National Stress Awareness Day – November 2, 2022, history, significance
National Stress Awareness Day, on every first Wednesday in November — November 2 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 was established in 1998 by the International Stress Management Association (ISMA) to help provide information on stress, and strategies on how to address it for both companies and individuals.
The organization is particularly focused on business relationships and reducing stress in the workplace. Their aim is to help employers and employees support each other by providing comprehensive guides to establishing a program within their organization. They also seek to assist individuals by encouraging them to look after their health and well-being on a day-to-day basis.
NATIONAL STRESS AWARENESS DAY TIMELINE
1936
Psychological Attribution to the Term
Hans Selye is frequently associated with having coined the psychological concept of the term ‘stress.’
1951
First Major Annual Report on Stress
The first major document on the topic of stress is written and continues as an annual report.
1992
Stress Awareness Month
The month of April is designated to be observed for creating awareness and finding resources for sufferers of stress.
2000
Founding of the Jed Foundation
The Jed Foundation is established to promote mental health and help prevent suicides amongst students.
HOW TO OBSERVE NATIONAL STRESS AWARENESS DAY
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).
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.
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.
5 FACTS ABOUT STRESS THAT WILL BLOW YOUR MIND
Are you in stress or eustress?
Scientists like to refer to “good stress” as eustress.
It affects everyone differently
Unlike other conditions, stress has different symptoms for different people so you can’t really tell when you’re experiencing stress.
It’s the “silent killer”
Stress is also classified as the silent killer because it’s usually the root cause of most heart diseases.
It causes hair loss
If you’re going bald, you’re likely going through stress unless, of course, you’ve turned 50.
Laughing is the remedy
It is scientifically proven that laughing lowers stress hormones and triggers the onset of “good,” health-enhancing hormones.
WHY NATIONAL STRESS AWARENESS DAY IS IMPORTANT
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.
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.
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.
