National Stress Awareness Day is known as a day to recognize all the stress that consumes our lives. Stress is your body’s response to any kind of demand. Whether it is from school or work, it can affect our lives daily. This year’s NSAD is Wednesday Nov. 5, so let’s take a moment to relax and recognize our stress.
Let’s face it, stress can affect us at any time, any part of the day. How we choose to handle or face stress, is what determines if it can be a part of our lives or if we can overcome it. There are many factors that cause both positive and negative stress.
A positive stress is what gives us that extra boost or adrenaline rush to accomplish goals, meet deadlines or even motivate us to finish that extra mile we are running. This type of stress is what gives us that satisfying feeling that we get when we feel accomplished. It provides us with mental alertness and efficiency. It is probably what keeps us motivated to be excited that weekend is coming.
Negative stress factors are very common and happen more than twice in a day. It can be anything from working long hours to studying for midterms. It can affect us negatively and make us binge on junk food.
There are some healthy and positive ways to release stress that can make you feel less guilty than eating that 100 calorie bag of chips. Healthy alternatives snacks to munch on are kale chips, they are very simple to make and can be tasty with the right seasoning. Just clean some fresh kale, cut the stem and pop them into the oven. It is as simple as making your own homemade popcorn.
There is also stress relieving exercises that can help us drain the stress of the day. Yoga has great exercises that not only workout our cores but helps get rid of the clutter in our minds. Outdoor running can also provide us with that fresh of breath air that we need while working out our body. Doing simple things we love can also help us unwind our busy stressful days. So when you are feeling overwhelmed by exams or people, just kick back and enjoy an episode of your favorite TV show. Our bodies can’t be on alert all the time; studies show that relaxing and avoiding stress can keep our bodies healthy.
Also, there are other ways to avoid being stressed to the max. Taking simply 10 minutes out of our long stressful day to take a deep breath and relax; it can help us not only mentally, but also physically. It is a time where you can watch a funny YouTube video or simply close your eyes and relax. Having a lot of paperwork scattered on the desk can provide stress alone.