April is Stress Awareness Month. You may wonder why we need a month to shine a light on stress, as it is something most of us are well aware of! However, this combined with spring renewal makes it a great time to look at our stressors and coping. Here are some tips to help.

Stay Ahead of Stress

Think about the situations, relationships or events that stress you out. Staying ahead of them means thinking about how you are going to manage emotions before they hit. Planning an exit strategy, a script to manage stressful topics, or asking a support person for help are ways you can plan for the stress before it happens, not during, when you are struggling. 

Spring Clean Your Mind

Like decluttering your home, decluttering your mind brings clarity. Stressful thoughts need a place to go rather than rattling around in your head (in fact, your whole body). Setting a timer and writing what is on your mind is a great exercise. It is like cleaning the garage. At first, you’re overwhelmed by the stuff. But if you tackle one pile at a time, putting everything in the driveway, you are then able to take inventory and decide what to keep, what to discard and what you need to fix. Decluttering your mind through a quick (2 -5 minute) brain dump can have the same effect of decreasing overwhelm and helping you decide what needs to stay, go or be fixed. 

Get Outside & Soak Up the Sun

Finally, take advantage of the daylight and spring weather. Just sticking your head outside, closing your eyes, taking a deep breath and feeling the sun (wind or rain) on your face will take you out of that stress in your head and help you release some of the tension you didn’t even know you were carrying in your body, even if only for a minute.

Commit to becoming more aware of your stress in April. If you need help getting started, reach out for guidance.