Reena Vokoun breaks down stress management into four concrete moves: spot the difference between temporary stress and chronic stress that wrecks sleep and mood, talk to your boss or family about redistributing tasks, keep up exercise and sleep even when busy, and use deep breathing to calm your nervous system anytime. Forty percent of Americans are at peak stress levels right now.
Welcome back to The Localist SD. Did you know that April is Stress Awareness Month? But there's nothing to stress about because our health and wellness expert Reena Vokoun has tips to manage it all. So April is Stress Awareness Month. This is a topic we've discussed before and really important to you. So what do we need to keep in mind this month?
Yeah, so according to research in MSN, 40% of Americans are actually experiencing peak stress levels right now. So I think whether it's external or internal circumstances, it's important to be self-aware so that you can really take the steps that you need to manage that stress.
As always, you come prepared, armed with a lot of information to make our lives better. So let's start with the first one. You said we really need to identify the stressors.
Yeah, you know, we have our sort of everyday fight or flight modes, right? If we're exercising or we have a deadline at work or an exam, we're studying for, you might feel your heartbeat getting a little faster, right? Your breathing becomes a little more shallow, and your brain is working harder. Maybe you start to break out into a sweat. Those are normal signs of stress as long as they are temporary and they go away with whatever activity you have to get done. But when it gets to become problematic is when it's long-lasting, it becomes chronic, you're starting to develop insomnia or sleep issues or things like that, your digestive system, your blood pressure, your moods are all getting affected. That's when the stress becomes more worrisome. And it's important to really understand the differences between day-to-day stress and the more chronic stress so that you can do something about it.
What else?
Yeah, so it's also important to think about your workload and your responsibilities at home or other obligations that you have because oftentimes when our plates are full, that's really the beginning of the stress. And when our plates never really get cleaned, um, so to speak, then we end up continuing to develop into that more worrisome stress and maybe even burnout. So talk to your boss at work or maybe your team at work, maybe it's your family members or or your significant other or spouse at home and just figure out maybe what are some of the things that they can help you to take off of your plate so that you have the time and the space to really deal with the stress. And usually people are understanding of that.
Okay, wonderful. So identifying the stressors, talking to somebody, reducing the stress that you can. What else?
Yeah, and then, you know, those wellness practices that we've talked about many times in the past on the show really come into play, right? And I know we all know we need to exercise, we know we need to eat healthy, we know that we need to get enough sleep. And sometimes I think— I often have clients saying, I don't have time for those things, my plate is too full. But if you can just make those little windows of time to put those wellness practices into place, it's going to help you to better manage the stress. You're going to have more energy, you're going to be well rested, you're going to have the stamina, and you'll be able to take it on, you know, no matter what comes in front of you.
I know that exercise is so important just to take a break, and of course it produces those endorphins, so you're automatically starting to feel better. But something else that you're really big on too, and I love it because it's something you can do anywhere, anytime, time focusing on your breathing. So there's a couple ways to do that.
Absolutely, yeah, and we've talked about it before on the show, and I think it just really comes in hand when it comes to stress, and it's just deep diaphragmatic breaths, you know, just making sure you're not taking those shallow breaths from the chest. And again, it's something you can do at any point in time during your day, right before an important meeting, when you're driving through traffic in your car if that's stressing you out, maybe even before you go inside when you're coming home from work, you know, you've got to cook dinner and you've got all the family obligations, just take a second in your car to take a few deep breaths before you go on to the next part of your day. And again, as you said, these are things you can do anytime, anywhere, and it will really just help you to manage the stress, which is great to know for Stress Awareness Month.
And of course, you wanted to talk about this in April because it is that Stress Awareness Month, but these are practices you should be doing all year long, all the time. And people can get lots of tips from you, especially in your two books. So excited that I heard also, you know, we've talked about this before, audiobook on the way so people can listen on the go.
Exactly. So if you are feeling stressed and you need some reminders of your wellness practices, yes, you can, you know, put this on your AirPods or play it in your car. And I just think it'll be another great way for people to consume the material from both of my books, especially when they are short on time and on the go.
Awesome. Well, we always appreciate you, Reena. Thanks so much for coming in.
Thank you as always for having me, Ashley.
