Stress Awareness Month 2025
Stress Awareness Month is an annual event observed every April since 1992, dedicated to increasing public awareness about the causes of stress and how to mitigate it. Stress that's left untreated can contribute to many health problems, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, and diabetes. Managing stress is an essential component of a healthy lifestyle and providers at Culbertson Memorial Hospital are here to help.
What is Stress?
According to the World Health Organization, stress can be defined as a state of worry or mental tension caused by a difficult situation. Stress is a natural human response that prompts us to address challenges and threats in our lives.
Types of Stress
There are three main kinds of stress: acute, episodic acute and chronic.
- Acute stress: Acute stress is short-term stress that comes and goes quickly. It can be positive or negative. It’s the feeling you get when you’re riding on a rollercoaster or having a fight with a loved one. Everyone experiences acute stress from time to time.
- Episodic acute stress: Episodic acute stress is when you experience acute stress on a regular basis. With this kind of stress, you don’t ever get the time you need to return to a calm, relaxed state.
- Chronic stress: Chronic stress is long-term stress that goes on for weeks or months. This type of stress can be attributed to issues such as marriage troubles, financial problems, or toxic work environments. Chronic stress can affect your overall well-being, with symptoms impacting many of your body’s systems.
How it Affects Us
Your body’s autonomic nervous system controls your heart rate, breathing, vision changes and more. Its built-in stress response — the “fight-or-flight response” — helps your body face stressful situations.
When you have long-term (chronic) stress, continued activation of the stress response causes wear and tear on your body. You may develop stress symptoms that are physical or psychological.
Physical symptoms
- Trouble sleeping
- Headaches, dizziness, or shaking.
- High blood pressure
- Digestive problems
- Chest pain
- Muscle tension
- Aches and pains
- Sexual dysfunction
- Weakened immune system
Psychological symptoms
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Panic attacks
- Sadness
- Frequent mood swings
How to Cope with Stress
Developing a personalized approach to reducing stress can help you manage your mental health condition and improve your quality of life. Once you’ve learned what your triggers are, experiment with coping strategies. Some common ones include:
- Managing your time. Prioritizing your activities can help you use your time well. Making a day-to-day schedule helps ensure you don’t feel overwhelmed by everyday tasks and deadlines.
- Practicing relaxation techniques. Deep breathing, meditation and progressive muscle relaxation are good ways to calm yourself.
- Exercising daily. Daily exercise naturally produces stress-relieving hormones in your body and improves your overall physical health.
- Make time for you. Set aside time to do something for yourself that makes you feel good.
- Eating a healthy diet. Eating unprocessed foods, like whole grains, vegetables, and fresh fruit is the foundation for a healthy body and mind.
- Getting enough sleep.
- Talking to someone. Don’t be afraid to open up to someone you trust, whether it’s a friend, a relative, a counselor, or a psychiatrist. Recognize when you need help and be honest with yourself and others.
Understanding how stress affects you can help you turn stress into a tool for growth while minimizing its negative impact. With the help of one of our primary care physicians, we can foster a healthier, more compassionate community better equipped to handle the stressors of the future.
Managing stress in your life is a team effort and providers at Culbertson Memorial Hospital are here to help. We have three convenient Culbertson Clinic locations with providers ready to assist.
Community Medical Clinic - Astoria: (309) 329-2926
Taylor Clinic: (217) 323-2245
Rushville Family Practice: (217) 322-3345
Call to schedule a wellness visit with one of our primary care physicians or learn more about our clinic locations in your community, here.
Need extra support? We also offer professional counseling services at the Elmer Hugh Taylor Clinic and Rushville Family Practice. To learn more or to schedule an appointment, call the Taylor Clinic at (217) 323-2245 or Rushville Family Practice at (217) 322-3345.