I suppose there’s logic, at least for we US folks, that April would be stress awareness month. With tax season smack in the middle of April it isn’t exactly the best of times. For me I have double-reasons to be aware. April is also when I got divorced.
One of the biggest challenges in addressing depression for me has been knowing how my body is reacting to stress and how I chose to respond to it actively. For me the first indicator my body gives me is an increase insomnia. I’ll find sleep harder and harder to come by. As a result I’ll usually feel much more fatigued and prone to feeling pain throughout the waking hours. My usual approach to this has been to try and get in a bit of exercise to force myself asleep or to use the occasional dose of melatonin to help ease me into sleep.
Irritability is the other common symptom that I manifest. This one is often harder to attribute to depression or stressors as I work in a fairly high stress industry to begin with. I’ll usually journal about moments where I’ve found myself ranting more or becoming shorter with people in conversation. As a target shooter one of my common de-stressing activities is hitting the range and getting behind a firearm. This isn’t something I recommend for everybody. Be it a pistol or a small 22LR rifle, practicing my accuracy and fundamentals and the safety surrounding it is calming for me.
The last major symptom is probably the most common for folks but also the most challenging. Stress eating is a hit/miss thing with. While I don’t binge eat as I did early on in my depression, I do still find myself making bad eating choices when stress mounts. I’ve tried to divert those urges by always having simple protein snacks on hand like jerky or healthier alternatives to sweets like fruits, nuts or yogurt.
Life throws a lot of stress our way, April or otherwise. Make it a point to see what things are stressing you out and what you can do to process through it. Find your coping tools, make use them in moderation and listen to your body. It’s easy to get into the spiral and to let the stress build until you let it off in negative ways. Here’s hoping your April ends relatively stress free.
