{"id":24,"date":"2023-04-26T18:46:04","date_gmt":"2023-04-26T18:46:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.embracepwc.com\/blog\/?p=24"},"modified":"2025-03-20T19:30:39","modified_gmt":"2025-03-20T19:30:39","slug":"april-is-national-stress-awareness-month","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.embracepwc.com\/blog\/april-is-national-stress-awareness-month\/","title":{"rendered":"April is National Stress Awareness Month"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

April is National Stress Awareness Month \u2013 a time designated by the The Health Resource Network (HRN), a non-profit health education organization<\/a>, to raise awareness of the potential damaging effects stress can have on a person\u2019s physical and mental well-being, as well as to inform people how to effectively cope with stress. Understanding how and when stress can be damaging to our health is an important first step to being able to manage the negative impact it can have and know when it is time to seek professional help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is Stress & How Can it Affect Us?<\/strong> <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), stress can be defined as a state of worry or mental tension caused by a difficult situation.<\/a> Stress is a natural human response that prompts us to address challenges and threats in our lives. Everyone experiences stress to some degree.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The way we respond to stress \u2013 and the amount of time we experience stressful situations \u2013 makes a big difference to our overall health. Feelings of heightened stress during challenging events in our lives is often unavoidable. Losing your job, going through a breakup or divorce, or moving to a new place are all common stressful scenarios. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stress can manifest in our bodies in many ways. Emotional responses can include feelings of anxiety, depression, and irritability. Physical responses to stress often include pain, such as headaches, tension, and digestive issues. If a person already suffers from any of these symptoms, being under stress will often exacerbate them and make them more intense. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What are the Best Ways to Manage Stress?  <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While stress, and the challenges that cause it are often unavoidable, there are several simple and easy ways to practice stress management and self-care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WHO offers a stress management guide \u2013 Doing What Matters in Times of Stress: An Illustrated Guid<\/em>e \u2013 for coping with adversity.<\/a> The guide aims to equip people with practical skills to help cope with stress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additional Stress Management Techniques include:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n