We couldn’t have picked a better time to launch BP Dove than during Stress Awareness Month. BP Dove helps promote normal blood pressure through whole-body calming. When your heart and arteries are relaxed, your sleep is good and your stress levels are low, your blood pressure can also relax!
One of the first steps of achieving lower stress levels is recognizing and acknowledging the stress you feel. Regardless of what you think about the pandemic, the situation we have all been living in has undermined wellness. You might be worried about your health or fed up with regulations. No matter what, anxiety has been high all around.
“We have noticed new challenges. We have more people that are experiencing mental health concerns than really ever before,” said Shannon Ragusa, Executive Director of Behavioral Health Services at Baton Rouge General, said.
Taking some time to sit with your stress and reflect on how you would like to handle it can help you move forward. When you feel rushed and try to “fix” things without taking a breath, you make things worse for yourself. While reflecting on your situation, think about what you can and cannot control. A lot of things just aren’t up to us as individuals. We have regulations, there are different rules and, of course, we cannot control other people’s behavior. But, what can you do in your day to make your life easier?
You can make plans for how to tackle problems that seem insurmountable and cut them into smaller tasks. When you become overwhelmed by stress, things can seem too large to handle. But if you make a roadmap of smaller problems, they can be far more achievable. You should also make time to do things you enjoy. It doesn’t matter if it’s large or small: watching your favorite movie, cooking your favorite food or finishing a puzzle can all feel like a special occasion if you sit down to treat yourself to time off. Write out a schedule of your time to plan how you will accomplish everything and make time for yourself.
You should go back to your routines. Many of us have let things go in the last year. Some of that has been healthy. We have relaxed a little and realized that maybe some things actually added extra stress to our lives. A lot of people learned that you don’t need to decorate for every holiday! But, things like getting dressed every day, keeping our living spaces clean and keeping ourselves active are good for ourselves, not the people around us. Keeping your life ordered can help you feel happy and stress-free.
“I think it’s important to recognize if stress has become too much, is it affecting your every day life? Your work? School? Daily living? If that’s too much, then seek help,” said Samantha Gore of Four Rivers Behavioral Health. “We can check in with ourselves and practice positive self-talk. We don’t give ourselves enough credit. We need to give ourselves affirmations and just kind of lift ourselves up. I think that’s important but self-care, positive self-talk and just doing things that you enjoy. I just don’t think we listen to our bodies enough and when we’re stressed and it becomes you know just a part of our everyday lives and we just don’t slow down.”
If you are struggling with stress, speak to the people around you. Your friends and family can share their own experiences. If you are having a tough time, they can assist you in getting more help for problems with drinking, gambling and other unhealthy outlets. It’s always good to talk about how you are feeling.
Stress takes a toll on your mind, body, overall health and blood pressure. Review your situation today!
