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Today is...National Stress Awareness Day

To raise the importance of dealing properly with stress, the Health Resource Network(HRN) started the Stress Awareness Day in 1992

All living things experience stress everyday, in varying degrees and frequencies. It is a normal body reaction to threatening events -- real or imagined. If we feel imminent danger, we automatically go into flight or fight mode called the stress response

Stress could be a good thing or a bad thing depending on how one looks at it.

Proper stress management can be beneficial. It can make you perform better at a faster pace, can make you stay alert and focused on the task at hand.

But inability to cope with external stressors can have an effect on our health, both physical and emotional.


According to CSM, Center for Stress Management,  the following symptoms are indications of stress overload and therefore must attended to immediately.


  • Alcohol/drug abuse
  • Avoidance/phobias
  • Sleep disturbances/insomnia
  • Increased nicotine/caffeine intake
  • Restlessness
  • Loss of appetite/overeating
  • Anorexia, bulimia
  • Aggression/irritability
  • Poor driving
  • Accident proneness
  • Impaired speech/voice tremor
  • Poor time management
  • Compulsive behaviour
  • Checking rituals
  • Tics, spasms
  • Nervous cough
  • Low productivity
  • Withdrawing form relationships
  • Clenched fists
  • Teeth grinding
  • Type A behaviour e.g. talking/walking/eating
  • faster;competitive; hostile;
  • Increased absenteeism
  • Decreased/increased sexual activity
  • Eat/walk/talk faster
  • Sulking behaviour
  • Frequent crying
  • Unkempt appearance
  • Poor eye contact


Take the Stress test HERE

If you think you are stressed out already, you can try doing these relaxing things. It can be done at no cost at all, easy to do, and definitely works!
  1. Say NO.
  2. Read.
  3. Laugh out loud.
  4. Play with children.
  5. Hug someone.
  6. Pray.
  7. Run in the park, or walk around the block (if there no parks)
  8. Say a silent prayer.
  9. Watch the sun set.
  10. Look out the window and look at something green.
  11. Do some stretching.
  12. Have a good cry.
  13. Take a deep breath and count 1 to 10, or 100 
  14. Hum a tune.
  15. Have tea, especially chamomile.
  16. Write.
  17. Take a shower.
  18. Light scented candles
  19. Talk to a friend.
  20. Write.

5 pinky-swear friends shared a thought or two...:

RHYTHM AND RHYME said...

To talk or write about stress one has had to go through stress. Many people THINK they have stress when all they're getting is a day when nothing is going their way.
I've been to the depths of despair with stress many years ago, My mother passed away which was so stressful then three days later my husband was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer having just recovered from lung cancer,
Within 2 months he too had left me. I was devastated then the stress set in, to cut a long story short I took up reading self help books and lstened to cds on stress and am completely over the worse, Oh I get days when
things are not good but to overcome any stress one has to ACCEPT what life has dealt them , once that has been achieved one can start to "Love" again.

Have a stressless week-end.
Yvonne,

RHYTHM AND RHYME said...

PS I meant "LIVE " AGAIN not love.
Sorry.
Yvonne,

Americanising Desi said...

thanks for the stress relief - needed it !!! really!

Kwizgiver said...

Thanks to the link to the Stress Test, that was very interesting. As is the rest of the post. :-)

::mingle::

Anonymous said...

Thanks for posting this. Great blog, can't wait to read more. I'm your newest follower from IComLeavWe.

-K
http://mypottyseat.blogspot.com/