental health care and break the stigma around seeking help.
When your stressors become too much to manage alone, Squires encourages you to speak to your VA provider or schedule an appointment with a VA mental health care provider.
“VA has extensive resources available to help you navigate all of life’s stressors,” said Squires. “As psychologists, we are part of a larger team of VA health care professionals who are dedicated to helping Veterans learn how to identify stressors and manage them in a healthy way.”
Click here to learn more about VA stress management resources.
Click here to learn more about VA Mental Health Care resources.