Stress Awareness Month: Nature's Relief

April marks National Stress Awareness Month, as this year coincides with a very challenging time in our country. People's stress levels are charting at dangerous levels.

Sustaining high stress levels for an extended period will affect your body, thoughts, feelings, and behavior. Unchecked stress will contribute to many health problems, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, and diabetes.

Let Us Talk About Stress.

What is Stress?

Stress is a physical, mental, or emotional factor that causes tension in the body or mind. Stress is caused by a situation, whether environmental, psychological, or sociological, that triggers our fight-or-flight response.

There are two types of stress we experience in life: distress and eustress.

Distress is considered a negative form of stress that can be short-term or long-term. It can affect us mentally and physically because it is outside our ability to control situations, such as losing a loved one (spouse or family member), unexpected unemployment, facing financial difficulties, divorce, or a life-altering injury.

Now, add our obsession with social media and the current political landscape visible on our screens; it's no surprise that we are experiencing high levels of stress.

Eustress is a positive form of stress we experience daily. This type of stress keeps us stimulated to move forward and gives us the ability to perform daily tasks. It is short-term, within our means of dealing with stress, like starting a new job, moving, receiving a promotion, and purchasing a new home.

April is National Stress Awareness Month, but we also celebrate National Walk Day on April 2, 2025, and Earth Day on April 22, 2025, which will mark its 55th anniversary.

Studies have shown that people who get outdoors more often are happier, healthier, cognitively alert, and physically stronger. Furthermore, being outdoors can lower stress and cortisol levels, boost feel-good hormones like serotonin, endorphins, and dopamine, and improve your cardiovascular and muscular fitness.

The American College of Sports Medicine recommends that most adults exercise 150 minutes (2.5 hours) a week at moderate intensity. Adults can meet this recommendation by engaging in 30 minutes of physical activity five days a week.

Let's get Outdoors and Connect with Mother Earth to relieve the stress of our daily lives. Don't you want to feel the wind in your hair, the birds chirp, the warm sun on your skin, and hear the trees sing?

Start Walking

Walking is the most affordable form of exercise, and daily walking can significantly impact your health by reducing stress levels. It is also adaptable to any fitness level.

You can walk anywhere, at any time. Visit your local and state park trails for an incredible workout. Walking can be a social activity with friends and family. Or you can enjoy it alone.

There are other ways to incorporate more steps into your daily routine, such as taking the stairs or parking your vehicle farther away when running errands.

Go Biking

Dust off your bike and start pedaling because biking is another inexpensive form of exercise. Biking is a non-impact activity that can help increase joint mobility and improve coordination and posture.

Biking can be a social activity you can enjoy with friends and family. Or go solo outdoors. Most importantly, you can disconnect from our digital world and feel young and free as you pedal through local parks or trails.

April is a month of 3 Awareness: National Stress Awareness, National Walk Day on April 2, and Earth Day on April 22.

Join my 30-day challenge to reduce stress: practice mindful breathing, spend time outdoors, and stay hydrated. What a fabulous way to incorporate movement outdoors to help reduce our stress levels and improve our overall well-being.

**BE SMART! If you have not participated or are changing your current workout, always seek the advice of your physician.