I recently saw a study that claimed more than 50% of Americans report having some kind of stress, anxiety or depression. Therapists are overwhelmed and booked out for months, it found.
Certainly, the past few years have caused many to develop anxieties and health issues related to the disruptions and concerns of the pandemic. Isolation, job insecurity, changing schedules, shutdowns — you name it, every phase of our "normal" lives was affected. Lack of control over those situations left many feeling helpless.
But as we move back toward predictable schedules and returns to work and school, readapting has not necessarily reduced those stress levels.
My doctors tell me some level of stress is healthy. It's how we deal with it that presents problems.
A friend of mine shared a story about how he was treated very harshly by a vendor with whom he had been mostly cordial. I will always remember my friend's pleasant response. He told me, "Why should I let his actions determine my behavior?"
My friend had lived a long, relatively stress-free life because he had placed the focus of control directly inside himself, instead of reacting as if others and external events caused him to think, feel and act in certain ways.
That response is one we should all aspire to. But it doesn't come naturally to many of us; we need to reprogram our brains.
Here are some of these stress-management strategies during April, which is Stress Awareness Month:
