Celebrate Stress Awareness Month by Reducing Your Stress

[Steffany Mohan, DDS]

Feeling a certain amount of stress is a natural occurrence in life. Stress can influence you to take actions, improve your energy level and obtain results. However, you frequently become overwhelmed by stress and such feelings could kick-off a series of mental and physical problems for you in the long run. Stress can occur from any aspect of your life. For instance, a dental appointment scheduled to improve your dental health can cause you dental anxiety. That’s why it is essentially important to keep such leading stress-inducers in check.

April is observed as the National Stress Awareness Month in the U.S.! You can celebrate it by analyzing the root cause of stress in your life, understand about effective coping mechanisms and work on ways to minimize the stress you undergo on a regular basis. Also, remember to spread awareness about the impact that stress can cause on our health and the ways to effectively address such issues.

Did You Know These Facts About Stress Awareness Month?

• National Stress Awareness Month is observed every April in the U.S., since 1992. It’s an event, sponsored by the Health Resource Network (HRN), Inc., established and managed by Dr. Mort Orman, M.D.
• It’s a nationwide collective effort to spread the awareness about the risks of stress, successful coping methods, and damaging misconceptions about stress prevalent in our society.
• Healthcare professionals and affiliated experts all over the country unite to enhance public awareness regarding the causes and treatments of the modern-day stress epidemic.
• A study has revealed that in the U.S., about 90% of primary care physician visits are stress-related and close to one million individuals neglect work due to issues related to stress.
• The Journal of the American Dental Association (ADA) reports that about 75% of U.S. population deal with dental anxiety.

Causes of Stress

Everyone reacts differently to stressful conditions. The stress causing factors are known as stressors, which are usually assumed to be negative. However, anything that is excessively demanding for you can be the reason for your stress, including positive instances as well, such as getting married or visiting a dentist, etc. Stress can be caused by both external and internal, or self-generated factors.

Common external factors of stress

• Medical dental health issues and having to go in for an appointment
• Major life changes
• Work or school
• Relationship difficulties
• Financial problems
• Being too busy
• Children and family

Common internal factors of stress

• Pessimism
• Inability to adapt to uncertainty
• Rigid beliefs, lack of flexibility
• Negative self-talk
• Unrealistic expectations
• All-or-nothing attitude

Effects of Stress on Your Health

If you are prone to get stressed out more often, you may be suffering from chronic stress. It disrupts almost all the systems in your body.

Health problems caused or aggravated by stress include:

• Depression and anxiety
• Dental Disease
• Chronic pain
• Sleep disorders
• Autoimmune diseases
• Digestive problems
• Skin disease
• Heart disease
• Weight problems
• Reproductive issues
• Thinking and memory problems

Solutions for Controlling Stress

Improving your ability to cope with stress is something you can start today to find relief from stress and improve your quality of life. Here are a few interesting tips to confine your stress level in everyday life:

• Increase your regular activity level through rhythmic exercises like walking, running, etc.
• Make it a priority to develop stronger and more meaningful bonds with the ones you love.
• One quick stress relieving technique is engrossing one or more of your senses with the sensory stimulus that works for you.
• Consume a balanced, healthy diet which can help you to manage your life’s ups and downs better.
• Work on improving your sleep to reduce stress and become productive and emotionally balanced.
• Cope with your dental anxiety by consulting with a dental expert and learn the technology and processes in place that ensure your comfort at your next dental appointment.