By Sarah Wylde

We are well over halfway through October. How are you doing? Are you feeling stressed by the news, politics, the rising COVID cases, the unknown of the upcoming holiday season? Me to. That is why this week, I wanted to do a bit of a stress check-in.

Stress is a response that we have when in a specific environment. Our bodies respond physically, emotionally, and psychologically. The tricky part is remembering that pressure is not what is happening to us, but our reactions to the temporary or long-lasting stressful feeling. Our fight or flight mode, but the flight is continuously on. I don’t know about any of you. Mine has been in overdrive lately.

That is where doing regular stress check-ins with yourself comes in handy. It is an opportunity to connect with the touring body, talk through your stress, identify stressors, and think of solutions. I know this is easier said than done. It can be challenging to realize that what you are feeling is excess stress. It is also much easier to notice it in others than within ourselves. One way to check is to do an online stress check-in quiz. There are various out there. Personally, I use the Assess your Stress Management Skills quiz on the Canadian Heart and Stroke website. It is about a five-minute true/false quiz with coping strategies to go with the responses you provided.

With having to stay at home, watching our distance, and the various quarantining stages depending on where you live, it can be quite challenging to go to your usual coping activities. But there are still some things to add to your day that can help. There is Yoga, stretching, deep breathing, exercising, rest, walking, sharing your feelings, make time to laugh, meditation, and more.

Some books to check out as a resource include these three that will be released on November 1, 2020, Pocket Therapy for Anxiety, Pocket Therapy for Stress, and Pocket Therapy for Emotional Balance.

Next week will be back to spooky Halloween fun with a ghost story!

Until next time, be safe and take care of your selves.

Sarah Wylde