Stress Awareness Month: Choose Well-Being with BetterMe Mental Health

Did you know that April is Stress Awareness Month? In addition to being Aries season and the start of spring-summer 2024, it’s also our annual wake-up call to remember to relax, unwind, and take our mental health a little more seriously. To be fair, we all juggle a lot—work, relationships, the endless scroll on social media—and it can really wear us down. Particularly in the post-pandemic world, stress has emerged as a rampant lifestyle disease. But what if you had a handy tool to help you manage stress?

Enter the BetterMe Mental Health app, your new best friend when it comes to dealing with daily pressures. This app isn’t just another one on your phone, it’s packed with tailored courses that hit right at the heart of stress and everyday worries. So, this Stress Awareness Month, let’s see how BetterMe can help you smooth out your rough days. 

What Is Stress Awareness Month?

Stress Awareness Month has been observed every April since 1992 and it was established by the Health Resource Network in the United States to increase public understanding and awareness of stress and its associated health problems (1). It was initiated at a time when stress levels and the cost of stress-related health issues were soaring, and there was a clear need for greater awareness and strategies to cope with this burgeoning health concern.

The goal was simple but ambitious: to educate people about the impact of stress, debunk myths about stress-related disorders, and provide effective strategies for stress management that people could implement in their daily lives (2). Over the years, the observance has gained momentum and now features a variety of activities, including:

• Educational seminars and workshops that are designed to teach stress management techniques.
• Community stress-outs where people come together to engage in activities to reduce stress: yoga, meditation, and group exercises.
• Media outreach through article writing, interviews, and social media campaigns, dedicated to the topic of proper stress management and the importance of popularizing mental health.

Stress Awareness Month is honored all over the world, with every country adding its own flavor to the mix. This can be through public health fairs where free consultations and stress assessments are done by mental health organizations. 

In some instances, companies organize events or workshops to create a better, more positive environment. This strategy gives them the possibility of encouraging their workers to have a healthier balance between their work and personal lives.

The impact of Stress Awareness Month today is significant. It serves as a critical reminder of the effects of stress on both physical and mental health.  Continued awareness through these campaigns plays a big part in motivating social change. 

Acceptance and honest discussion about mental health issues are also equally important in influencing changes in policies, particularly in workplaces and schools. 

Therefore, it’s important to realize that Stress Awareness Month is not only about a personal journey but is also an occasion to build a common understanding of mental health and how it impacts society at large. 

Every year, Stress Awareness Month has a different theme that puts a strong emphasis on our community in dealing with the issues of stress, while simultaneously letting people know that they’re not alone in the pursuit of happier, healthier, less stressful lives.

If you wish to reach into the deep crevices of your mind, take yourself out of the mental loop, regain balance, infuse yourself with optimism, and cultivate compassion – BetterMe: Meditation & Sleep app is exactly what you need!

How Can I Be Stress-Aware?

Being stress-aware means recognizing when your stress levels are rising and understanding how this affects you physically, emotionally, and mentally. It’s about getting to know your personal stress signals such as irritability, difficulty sleeping, or feeling overwhelmed. 

Here’s how you can tune into these signals and become more aware:

• Monitor your feelings daily: Keeping a bullet journal can help you track your stress triggers and recognize patterns. Try different approaches to see what works best for you.
• Listen to your body: Our bodies often tell us we’re stressed before our minds catch up. Headaches, muscle tension, and fatigue are all clues. Practice mindfulness through body scans and progressive muscle relaxation.
• Set boundaries: Know your limits and say no to taking on too much, both in your personal and professional life.
• Get plenty of sleep: Sleep is a vital factor in stress management. Maintaining a regular schedule, limiting your screen time before bed, and ensuring a relaxed environment while going to sleep are important for reducing stress.
• Eat a balanced diet and exercise: Making sure you eat a balanced diet, drink enough water, and do regular exercise or movement can also help with stress level management.
• Limiting news: According to the WHO, consuming too much news and social media can also impact your mental health, so you should try to reduce the amount. (3)
• Use stress-tracking tools: Apps such as BetterMe Mental Health offer features to help monitor your stress levels, providing practical steps to manage stress based on expert advice.

By being proactive about stress awareness, you can manage stress before it becomes overwhelming, which will have a significantly positive impact on your overall well-being.

What Are the 4 A’s of Stress Management?

The 4 A’s of stress management provide a straightforward, easy-to-follow framework that helps handle stress effectively. They stand for Avoid, Alter, Adapt, and Accept (4). 

Here’s how you can apply each strategy:

1. Avoid: It’s completely okay to stay away from people or situations that make you stressed as long as it does not diminish your quality of life. If the news makes you nervous, it’s okay to turn it off.
2. Alter: If you can’t avoid something stressful, try to change it. Speak up clearly and assertively about your feelings. Remember that assertiveness is not aggression. You can express your needs or change how you handle the situation.
3. Adapt: If you can’t change the stressor, change your response. Adjust what you expect and how you think about it. Focus on the overall situation rather than the small details, and see problems as an opportunity to do something different.
4. Accept: Some stressors can’t be avoided. In these cases, it’s better and easier to accept things as they are rather than fight against them. Look for the positive aspects, share your feelings with others, and learn from what happens.

