National Stress Awareness Day 2023: Things you need to know

We have all heard the common saying in our early years that “Laughter is the best medicine”. As youngsters, we never understood the true meaning of this phrase. Laughter therapy has scientific evidence that shows its benefits. Laughter helps to enhance our moods, improves our immune system, and acts as a buffer from the negative effects of stress and anxiety.

Stress is very normal in everyone’s daily life. Some amount of stress is good for our better performance; however, extreme levels of stress can be harmful and may give rise to other health problems. These health issues can vary from physical conditions such as diseases of the heart, blood pressure problems, and diabetes to severe mental health illnesses such as anxiety and depression. Dealing with high levels of stress can also harm relationships and disturb the ones around you. 

Stress is a totally common human response. It is our brain’s method of conveying to us that we re being faced with a risky situation. Stress isn t terrible in itself; it can assist you with making a move, fulfilling time constraints, and/or completing things. Stress can turn into an issue on the off chance that you start to feel overpowered or that you can not adapt. 

What is Stress?

Stress is not a psychological illness. However, high levels of stress can cause emotional well-being problems. We must become aware of our bodily reactions in stressful situations. 

When do we celebrate national stress awareness day?

National Stress Day is commemorated on the first Wednesday of November. This celebration aims to identify stressors and reduce them in people’s lives. In 2023, National Stress Awareness Day will be celebrated on 1st November.

It is very important to identify the stressors that negatively influence our mental and physical health and develop managing strategies for the same. The correlation between stress and mental health goes in two ways. High levels of stress may give rise to a mental disorder and having a mental illness can increase stress levels. Fortunately, there are many ways you can take control of your stress levels and keep yourself mentally healthy. 

Ask yourself the below questions to respond in a stressful situation

How do you know you are stressed?

What triggered this situation?

How can I manage or cope with this situation?

Below we share some practical strategies for stress relief you can practice during the stress awareness week. By practicing them all week you can see what works best for you and are likely to build a habit for yourself. 

What is the root cause of stress?

Many times, it is difficult to sort our emotions. For example, you are angry at your colleague and end up fighting with your spouse. This discrepancy makes it challenging for one to work on the main issue. Therefore, note your main trigger of stress. It can be your professional work, relationships, obligations, etc. once you figure out what caused you to stress out, it will be easy for you to manage it. 

Write 3 positive things

In stressful situations, it is very easy to spiral down into negative thoughts and question everything. In this awareness week, we encourage you to sit with a book or pad for 5 to 10 minutes and jot down three good or positive things that happened on that day. The level of importance does not matter. This exercise helps you become more grateful and kind to yourself. By the end of the week, you can take your writings and reflect and notice how you feel about them. 

Become physically active

This cannot be highlighted enough. Being stressed drains down our energy to do any physical activity. However, many activities do not require much energy and will increase your energy and release happy hormones such as dopamine and motivate you. You can try some of the below activities:

- Have fun with your pet if you have one. 

- Play songs and sing along. Try if you can have someone sing along with you.

- Spend time gardening. 

- Start cleaning. Arrange your desk, cupboard, or room. It will make you feel better. 

Make time for hobbies

In our busy schedules making time for the activities that bring joy to us is challenging. At the point when we get excessively occupied and worried, things that frequently satisfy us are forgotten and are replaced by our daily tasks.

It is important to reduce stress and to make time for the thing you enjoy doing and yourself. Understand what you need to have to do to make time in your week or your day. If this means dropping a night or girl s night, then do it!

Keep the connection on

Humans are social beings. We are in constant need of people. The lockdown made it difficult to connect with people physically but technology kept us connected. It is significant to keep in touch with your friends and family. 

- Talking helps in unbottling emotions and feelings.

- Relationships are strengthened

- Calling a distant friend to check up on them

Communicating and being there for others has been shown to reduce stress. 

No matter what, stress will be there with you life-long. You cannot avoid it. But you can manage it. Learn and use positive coping mechanisms for improved mental and physical health. Give a go to the above-mentioned simple strategies during the awareness week to help yourself and those around you.

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There are several changes that occur instantly as we laugh and laughter is the easiest way to trick our brains. If you start laughing during an anxious situation, your brain releases healthy hormones such as endorphins and stops the release of stress hormones such as cortisol and epinephrine (Yim, 2016).

Laughter therapy is the easiest form of therapy that you can do without burning a hole in your pocket. In fact, everyone should,  daily indulge in laughter therapy or some kind of online therapy every week. Therapeutic laughter has been shown to have a positive impact on our mental health (Mora-Ripoll, 2010). 

Here is how you can indulge in simulated laughter therapy:

Stages of laughter therapy

1. Warming up and opening This helps in rescuing the laughter that is blocked.

2. Experiencing humor and positive emotions This includes emotional wellness, and physical workout, and adds playful behaviors.

3. Closure, recovery, and evaluation This is where you choose to let go and simply laugh, and laughter meditate.

Types of laughter exercises you can do alone or with a group of friends:

1. Hold-on Laughter- Hold your breath and burst out laughing when you can’t hold it any longer.

2. Gradient Laughter- First smile, then chuckle, giggle after that, then laugh slowly and gradually increase your volume and tempo.

3. Hearty Laughter- Open up your arms, raise your arms, and laugh from your whole heart. Bring your hands down and stop, again raise your arms, and laugh. Repeat this.

4. Nonsense Laughter- Talk in made-up words (gibberish) and laugh about it.

5. Laughter counting- Gradually increase your laugh count. Ha, Ha-ha, Hahaha...

6. Arts Laughter- Imitate someone, dance in a funny way, sing like a child, and laugh about it.

7. Hugging Laughter- Hug someone and laugh together.

8. Silent Laughter- Be completely still and silent, sit or lie down and close your eyes. Take your time and laugh naturally.

9. Scenario Laughter- Think about funny events that had taken place. Remember an embarrassing moment and laugh it out.

Online counselling experts suggest laughter therapy exercises in association with other therapeutic measures are a good method for enhancing one’s mental health.