No doubt, we have all experienced stress. With the growth of technology and global connection, there has been a decreased amount of time and opportunity to decompress and think about the “why?” behind our stress. April is designated as Stress Awareness Month and April 16th is National Stress Awareness Day.

Do you ever feel like you try, you genuinely try, and end up acting out the meme above? First we want you to know, you are not alone. According to the American Institute of Stress, 55% percent of American people experience stress throughout the day. They also found stress to be linked to sleep deprivation and the workplace. When not on quarantine and in the confines of my house, I can promise you I am as sleep deprived as much as the next person.

Different people have different ways of handling their stress and there are women who are dedicated to helping other women handle their stress and find their peace. Irene Lewis is a college student who is helping other women walk this journey of life with less stress as she tries to herself. She is the owner of Simply Sereniti, which is designed with the hopes of helping women #adult and pull their ish together. You can find free resources (and candles!! ) on her website. Stay tuned for a PPG collab with this total #boss.

There is no one size fits all for stress. What may work for your BFF might not always work for you. We don’t have all the answers and we are not certified professionals, but here are some tips and tricks that you can try to help relieve that “the emails are exploding, I haven’t eaten all day, I’ve been in traffic for an hour, and I forgot to pick up my dry cleaning” type stress.

1. Scream

   Yep, scream loud and proud. Stress can be the build up of emotions and a good scream (out loud or in a pillow), although it might not remove allll the stress, can help you get the physical negative energy out and start over.

2. Yoga

   This is my personal favorite, if you can snag a quick 5 -10 minutes there are endless yoga classes on YouTube that will not let you down and leave you feeling refreshed and stretched!

3. Setting

   Your surroundings greatly impact your mood. If you can control your setting make sure it is comfortable, calm, and brings you peace. Try opening a window, light a candle, turn on your diffuser, play some music and let the stress disappear!

4. Personal Life

   Dun, Dun, Dunnnn (this is suppose to be like a sound effect but I don’t know if it worked) We don’t want to talk about it but deep down we know that ignoring issues in our personal lives, whether it be concerning ourselves or others, can effect other areas of our lives and result in what I call “hidden stress,” which is the stress we don’t want to acknowledge. Address the hidden stress to allow yourself the peace you deserve.

5. Call your PPG Crew

   Community is so important, this is a reason PPG was formed. Let your crew know how your feeling so they can check-in on you and you can do the same for them. We are in this together.

If steps 1-5 fail. . .

xoxo

Disclaimer: We are not professionals and these are only recommendations that are not promised to have results.