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4/19/2010 - How to recognize and deal with stress
How to recognize and deal with stress
April is Stress Awareness Month
April is nationally recognized as Stress Awareness Month and has come to us each year for the past 18 years as certain as, well, tax season. The nationwide awareness crusade attempts to shine the light on the dangers of stress.
According to the American Institute of Stress, stress has been found to contribute to the onset of many disorders. Physically, chronic stress has been linked to coronary disease, hypertension, and stroke. Mentally and emotionally stress can manifest itself as anxiety, aggression, withdrawal or depression.
“We have learned so much about the effects of stress in the past 20 years, and it can be a killer,” says Dr. Lita A. Clark, vice-president of Employee Assistance Programs for American Behavioral. “But we’ve also developed excellent methods of recognizing, managing and reducing stress.”
American Behavioral, a Birmingham-based behavioral health care organization offers these tips for clients and employees and their families who want to reduce stress in their lives.
- Identify the stress in your life. Start a stress journal and jot it down when circumstances become hectic and stressful.
- Learn your own stress signals. People experience stress in different ways. You may have a hard time concentrating or making decisions, feel angry, irritable or out of control, or experience headaches, muscle tension or a lack of energy. Gauge your stress signals.
- Strive to strike a reasonable work/home balance. Leave work at work. Make a conscious decision to separate work time from personal time. Incorporate pleasing physical activity and healthy nutrition into your life.
- Beware of chemical crutches. Alcohol and drugs may seem to provide a temporary respite from stress, but in reality, alcohol and other drugs can cause health, impairment and legal problems that can create even more stress.
- Plan for Change. Coping with the unexpected is a great source of stress in modern life. Whenever possible, plan to avoid too many big changes coming at the same time, and try to accept and prepare for the inevitable changes that are headed your way.
- Seek professional help. Everyone needs help from time to time. If your life feels too chaotic to manage and you're spinning your wheels worrying about it, talk with a professional, such as your doctor, a psychologist or a counselor recommended by your employee assistance program (EAP).
As Henry Wadsworth Longfellow famously wrote, “Unto each life a little rain must fall,” so it is with stress in our everyday lives. It can’t always be avoided, but it can be managed.
About American Behavioral: American Behavioral, based in Birmingham, Ala., is a full-service behavioral health care organization providing Employee Assistance Program services, managed mental health care, pre-employment and promotional psychological testing, drug screening, manager and supervisor training, and critical-incident stress management. Founded in 1990, American Behavioral serves more than 100 companies with employees and families in all 50 states and Canada. For more information, visit www.americanbehavioral.com
Media Contact: Sonja Lother, Panorama Public Relations, www.prview.com
205-328-9334, Ext. 2, sonja@prview.com
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