This week is International Stress Awareness Week, organized by the International Stress Management Association. Stress is a physical and/or mental response to an external cause, like a big deadline, a fight with a friend, or an emergency in the community. For some people, stress can lead to bursts of creativity or energy to get things done. For others, it can lead to worry, tension, physical pain like headaches, anxiety, and sleep disturbance.
The NARIC team discussed in our weekly meeting how we are dealing with the stress of recent events. Recognizing the signs and symptoms of stress is helpful, and so is having tools on hand to care for ourselves in stressful times.
Project Director Mark Odum said he knows stress is on the rise when he feels a little more pain or a little more spasticity in his body. “I pause what I’m doing, if I can, and head out to my back deck to spend time with the birds. I pull up my favorite bird watching app and see how many birds I can spot at my birdfeeders. Just a few minutes with nature and I can feel my body relaxing.”
Bilingual Information Specialist Marta Garcia said they have three things they do when they’re experiencing stress. “I knit—especially large projects that will take me a while to complete, such as blankets or shawls, and I then donate them to organizations looking for such things. The repetitive motions can be very soothing, which helps to lower my stress levels. And, donating completed projects makes me feel good since I am helping others. I also play videogames, even if it’s just for a few minutes, to take my mind off what is bothering me. If I’m really stressed out, I do what I like to call a ‘30 second dance.’ I will put some music on and dance. Sometimes, it’s just for 30 seconds and, other times, it may be for 10 minutes. Either way, dancing allows me to physically release the stress and have fun doing it. Plus, it goes towards my goal of 120 minutes of exercise for the week and towards my daily step goal. So, bonus!”
Media and Information Services Manager Jess Chaiken said she tries to be present. “When I’m stressed, I ruminate and play out the worst cases, which only makes my stress increase. I try to recognize when I’m stuck in that pattern, stop, take several deep, slow breaths, and say ‘that’s the future, you can’t do anything about that now’ or ‘that already happened, so let’s focus forward and fix it.’ I’ll say it out loud if I have to. Cooking and baking are great stress relievers for me. I can focus for a time on cutting, measuring, mixing, tasting, and not thinking about what is causing me stress. In the end, I get something tasty (and maybe healthy). The problem will be there to solve, but now I have soup and bread to nourish my brain to solve it.”
Acquisitions Manager Natalie Collier said she recognizes when events in the community are causing her stress. “I find it helpful to let my mind rest from the constant stream of information. I will turn off the news for a few days or take a day where I unplug my phone and turn off social media. A long soak in the tub helps my body to let go of the tension that builds up from that stress.”
Abstractor Sheila Turner said the news cycle is also her current external stress cause. She is turning off the news for now and binge-watching series, both old favorites and new shows. “While I’m watching, I sip a cup of hot black tea infused with a little peppermint schnapps. I find it very relaxing just before bedtime.”
Here are some tools from the NIDILRR grantee community which may help you manage your stress levels throughout the day:
- Understanding Behavior Changes after Traumatic Brain Injury and Stress Management for TBI Caregivers from the Model Systems Knowledge Translation Center offer factsheets and other resources for people with TBI and caregivers to recognize and manage stressful times.
- Wellness Matters for Direct Support podcast series from the RRTC on Community Living and Participation features tips and tools for direct support professionals to care for their health and wellness
- Supporting Transition Age Youth (STAY) Tuned podcast series from the Learning and Working during the Transition to Adulthood RRTC features episodes about self-care for young people with mental health conditions and the peer support workforce
- Spinal Cord Injury & Holiday Wellness: Tips for a Peaceful Holiday Season webcast from the Michigan SCI Model System Center featured an expert panel sharing resources for people with SCI and caregivers to manage stress and health through the holiday season.
How do you manage stress? Do you have a favorite path for walking or a funny stress ball to squeeze? Share your self-care tips in the comment section!