I Nearly Missed It!

Here it is, April 30th and I was just informed that April is National Stress Awareness Month! Geez! That truly is the story of my life. I always seem to be too busy or stressed out to plug into what's going on in the world around me. Does that hold true for you too?

Our lives are full of hassles, deadlines, frustrations and demands. For many of us, stress is so commonplace that it has become a way of life. How sad is that? Especially since long term exposure to stress can really mess with your health. It can lead to heart disease, compromise our immune systems, cause sleep and digestive problems and any number of other physical ailments.

The scary part for me is that stress can actually rewire the brain leaving us more vulnerable to anxiety and depression. Heck, I'm depressed that I missed out on the other 29 days of National Stress Awareness Month!

Stress comes from both external and internal factors. The external things like work, financial issues, or relationship difficulties are something that we all struggle with and while we can control some of those things, most are out of our control.

The internal factors are the ones we can control because these are all self-generated. Things like pessimism, the inability to accept uncertainty, negative self talk and unrealistic expectations and perfectionism. Really, how are those things working for you?

Maybe finding out about National Stress Awareness Month on the last day is sort of a blessing. I only have to be aware of my stress today. Tomorrow, I can go back to my normal routine of running around with my hair on fire and knowing that it's just another day.

How comforting.