Why Stress Awareness Matters

A HEALTHY YOU

Why Stress Awareness Matters

Recognizing Signs and Building Resilience

April is National Stress Awareness Month. A focus for this month is to promote healthy coping mechanisms for managing stress and to reduce the stigma that is often associated with mental health issues that sometimes arise from stress. About 75% of adults report having mental or physical symptoms associated with stress, according to the American Psychological Association’s Stress in America survey (American Psychological Association, 2022). These findings demonstrate that stress is a widespread public health concern that requires preventive action.

National Stress Awareness month is a time to increase awareness about the causes of stress as well as the short- and long-term effects of stress on the body and mind.

Raising awareness about stress involves understanding personal triggers and practicing techniques to reduce its impact. These techniques can include deep breathing exercises, regular physical activity, journaling, mindfulness meditation, and seeking social support. Creating a balanced lifestyle that includes proper nutrition, restful sleep, and time for relaxation is also essential for managing stress. Building stress awareness empowers individuals to take proactive steps to improve their well-being.

Stress is a part of life that is hard to completely avoid, but when it becomes chronic, stress can negatively impact both mental and physical health.

There are many negative impacts of chronic stress including disrupted sleep patterns, a reduction in motivation for physical activity, a greater propensity to engage in unhealthy coping behaviors such as excess alcohol consumption, an increased risk for heart disease, and many other outcomes have been attributed to chronic stress. Stress and depression are also linked and often with high stress, depression also will escalate.

Recognizing the signs of stress is the first step toward managing it effectively before things become hard to manage.

Common symptoms of stress often include irritability, fatigue, headaches, sleep disturbances, and changes in appetite or mood. Noticing these symptoms in yourself, your colleagues or others may be a warning that professional help such as a social worker, psychologist, or the Employee Assistance Program can provide professional support.

Workplace mental health support is expanding, but many employees are still struggling as reports of depression, anxiety, and burnout are on the rise.

The challenge for many leaders is no longer simply to expand access to mental health benefits, but to question whether the support is actually effective. Workplaces are increasingly recognizing the importance of decreasing stress in the workplace and the many benefits to decreasing employee stress levels. Studies have shown that when employees are less stressed, absenteeism goes down, they are more productive at work and turnover goes down. Workplace stress grows when multiple pressures pile up. Demanding workloads, unclear communication and lack of positive feedback and support create work environments where people feel unsupported, and often very stressed. This often leads to employee burnout and disengagement. More companies are proactively trying to avoid the negative implications that often arise from these unsupportive work environments.

Other Resources

Stress Awareness Month

The official site for stress awareness month.

18 Proven Strategies HR Leaders Can Use to Lower Workplace Stress

The causes of workplace stress and how to combat it. Article by Wellhub.

11 Ways Managers Can Help to Reduce Stress in the Workplace

View examples of how managers can reduce stress in the workplace. Article by Talkspace.

Ways Companies Are Reducing Workplace Stress

How companies are decreasing stress in the workplace. Article by Global Hues.

About the Author

Cynthia Conigliaro has been in the field of health and wellness for over 25 years. She has a BA in Psychology from College of the Holy Cross and graduate degrees in Social Work (MSW) and Business (MBA) with a focus in both Leadership and Marketing from Boston College.

Cynthia is the founder of her corporate wellness presentation business Work Well Webinars, a company that designs and delivers wellness presentations virtually and in person to companies, schools, hospitals, libraries and groups across the country. Cynthia’s wellness presentations span body, mind and spirit as she takes a holistic approach to wellness.

For the past six years Cynthia has been an active volunteer at the Worksite Wellness Council of Massachusetts (WWCMA) where she is on both the Programs and Marketing committees. Cynthia is an Ambassador for the Corridor 9/495 Chamber of Commerce and sits on the Programs Committee for the chamber. Cynthia volunteers at All Paths as an Infertility Support Group Leader and Facilitator coaching resilience, stress management and mindfulness for women dealing with infertility and pregnancy loss.

A HEALTHY YOU