Two Mondays in May to manage stress

In the summer and fall of 2016 I sent a series of letters to the editor regarding stress management and how to take charge of our emotions in normal and/or challenging situations. I offered to provide an eight-week program free of charge to anyone who would commit to completing the program. I want to congratulate all of the people who followed through and learned how to better manage their emotions in challenging and everyday situations as well. Well done.

As program manager for War On Stress, a project of United Charitable, a 501(C)3 non-profit organization, I will be presenting a class in stress management for all ages for two Monday nights in a row from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Waldorf West Library on May 1 and May 8. The program will be focused on understanding how stress impacts every aspect of our lives and learning simple practical skills that mitigate the effects of stress on our health and well-being. Each class will present core insights into stress management and will also cover any related topic requested by those who attend. Anything and everything associated with the stress response will be fair game for discussion.

One of our primary missions at War On Stress is to eliminate the stigma associated with mental health. When all of us recognize that mental health issues deserve the same matter of fact approach accepted with physical health issues we will all be able to support someone experiencing a mental health challenge the same as we would for a physical illness. Chronic runaway stress is the primary driver for depression and suicidal thinking. Understanding the stress response and using skills to reduce the effects of stress on our physiology is how we take charge of our emotions and choose how to feel from moment to moment. Psychologists refer to this kind of process as “taking back our power.”

Everyone who attends will receive a package of handouts that cover different aspects of understanding stress and related concepts. I encourage everyone in our community to take advantage of these classes. When we understand stress and how to manage it in our own lives, we have made our community and the world a better place for all.

Please confirm your intention to attend one of the classes by emailing me at john@ waronstress.org.

Any questions? Please contact me at john@waronstress.org.

John Staples, Bryans Road The writer is the program manager for War On Stress, a project of United Charitable, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.