April is Stress Awareness Month. Stress is not a mental health disorder, but it does contribute to mental illnesses and can be a symptom of mental health struggles. At Carolina Dunes Behavioral Health, in Leland, North Carolina, we help our patients find ways to manage stress, as part of their overall mental and physical health plan.
The Positive Side of Stress
Stress isn’t all bad. Our stress response helps us to handle emergencies quickly and effectively, by increasing our heart rate and breathing. It also makes our short-term memory work more efficiently so that we can take a test, respond to a traffic hazard or help an injured loved one better.
The Nasty Side of Stress
Stress is meant to be something we experience intermittently, and only for short periods of time. When we have too much stress or it happens too often, it can increase our chances of developing a lot of unwanted outcomes, including:
- Behavioral health concerns such as depression, anxiety, psychosis, substance misuse, or suicidal thoughts
- Fatigue and difficulty getting motivated
- Reduced productivity and performance
- Social isolation
- Restlessness, focus, and memory issues
- Changes in appetite or sleep
- Physical symptoms such as stomach pain, headaches, nausea, muscle tension, or getting sick easily
Ways to Manage Stress
There are several different techniques that people try to manage their stress levels. The first step is typically identifying what triggers a stress response for you and then developing a plan for how you will handle stress when you encounter it. This may mean avoiding certain types of stress and having a strategy for handling other types:
- Prioritize tasks and work through them one at a time, from most to least important
- Use your support system
- Friends and family – even if they are not actively doing anything to help you with your stress, they can be a great distraction and remind you of the good things you have going for you.
- Colleagues – particularly if your stress is work-related, your supervisor and co-workers may be able to help you navigate the situation.
- A support group – NAMI North Carolina offers a weekly, online stress support group or your mental health provider may be able to recommend a group for you.
- Your family doctor – they can look for physical health causes and make referrals for mental health services if needed.
- A therapist – this can be someone to vent to, and they may also be able to teach you some stress management techniques.
- Make time for sleep and exercise
- Spend time on a hobby
- Eat food that promotes well-being such as whole grains, lean proteins, fruits and vegetables, fish and seafood, and avoid eating heavily processed foods, which are often high in sugar and low in fiber
- Use relaxation techniques, such as yoga, tai chi, tensing and relaxing your muscles, meditation, deep breathing, and massage
- Keep a journal as a way to process what you’re feeling. Journaling may also help you to identify patterns you would otherwise miss, what is triggering your stress and what works and does not work to manage it.
When to Seek Professional Support
It’s okay to admit that you could use some help to handle stress in your life. If you aren’t sure how to get help, you can call or text the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988, to reach a trained crisis counselor, who can help you manage your stress in the moment and locate long-term mental health resources in your area. Some signs that you might need some additional support include:
- It feels like your life is too demanding for you to handle.
- You’re thinking of hurting yourself.
- You’ve tried to manage your stress, but it’s not improving.
- You have “stress” symptoms that could also be a sign of a heart attack. These can include shortness of breath, jaw pain, sweating, back pain, burning pain in your arms and shoulders, dizziness, and nausea.
At Carolina Dunes Behavioral Health, we offer behavioral health support for children, adults, and families who are experiencing a psychiatric crisis. Our in-patient services are focused on helping clients to manage their symptoms and regain quality of life, through the use of various therapeutic and counseling modalities, medical care, and medication management. We then work with community providers and informal supports, to ensure the patient has a smooth transition back into their home, job, or school and community.
