National Stress Awareness Day
National Stress Awareness Day, on every first Wednesday in November — November 6 this year — is 24 hours of reinforcing the fact that you’re not doing yourself a favor by stressing about situations you can’t control. In fact, according to science, chronic stress leads to impaired cognitive and physiological functions. Would you want to age before your time? Absolutely not! On this day, let’s learn together to hone our ability to choose one thought over another and let the stress ebb away.
HISTORY OF NATIONAL STRESS AWARENESS DAY
National Stress Awareness Day is a sponsored event by the International Stress Management Association (ISMA), which is a registered charity promoting knowledge about stress, best practices for stress management, well-being, and performance that are recognized nationally and internationally as well.
National Stress Awareness Day, every first Wednesday in November, was founded by Carole Spiers, the chairperson of ISMA, to increase public awareness and help people recognize, manage, and reduce stress in their personal and professional lives. The organization devises strategies backed by data and science to educate employers and employees about dealing with stress at workplaces and establishing programs within their organizations for that purpose. It provides comprehensive guides for people to monitor stress management, look after their health and well-being, and improve their workplace performance on a day-to-day basis.
Chronic stress, that is, failure to deal with it for a long time and remaining in a prolonged and constant feeling of stress can lead to life-threatening problems. From hypertension, heart diseases, decreased immunity, loss of sociability, and decreased mental vitality, stress is not to be taken lightly!
To break the chain reaction, National Stress Awareness Day is a day-long event to take a deep breath and embrace peace. The day is celebrated mid-week on Wednesday (usually the most exhausting, stressful day) to remind individuals and companies that stress management is fundamental to optimum performance.
HOW TO OBSERVE NATIONAL STRESS AWARENESS DAY
1.Do NOT worry!
Of course, that’s the best way to celebrate this day. As the day approaches, gear up to spend 24-hours worry-free, care-free, and stress-free! Keep away from negative vibes and do things that you love — go for a walk, get a massage, take a long and hot bath, and hang out with friends. If you want, you can skip work on this day, too (but we won’t recommend it).
2.Contemplate your stress-points
It’s not just about one day. Stress management and reduction should be a constant practice so you can completely remove stress from your life. While we don’t really get enough time to think about it any other day, use this day to find out where and why you get most of your stress from. Is it from your workplace or family, or have you got a general habit to worry about little things? Find the stressful areas and plan a course of action to solve them.
3.Laugh — all day long!
That’s the challenge. Prepare with your friends and family to do things that would make all of you laugh and have the best time possible. Plan a party with skits, a session to share the best jokes with the winner getting a prize, or simply watch the funniest movie/series (like “FRIENDS”?) throughout the day. Laugh away — it’s the best medicine for stress.
WHY NATIONAL STRESS AWARENESS DAY IS IMPORTANT
A. You live only once!
Taking that slogan literally, when you realize that you live only once, you realize that stressing about situations that you have no control over will do you no good. Instead, it’s better to not think about it too much and just go with the flow.
B. Stress leads to serious health problems
It can’t be emphasized enough that stress is one of the main causes of serious health complications of the body and brain.
C. Some stress is good — it’s important to differentiate
Some sorts of stress motivate you to perform better, encourage growth, and give meaning to your life. Differentiating between good and bad stress is crucially important for a healthy life.
References:
“National Stress Awareness Day” │ https://nationaltoday.com/national-stress-awareness-day/