Using these strategies in your life can help reduce your stress levels and improve your ability to cope with challenges.

Read more: What Childhood Trauma Do I Have?

What Is the Meaning of Stress Awareness?

Stress awareness involves more than just recognizing when you’re stressed. It’s about understanding the broader impact stress has on our lives and the lives of those around us. By being aware of stress, we can take meaningful steps to address it and promote a healthier, more balanced lifestyle.

• Educational aspect: Learning about stress and its effects is an incredibly important first step. It helps us identify stressors and understand the physiological and psychological responses our bodies exhibit in the process.
• Preventive measures: Being stress-aware encourages proactive measures. It’s not just about managing stress as and when it happens and is also about preventing it through lifestyle changes, such as regular physical activity, balanced eating, and sufficient sleep.
• Community involvement: Stress awareness also means recognizing stress in others, offering support, and working together to create a less stressful environment.

By increasing our knowledge and awareness, we can turn stress into a manageable part of our everyday lives and reduce its overall impact.

BetterMe Mental Health: Your Companion for Stress Awareness Month

Stress Awareness Month is an excellent opportunity to explore tools that can help manage and reduce stress. BetterMe Mental Health stands out as a robust resource. Here’s why it’s the go-to app for thousands of people who are looking to ease their stress:

• Tailored Plans: The app offers personalized wellness plans that address your specific needs relating to stress and other mental wellness concerns. These plans are specially crafted by mental health experts and are designed to fit seamlessly into your daily routine.
• Expert Courses: Whether you’re dealing with holiday blues or looking for ways to practice self-love, struggling with your identity, or in search of a better work-life balance, BetterMe has special courses for your every need. These courses look at specific issues and provide actionable advice.Balanced diet
• Interactive Learning: The app’s micro-learning format ensures users can learn valuable skills quickly and apply them immediately. This format is perfect for busy lifestyles, making learning about mental health manageable and accessible.
• Comprehensive Support: From mindful eating to motivation, the courses promote positive habits that extend beyond stress management, encouraging a holistic approach to mental health. The app also encourages habit-building by introducing challenges to help reduce smoking, tackle alcohol consumption, decrease gaming, etc.

BetterMe Mental Health is more than just an app; it’s a community and a support system. This Stress Awareness Month, using such a comprehensive tool could be your first step toward lasting mental wellness.

If you’ve dipped your toes in meditation before but couldn’t sit through a session because of all the thoughts buzzing in your head, impulses snatching away control or all the overwhelming feelings that start bubbling up the minute you sink into the silence, it’s only because you didn’t have the right guidance. Start using BetterMe: Meditation & Sleep app and watch your life transform!

FAQs

• What are the 5 symptoms of stress?

According to research, there are many symptoms of stress. Some of the most prominent ones include (5): 

• Reduced energy and insomnia
• Changes in libido and sexual energy
• Increase in the possibility of depression and depressive episodes
• Headaches
• Chronic pain and frequent sickness
• Digestive issues, weight gain, and appetite changes
• Sweating and rapid heart rate.

• How do you release stress from your body?

If you’re dealing with stress, undertaking the following activities can help reduce its impact and relieve stress-induced discomfort. 

• Doing some form of physical exercise or movement: This can include easy activities such as taking a walk or more complex activities such as regular working out.
• Eating a balanced diet: The most dismissed but important aspect of a stress-free life is maintaining a balanced diet as it provides the body with the energy it needs to survive everyday hardships and issues.
• Reducing screen time: In the modern world, using a screen is often essential for work or leisure, but it’s usually recommended to reduce or restrict your screen time to better your mental health.
• Self-care: Learning your own triggers, practicing self-love, journaling, and spending time with friends, family, animals, and in nature are all ways in which stress can be tackled systematically and healthily.

• What should you do when stress becomes unbearable?

There are many ways to handle stress, including speaking to people, opening up and communicating your troubles, and spending time with loved ones. Being in the company of those who ease your mind can play a decisive factor in how you handle stress on your own. 

If stress becomes unbearable, you should seek guidance from a mental health professional to get the support you deserve.

The Bottom Line

Stress Awareness Month isn’t the only time of year when you should pay attention to your stress—it’s a call to really shake things up and make an actual change in your daily life. Knowing what stress is and learning some practical methods for managing it effectively could mean the difference between high- and low-quality mental health and life. The BetterMe Mental Health app is a powerful ally for anyone who finds themselves on this challenging journey. By providing expert-designed courses, interactive learning experiences, and personal plans in all areas, this app is your one-stop-shop for living a balanced life with less stress.

As we march on, tools such as BetterMe Mental Health are invaluable. They provide support and resources at the moment and help you with resilience and well-being in a way that sticks. So, why not take this opportunity—this Stress Awareness Month—to start your journey toward a healthier mental state? Download BetterMe Mental Health, and start transforming stress into a manageable part of your life today.

Embrace the change, embrace the challenge, and most importantly, embrace your well-being with BetterMe Mental Health.