Stressed Out!

Written by: Abbey Riendeau, LMHC


The month of April is recognized as National Stress Awareness Month. The purpose of this recognition is to bring attention and awareness to the negative impacts of stress. It’s so important to understand how to manage our stress in order to live a happy and healthy lifestyle. Having stress management skills can improve mental and physical well-being and minimize exacerbation other health-related issues.

It’s normal to feel stressed from time to time. Everyone experiences stress at some point. Stress is the physical and/or mental response to an external cause or trigger. External causes could include having a lot of homework, coming down with an illness, or having a work performance review coming up. A stressor can be a one-time or short-term occurrence, or it can happen repeatedly over a longer period of time.

It’s important to discuss how anxiety fits into the picture with stress. Anxiety is the body’s reaction to stress and anxiety can occur even if there is no current threat. Anxiety is often felt in reaction to stress but individuals can also experience anxiety independent of stressful events. If feelings of dread don't go away and become chronic, it can interfere with your life, such as impacting your physical health, relationships, and work. Chronic anxiety can lead to problems with sleep, immune system, digestive system, cardiovascular system, and even reproductive systems. Chronic anxiety can also increase the risk for developing a mental illness, such as an anxiety disorder. 

Sometimes it’s challenging to determine if you're experiencing stress, anxiety, or both, and when it’s time to reach out for help from a professional. Some things to consider to determine if the symptoms experienced may be stress or anxiety and may need professional help, include:

  • Is there an identified external cause, trigger, threat, or stressor?

  • Do the symptoms go away after the external trigger goes away or is resolved or do symptoms and feelings persist? 

  • Have symptoms begun to interfere with your everyday life, such as impacting your health, relationships, or work performance?

  • Do symptoms cause you to avoid important tasks or events?

If you are experiencing ongoing symptoms that do not have a clear cause and are beginning to interfere with your everyday life, it may be time to reach out to a professional mental health provider to assist you with managing stress and/or anxiety.

Ultimately, learning what triggers or causes your stress and anxiety and what coping techniques work best for you is so important for reducing symptoms of stress and/or anxiety and improving your daily life. It may be necessary for you to speak to a mental health professional if you are having trouble identifying stress triggers or for individualized coping recommendations. It may take some trial and error to discover what works best for you. Here of some activities and interventions you can try when you feel overwhelmed with stress:

  • Journaling and tracking your thoughts

  • Phone app that provides relaxation exercises, such as breathing exercises, visualization, or mindfulness

  • Exercise and a nutritious diet

  • Avoid caffeine

  • Identifying and challenging negative or critical thoughts

  • Talking to or spending time with family or friends

  • Notice the ‘good minutes’ in each day, or keep a gratitude journal

  • Try a new routine, such as a morning routine or bedtime routine

  • Join a new social group and make new friends

  • See challenges through a different perspective by looking for the positive side of each situation

  • Find relaxing activities, such as taking a bath, reading a book, or going for a walk

  • Talk to a mental health professional

If symptoms of stress and anxiety are becoming unmanageable or they are negatively impacting your well-being and everyday life, reach out to a trusted mental health professional to receive additional support. If you are struggling, know that you are not alone. Our therapists at Forensic Insight Group are here to support you and answer any questions you may have. If you are feeling as though you need help with mental health symptoms, feel free to reach out to us to schedule an appointment or call 988 for immediate mental health support.




Citation:

National Stress Awareness Month. (2022, April 4). Office of Human Resources. https://hr.nih.gov/working-nih/civil/national-stress-awareness-month

National Institute of Mental Health. (2022). I’m so stressed out! Fact sheet. Www.nimh.nih.gov. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/so-stressed-out-fact-sheet

7 Steps to Manage Stress and Build Resilience | Office of Research on Women’s Health. (2023). Orwh.od.nih.gov. https://orwh.od.nih.gov/in-the-spotlight/all-articles/7-steps-manage-stress-and-build-resilience


‌