5 Tips to Manage Stress
April marks Stress Awareness Month, and in 2021 we need to manage stress more than ever. Although we made it to a new year and the vaccine brings new hope, we still face ongoing lockdowns, economic instability, racial violence, and an uncertain future. These concerning circumstances justify Americans’ elevated stress levels. The American Psychological Association warns that we also face a second stress pandemic bringing along with it significant physical and mental health issues.
Because my team of conscious communicators and I know that stress adversely affects our industry, I decided to take this opportunity to share learnings about ways we marketers, publicists and communicators can cope with stress. The following tips should help us manage detrimental stress and find peace during these challenging times.
Step 1: Start with Awareness
As the name of the month implies, stress awareness is the first step to tackling stress.
Look out for these physical signs of stress:
- Headache
- Trouble sleeping
- Fatigue
- Difficulty concentrating
- Upset stomach
- Irritability
Then, try to identify your stressors. Common sources of stress include work, health, relationships, finances, and traumatic events. Stressor identification will help us overcome or at least cope with things before the stress compounds.
Step 2: Reduce Stressors
When possible, try to change or eliminate your sources of stress. Small shifts like turning off the news – (I know, that’s a hard one for me too), improving your time management, or asking for help with a project can reduce your burden. If you feel overwhelmed, simplify your to-do list, and focus on one task at a time. Although we cannot remove the pandemic from our lives, we can manage our lives through the pandemic. I also recommend vaccination, when possible, to protect ourselves and our loved ones. Vaccination is one avenue toward bringing our communities together again.
Step 3: Take Care of your Body
You can physically reduce stress by taking care of your health and well-being. Exercise. Eat healthy. Sleep well. These all reduce stress. I am preparing to implement these steps into my own life, and I invite you to journey with me. Include essential vitamins, nutrients, and certain foods like matcha powder or kimchi to help further reduce stress. Also, be sure to avoid or limit stress-inducing substances like caffeine and nicotine. Find a routine that makes you feel good and stick to it.
Step 4: Cultivate Resilience
Since we will never truly escape stress, we must build a toolkit of coping mechanisms. Following please find some common stress relief practices, including ones that Team Impact uses to relax:
- Call a friend
- Get creative: art, music, crafts, cooking, etc.
- Light a candle or use essential oils
- Journal
- Watch a funny movie
- Go for a walk
- Read a book
- Clean your space
- Make a gratitude list
Step 5: Share and Support
Share your #StressAwarenessMonth story on social media and inspire others to recognize and mitigate their own stress. Post about your favorite relaxation techniques or a trick you learned to reduce stress in a situation. Stress affects everyone: check in on your loved ones and consider sharing this blog to help them.
Always Be Impactful
Remember, you cannot #BeImpactful if you are stressed out. If your stress seems insurmountable, consider contacting a therapist. We all encounter stress, and we can all find healthy ways to calm down. Remember to share your thoughts this #StressAwarenessMonth and take care of yourself.
Your marketing momma,
Cheryl McCants ~ Impact President and CEO
