{"id":7738,"date":"2024-05-28T12:34:25","date_gmt":"2024-05-28T16:34:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.asapofanderson.org\/?p=7738"},"modified":"2024-05-28T12:34:25","modified_gmt":"2024-05-28T16:34:25","slug":"stress-and-mental-health-awareness-keys-for-substance-misuse-prevention","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/asapofanderson.org\/es\/stress-and-mental-health-awareness-keys-for-substance-misuse-prevention\/","title":{"rendered":"Concienciaci\u00f3n sobre el estr\u00e9s y la salud mental: claves para prevenir el abuso de sustancias"},"content":{"rendered":"

Good day, Anderson County!<\/span><\/p>\n

Welcome back to the official ASAP of Anderson Blog! We\u2019re happy you are here, and we hope you\u2019re enjoying the daily grab-bag of East Tennessee weather. We sure are!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

April and May are significant months for ASAP\u2019s ultimate vision of a happy, healthy, drug-free Anderson County. April is National Stress Awareness Month and May is Mental Health Awareness Month. In that spirit, I want to talk a bit about stress and mental health, and how to manage both without relying upon unhealthy or harmful crutches such as alcohol and tobacco products to get through.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Stress Awareness<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

We all experience (and struggle with) stress. Tension and anxiety are fundamental facets of the human condition, for better or worse, undeniable and inescapable.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I know that coping and compensating can be extremely difficult when stress gets heavy. If one is already a consistent smoker, vaper, or drinker, it can feel as if those activities are <\/span>the only <\/span><\/i>things that help to reduce stress. I know that fact very well; I smoked (and later vaped) for fifteen years. When I got stressed out, or anxious, or depressed (or all three at once), I probably smoked twice as many cigarettes, or vaped twice as often.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

However, some number of months after I finally quit for good, back in 2019, I slowly came to realize that I felt significantly less stressed out and less anxious at any given moment, on any given day. Even in abnormally stressful situations, I found that I felt so much calmer and more able to deal with the moment when I didn\u2019t have that nagging, persistent need to stop and have a smoke or hit a vape.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When stress becomes a chronic problem, much more than one\u2019s mental health is negatively affected. According to the <\/span>American Institute of Stress<\/span><\/a>, \u201cFrom headaches to stomach disorders to depression \u2013 even very serious issues like stroke and heart disease can come as a result of stress.\u201d Using alcohol and tobacco products only increases the risks of developing these subsequent health problems. Furthermore, \u201cLearning to cope with our stress and finding healthy ways to deal with [stressful] situations can go a long way in living a healthy and positive life.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

At ASAP, we are committed to the goal of preventing\u2014and thereby reducing\u2014substance use in every community in Anderson County. One way we do that is by bringing attention to the problem of high stress in Anderson County residents\u2019 high-speed, hectic modern lives so that we all might feel less inclined to resort to alcohol and tobacco to make ourselves feel better.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The <\/span>National Institutes of Health<\/span><\/a> says \u201cManaging stress is an essential component of a healthy lifestyle. Knowing how to manage stress can improve mental and physical well-being as well as minimize exacerbation of health-related issues.\u201d Follow the link <\/span>here<\/span><\/a> to visit NIH\u2019s Stress Awareness Month page to find lots of resources, such as a \u201cStress Screener\u201d to help you recognize and reduce your levels of stress and programs for employers and employees to address workplace stress.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Mental Health Awareness<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Since 1949, May has been Mental Health Awareness Month.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Let me start by making a claim that seems intuitive, but does not reflect the way most of us in America live our day-to-day lives: mental health is just as important, just as significant, as physical health. Likewise, mental illness can be just as debilitating, indeed, just as life-threatening, as a heart attack or a cancer diagnosis. In the U.S., the month of May is devoted to reminding us all of those simple facts, and to providing us with information and resources to use to protect our bodies and our minds.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Unfortunately, there is, and always has been, a high degree of stigma attached to the issue of mental health, making it difficult (and in some cases impossible) for people struggling with mental health conditions to speak openly about their issues, much less seek treatment. Stigma is at least partially to blame for the high rates of substance misuse in America. Millions of Americans are using drugs and alcohol to treat their mental health symptoms in an ill-advised effort at self-medication. That is where organizations such as <\/span>SAMHSA<\/span><\/a> (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) and <\/span>NAMI<\/span><\/a> (National Alliance on Mental Illness) come in.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

NAMI\u2019s <\/span>Take the Moment<\/span><\/a> campaign \u201cchampions the importance of <\/span>destigmatizing <\/span><\/i>mental health by <\/span>normalizing<\/span><\/i> the practice of taking moments to prioritize mental health care <\/span>without guilt or shame<\/span><\/i>.\u201d Through Take the Moment, NAMI showcases a wide array of signature programs and services, including the introductory <\/span>NAMI Basics<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>NAMI Peer-to-Peer<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>NAMI Support Groups<\/span><\/a>, and the <\/span>NAMI HelpLine<\/span><\/a>, among many others.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

SAMHSA works hard in May<\/span><\/a> to remind all Americans that \u201cmental health conditions can affect anyone, regardless of gender, age, race, ethnicity, or income level.\u201d In fact, <\/span>recent alarming data<\/span><\/a> show that \u201cour nation is facing an unprecedented mental health crisis among people of all ages and backgrounds, including young children and older adults.\u201d The same data also strongly underscore the fact that mental illness and tobacco, alcohol, and drug use are inextricably linked. One reinforces and exacerbates the other.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While mental health condition diagnoses can be scary and confounding, the good news is that even serious illnesses, such as bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and major depressive disorder are completely treatable. Just as people dealing with a chronic medical condition such as diabetes, SAMHSA says \u201cwith early and consistent treatment, people with serious mental illnesses can manage their conditions, overcome challenges, and enjoy meaningful, productive lives.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Furthermore, when we speak openly and honestly about our mental health together, <\/span>\u201cthe more normalized these conversations become \u2013 ultimately empowering people to seek the help they need.\u201d<\/span><\/a> Remember, when it comes to your mental health, <\/span>\u201cit\u2019s okay not to be okay.\u201d<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Follow this link to SAMHSA\u2019s comprehensive <\/span>2024 Mental Health Awareness Month Toolkit<\/span><\/a>, where you\u2019ll find a treasure trove of resources and info to help you spread awareness and have engaging, healthy, life-saving discussions about mental health in your own homes and communities.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Good day, Anderson County! Welcome back to the official ASAP of Anderson Blog! We\u2019re happy you are here, and we hope you\u2019re enjoying the daily grab-bag of East Tennessee weather. We sure are!\u00a0 April and May are significant months for ASAP\u2019s ultimate vision of a happy, healthy, drug-free Anderson County. April is National Stress Awareness […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[18,19,20,21,22,23],"class_list":["post-7738","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog","tag-mental-health-awareness","tag-prevention","tag-stress-awareness","tag-substance-misuse","tag-substance-use","tag-sud"],"blocksy_meta":[],"yoast_head":"\nStress and Mental Health Awareness: keys to substance misuse prevention - ASAP of Anderson<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/asapofanderson.org\/es\/stress-and-mental-health-awareness-keys-for-substance-misuse-prevention\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"es_MX\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Stress and Mental Health Awareness: keys to substance misuse prevention - ASAP of Anderson\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Good day, Anderson County! 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