Don’t Let Stress Go Too Far

With April being Stress Awareness Month, it’s fitting that our topic this week is understanding stress. The good news is that although stress is a part of life, it doesn’t have to control us – we can control it. If we can learn to notice our body’s signals, identify our stressors, and develop ways to relax during a stressful moment, we can give ourselves the chance to regroup, review our options, and make confident decisions. In other words, stress can be manageable.

Stress is the physical or emotional tension we feel when we react to a challenge or demand. Sometimes, stress is inevitable and unavoidable. It can be helpful in situations when we need to act to stay safe from harm or achieve an important goal, but it also can be harmful if it is prolonged, and we see no opportunity for relief.

Caregivers aren’t the only ones who have to deal with stress, but it can have a tremendous effect on the quality of caregivers’ lives and health if stress is not controlled. As noted by Prof. Elissa S. Epel, Vice Chair of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco, “Family caregivers experiencing extreme stress have been shown to age prematurely. This level of stress can take as much as 10 years off a family caregiver’s life.”

Stress manifests itself in different ways for different people. Noticing how your body reacts to stress will help you identify and manage your stressors. For me, I hold stress in my neck. It's the first signal that my stress has gone too far. When I notice this signal, I try to identify the cause of the stress and communicate my feelings with those around me. I also try to focus on what’s IN my control and let go of what’s OUT of my control. When I pause and take time to breathe, I can refocus on the cause of my stress and try one of my go-to coping strategies to reduce that stress.

Because coping and relaxation skills are so important in helping us manage our response to stress, Breathing Meditation is one of our main programs at Courage to Caregivers, and we have received strong feedback from caregivers that the program helps reduce their stress. Check out our YouTube channel for our weekly breathing meditations, and maybe they can help you, too.

By understanding what causes stress, how YOU experience it, and how YOU can best respond to it, YOU can become an expert at stress management.