Stress Awareness Month 2025

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After an injury, stress can become part of your life. Stress related to health issues during recovery. Stress related to financial commitments or loss of wages. Stress from managing relationships and expectations from family, friends, or partners.

Stress can easily become overwhelming or chronic, negatively impacting your physical health. In fact, stress can negatively impact your bodies ability to heal wounds, along with causing headaches, stomach problems or changes in appetite, skin breakouts, raise blood pressure and heart, and so much more.

So what can you do to bring stress back under control?

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There are a lot of recommendations for managing stress, and it can be very person dependent on what works best. Some suggestions include:

Surround yourself with trusted and supportive friends and family
Try to create routines in your life, especially for meals, exercise, and sleep
Practice mindfulness or meditation or journaling
Focus on self-care

You can also try to #LeadWithLove, which is the theme for Stress Awareness Month 2025

The message behind #LeadWithLove is to approach ourselves and others with kindness, compassion, and acceptance, no matter the’ challenges we face.’

While the message may seem simple, it can be difficult to always put into practice. Showing acts of love to others can be easy. Small acts of love and appreciation can make a big impact. But practicing self-love can be much harder. Many struggle to show themselves the same kindness that they offer others.

If self-love and self-care is not something that comes easily to you, try some of the practices below that can also help address stress.

Practice gentle self-talk. Would you speak to your friends the same way your inner voice speaks to you? If no, try to speak to yourself with the same kindness and love you show those around you. Replace critical thoughts with affirmations; “I am doing my best” “I am worthy of rest”.
Embrace imperfection. It’s important to show yourself grace when things don’t go as planned or when you don’t make the progress that you hoped for. Recognize the effort, even if the result is not perfect.
Practice gratitude by identifying one positive thing your body can do and one positive thing that is happening in your life. Focusing only on the negative can increase stress, but you can train you brain to see the silver linings by practicing identifying positives.