April is recognized annually as ‘Stress Awareness Month’. This may at first seem misplaced. Shouldn’t Stress Awareness Month be in maybe December, when everything is cold, icy or covered over in snow? Not April….when the weather is finally looking hopeful, birds are chirping, and flower bulbs are popping?
But statistics have shown that April is the month many of us experience “Spring Blues” in a big way. This is a type of ‘affective disorder’ that leaves us “stressed, anxious and irritable”. It is thought that this is when we place unrealistic pressure on ourselves as to what we feel we need to accomplish after cooking up all kinds of ideas and plans over the Winter. Now that it’s Spring, we may feel like we have to ‘get out there and get-going’. And if we don’t ‘get out there, right now, and get going’, we feel like something must be ‘wrong’ with us. We may forget we are human-beings, not human-doings…..
The theme of Stress Awareness Month 2026 is #BeThe Change. While stress is a natural part of life, many people normalize it until it become overwhelming. Stress affects people in different ways, making it hard to diagnose. The response is controlled by the nervous system and a network known as the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, which releases stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline. Once they are triggered and excreted it’s hard to call them back as they flood the bloodstream.
AWARENESS
I appreciate this month of ‘awareness’. Who doesn’t need more awareness? But the truth is I am someone who has to keep stress in check 12 months of the year because of the way I was brought up.
In my childhood household…..my dad stayed on high alert most of the time. His anxiety-driven rushing, now called “frantic family syndrome”, had our family of four constantly rushing everywhere….and then when we got to where we were going, anxiously rushing us back home.
When sitting still, he often drummed his fingers on the table, a common, unconscious sign of stress, anxiety and impatience. His hyper impatience was on full display when driving. He captained the family about in our big Oldsmobile, swearing and using obscene gestures, frustrated that the other drivers where obstructing his progress as he worked out his anxiety with the world….
My mom stressed about everything 24/7. She was passionate, intense and extreme in her emotions. Her stomach was in knots; she was angry and anxious daily. She always felt there was so much to do, to stress about, and that it was impossible to ignore anything.
Yet, when I visited her on her death bed and asked her….in the wee hours of the night….when the veil between this realm and the next is thin…when divine intervention steps in…”Mom, what advice can you leave me from your life”...without hesitation she replied, “I would have stressed less”. A day later she passed.
Of course I knew she was not talking about critical survival stress from a charging tiger. She was talking about that dull fight or flight response that seeps into everything…. all day, every day…. that keeps misguided inner stress creeping up our spine…. reporting back that maybe everything is not OK…. maybe we need to worry more and if we don’t we may be screwed.
Sustaining this state of high alert causes depletion and disruption of the normal fluctuations of our system. Long term anxiety can cause headaches, digestive problems, un-named exhaustions, mystery pains and contribute to a low immune system that can leave us open to chronic diseases and suffering. A thick aura of stress may cloud your vibrational field, leaving you feeling out of body, making it impossible to align with your true nature.
THE “NEVER ENOUGH” VOICE
I share these stories of my parents because, depending on the family we come from, many of us have had a hard row to hoe when it comes to shedding generational stress. It’s not just ‘breathe deep’ and hope for the best. Worry and stress are hard habits to break. I find it starts with continuous self-awareness and consistent processing…..
Those who wrestle with perfectionism tend to have a critical voice in their heads built up since childhood, telling them they’re not good enough, they’re work isn’t good enough, they’re not trying hard enough, and anything they do will never be good enough.
This voice in your head can be unrealistic and cause problems by being rigidly demanding and leaving little room for change, causing stress and havoc. The continuing negative self talk can perpetuate unhealthy behaviors and erode self esteem. This constant compiled stress can get twisted, exhibiting as sabotaging behaviors with foods in the sugar, salt and fried category.
THE PESSIMIST VOICE
Of course, good health is not just about what we eat. It’s also about what we think and the way we talk to ourselves. Pessimism gathered from childhood can be an immense stress. If you are a pessimist, you may see things worse then they really are. “What’s the point,” we tell ourselves. “I’ll never win anyway”. Pessimism is more than just seeing the glass as half-empty. It’s a specific world view that undermines belief in yourself. It has the ability to bring us poor health outcomes, fewer positive life events, and other negative consequences.
I would define my mom as a pessimist. She was brought up by Old World European parents who believed if you earned any good luck, the next moment the other shoe will drop. “Knock on wood”, she would say as she rapped on the table. Meaning any good luck could be jinxed, swept away faster then you could celebrate it. Her stress was exhibited in lack. She denied herself of foods that were nurturing, sustaining and life giving, choosing foods that had little nutritional value, that did not cherish or support the body. All through life she had a low immune system and chronic low level illness.
When my mom lay dying, I believe I got to view her as she really was. A less encumbered soul, one who had reached some kind of enlightenment in her last hours. Relaxation, releasing, allowing, acceptance, surrender; the common threads we are all searching to obtain….
BIO-BALANCE; DEALING WITH STRESS IN UNCERTAIN TIMES
I have faith that all paths lead to learning and growth. Choosing a gentle path for ourselves is the most difficult of all behaviors. But we live in the best of times for the challenge to set ourselves free. Unlike my parents generation we have access to tools and knowledge to guide us on our way. There are many opportunities for finding greater peace using conscious breathing, yoga, walking meditation, eating foods closer to Nature that create bio-balance, combined with strengthening our relationship with our Higher Power. I use them all. I find they are are all powerful tools and allies to keep us connected and supported. So much stress centers in our feelings of powerlessness and fear that we may not get life ‘right’, RIGHT NOW! But a good life takes practice.
LETTING GO
Right now, at this time in 2026, I feel we are all experiencing collective stress. Here are some words of wisdom from pioneering self-help voice Melody Beattie, from her book ‘The Language Of Letting Go’….
“Go easy. You may have to push forward, but you don’t have to push so hard. Go in gentleness…go with peace.
Do not be in so much of a hurry. At no day, no hour, no time are you required to do more then you can do in peace.
Frantic behavior and urgency are not the foundation for our new way of life.
Do not be in too much of a hurry to begin. Begin, but do not force the beginning if it is not time. Beginnings will arrive soon enough.
Enjoy and relish middles, the heart of the matter.
Do not be in too much of a hurry to finish. You may be almost done, but enjoy the final moments. Give yourself fully to those moments so that you may give and get all there is.
Let the pace flow naturally. Move forward. Start. Keep moving forward. Do it gently, though. Do it in peace. Cherish each moment.
Today, God help me focus on a peaceful pace rather than a harried one. I will keep moving forward gently, not frantically. Help me let go of my my need to be anxious, upset, and harried. Help me replace it with a need to be at peace and in harmony.”
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Paula Diana, Founder Of Diet For Living School,
Certified Holistic Nutrition Coach/Cancer Coach
Food as Medicine Educator
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#stress #franticfamilysyndrome #affectivedisorder #fight or flight #biobalance #peace