April Is Stress Awareness Month
By Kate Granigan

Hingham - It’s impossible to live without stress. In today’s fast paced society, it is almost impossible to escape it. But unmanaged stress, or consistent chronic stress can become a problem in many aspects of our lives. Typical signs of stress reactions include tension, irritability, sleep disturbance, loss of appetite, poor concentration or memory retention, emotional outbursts, self medicating through alcohol and drug use and anger.

Unfortunately, these symptoms have become almost the norm. We regularly dismiss a headache or insomnia with, “Oh, it’s just stress,” or “Oh, I’m so stressed out,” in a matter-of-fact way. But over time, the results of chronic stress untreated can take it’s toll resulting in problems such as:

• Chronic headaches
• Anxiety disorders
• Heart disease
• Strokes
• Ulcers
• Weight loss or gain
• Muscle and joint pain
• Exacerbation of allergies and asthma
• Irritable bowel disease and ischemic bowel disease like Crohn’s disease
• Decreased libido
• Sleeplessness
• Loss of friendships and discontent partners and children
• Premature Tooth loss

Making a conscious effort to reduce our level of stress by using a one or all of the tips below will go a long way in helping with stress management and your overall health and well being.

Tips to Manage Stress

1. Use exercise to reduce stress.
Studies show that just a brisk walk each day can help reduce our stress level and it helps our heart and our mood too!

2. Practice self care.
Use meditation, yoga, deep breathing and other relaxation techniques to promote self awareness and “distressing.”

3. Find support.
Use a support group, a friend, or a professional counselor to give you support with things that are too difficult to tackle alone.

4. Take a humor break.
Laughter really is the best medicine. Put down the newspaper and turn off the news and find a laugh on the comedy channel or in the comics.

5. Learn to say “NO.”
It is typical in this day and age that we often bite off more than we can chew, causing us to feel overwhelmed and stressed. Unless you are sure of your ability to complete a task easily with pleasure, learn to say no to things you are not required to do.

6. Give yourself a break.
We are our own worst enemies. Be kind to yourself when you make a mistake and have realistic expectations of yourself.

7. Simplify.
It may not be realistic to expect that you can take care of your children, your aging parents and your job and still get a five course holiday dinner on the table. Instead, find ways to reduce the task, ask for help and when in doubt, see # 4.

About The Author
Kate Granigan, MSW, LICSW, is the Vice President of Overlook C.A.R.E., a private Professional Geriatric Care Management Company providing elders and their families guidance in navigating the maze of elder care options and needs. You can contact Kate at (781) 837-7444 for information on how she and her team might assist you with all for your elder care needs.