April is Stress Awareness Month

Stress is a part of normal day-to-day living. It's usually a result of changes that occur in life. Some of them can be major events like a divorce or loss. Some of them can be relatively minor such as a change in schedule or getting caught in traffic. And, while each of us has a different reaction to stress in general, there are certain things we can each do to help cope. It may even force you to rethink handling stressful situations in new ways. 

Some common coping mechanisms may challenge you to:

• Lower your expectations.
• Ask others to help or assist you.
• Take responsibility for the situation.
• Engage in problem solving.
• Maintain emotionally supportive relationships.
• Maintain emotional composure or, alternatively, expressing distressing emotions.
• Challenge previously held beliefs that are no longer adaptive.
• Directly attempt to change the source of stress if possible. 
• Distance yourself from the source of stress.
• View the problem through a religious or spiritual perspective.

Each person needs to figure out what works for them. It's also important to remember that coping with any situation is a process that may need to take some time. 

Some of the things that you can do on a daily basis that can help you to cope with stressors as they come up:

• Get enough good quality sleep.
• Eat a well-balanced diet.
• Exercise on a regular basis.
• Take brief rest periods during the day to relax.
• Take vacations away from home and work.
• Engage in pleasurable or fun activities every day.
• Practice relaxation exercises such as yoga, prayer, or meditation
• Avoid or minimize the use of caffeine and alcohol.

For help dealing with stress, you can contact one of the RSS social workers at: 718-884-5900. For further help finding mental health support go to:  https://www.nami.org/help