April is Stress Awareness Month –no fooling!
April, 2010 – Stress Awareness Month
By Margaret Lewin, MD, FACP – Medical Director, Cinergy Health (www.cinergyhealth.com)
From stay-at-home moms to CEO’s to women in the armed services, American women lead busy, stressful lives. Although a little pressure can stimulate creativity and enable us to achieve more, too much stress is unhealthy both physically and emotionally and can seriously interfere with our interpersonal relationships. So let’s look at a few ways to C.U.T. S.T.R.E.S.S!
Consider the sources of your stress. List them in order of severity and, one-by-one, jot down ways to defuse them
Untie yourself from some of the responsibilities causing your stress. Ask for help and delegate!
Tally up your strong points, and apply them to your list of stress solutions.
Stop ruminating over your stress-points; break the cycle with some meditation or by switching to an enjoyable activity.
Take regular, scheduled breaks from stressful tasks. Take a walk, run a quick errand.
Reserve regular time for yourself, putting it unalterably in your schedule: take in a movie, a concert, an exercise, yoga or salsa class.
Exercise regularly. Vigorous exercise is the fastest-acting stress-reliever and anti-depressant.
Sleep enough. Sleep deficits increase stress levels and can cause loss of perspective when evaluating problems.
Stretch frequently to loosen those tense muscles which lead to headaches and other ailments.
There’s no way to avoid the pressures of modern life, but we can learn to C.U.T the S.T.R.E.S.S. and enjoy a happier, healthier, less-stressed spring!
