KNOWLEDGE & INSIGHTS

Stress-Reducing Tips to Try During Mental Illness Awareness Week

We are living in stress-inducing times, and that can take a toll on our physical and mental health. During Mental Illness Awareness Week, practice healthy ways to get relief from feeing overwhelmed or burned out. Self-care can give you the much-needed break you need. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers these tips for de-stressing:

• Eat healthy meals
• Exercise on a regular basis
• Keep a consistent sleep schedule; sleep deprivation can cause sleep mental health problems
• Talk about concerns with family and friends, or seek counseling
• Take breaks during the day
• Avoid stress triggers
• Don’t turn to alcohol or drugs to relax
• Try meditation or yoga

At any given moment, an individual can be dealing with routine stress from the demands of life, changes in circumstance, such as losing a job, or traumatic stress in which lives are at stake or lost.While not all stress is bad — it can help us act decisively in the face of danger, for example — the chronic kind can take a toll.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, it can:

• Cause headaches
• Lead to digestion problems
• Disrupt sleep
• Affect the immune system
• Alter mood, leading to anger or sadness

Unchecked, chronic stress can contribute to:

• Heart disease
• High blood pressure
• Diabetes
• Depression
• Anxiety

If you or someone you know struggles with mental illness, contact NewBridge Services at (973) 316-9333 or services@newbridge.org.