April is Stress Awareness Month

When Life is a Mess, Here Are Ways to Decompress! April is Stress Awareness Month

Four Core Strategies For Managing Stress and Anxiety

By Bethany Strickland

Today’s busy lifestyle can often be stressful and sometimes overwhelming. Managing stress will keep your mind clear and deflect any changes that the body makes during stressful times, keeping you healthy and free from getting rundown and susceptible to illnesses.

1. Attention Centering Techniques-

To neutralize anxiety, it can often help to use techniques designed to focus attention beyond anxious thoughts. The concepts designed by yoga can help.

Things to try~ Box breathing, stretching, nature walks

2. Expressive, Creative Strategies-

To channel anxious thoughts or feelings in more productive ways, we might identify specific outlets to express creativity such as working on projects, drawing, and athletics. Things to try~ Painting, woodworking, color by numbers

3. Reflection Exploration Strategies-

To monitor where anxiety arises, become more aware of anxiety triggers and reflect on anxious thoughts and feelings, we might try strategies that foster self-observation. Things to try~ Journaling, reflect on past instances, speak to a friend or therapist

4. Healthy Lifestyles Values-

To reduce residual feelings of anxiety, it could help to turn attention towards healthy habits, healthy relationships, healthy pleasures, and a healthy environment.

Things to try~ Getting active outdoors, meditation, time away from screens

“This too shall pass.” – Solomon

Bethany Strickland is a Nurse Practitioner at Yavapai Regional Medical Center, specializing in Alzhimer’s and Dementia Care.