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Let's Talk About Stress!
- Jeannie Dafforn
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
April is Stress Awareness Month
And most people hear that and think:
Yes… I know stress exists.
But awareness isn’t about knowing stress is real.
It’s about noticing how it shows up in your life.
It tends to disguise itself as other things.
“I’m just tired.”
“I can’t shut my brain off.”
“I feel overwhelmed.”
“I’m snapping at people.”
“I’m falling behind.”
Many of us keep pushing through these signals for years.
From the outside, everything looks fine.
Inside, their nervous system is running a marathon.
Stress Is More Common Than We Think
Stress is not a rare experience. It’s incredibly common.
Research shows:
Nearly half of Americans report experiencing significant daily stress.
Around 75% of people report physical or emotional symptoms related to stress.
About 77% of workers say they experienced work-related stress within the past month.
Studies also estimate that people encounter about five stressors per day on average.
In other words, stress isn’t the exception.
It’s woven into modern life.
But the issue isn’t simply that stress exists.
The issue is when it stays switched on too long.
Stress Is Not Just a Feeling
When people hear the word stress, they often think of emotions.
But stress is really a full-body response.
Your brain senses pressure or threat and signals your body to prepare for action.
Heart rate increases.
Muscles tighten.
Breathing changes.
Focus narrows.
This response is helpful in short bursts.
It helped our ancestors react quickly to danger.
But modern stress often looks different.
Deadlines.
Emails.
Financial pressure.
Caregiving.
Constant notifications.
Your body often responds to these pressures the same way it would respond to danger. And when that system stays activated for too long, it can affect:
-Sleep
-Mood
-Energy
-Focus
-Immune function
-Relationships
Chronic stress has also been linked to health concerns such as anxiety, depression, digestive problems, and heart disease.
The goal isn’t to eliminate stress entirely.
The goal is learning to recognize it early and respond intentionally.
The First Skill: Awareness
Before someone can manage stress, they need to notice it.
This sounds simple.
But many people have been disconnected from their signals for years.
In my workshops, I often ask participants a few simple questions.
Where do you feel stress in your body first?
Your shoulders?
Your jaw?
Your stomach?
Your chest?
What thoughts tend to show up?
“I should be doing more.”
“I can’t keep up.”
“I’m failing.”
What behaviors start to shift?
Shorter patience.
Avoiding things.
Working longer hours.
Pulling away from people.
Once people start noticing these patterns, something important happens. They realize stress isn’t random.
It leaves clues.
A Simple Stress Awareness Exercise
Try this quick reflection.
Pause for a moment and ask yourself:
1. What has been creating pressure in my life lately?Work demands? Family responsibilities? Expectations I’m putting on myself?
2. What signals is my body giving me?Tension, headaches, fatigue, shallow breathing, irritability?
3. What has my mind been saying about it?Is your inner dialogue supportive—or critical and urgent?
Now ask one more question:
What might my stress be trying to tell me right now?
Sometimes the answer is simple.
You need rest.
You need help.
You need boundaries.
You need to slow down.
Awareness creates the space to respond instead of react.
Let’s Talk About It
One of the most powerful ways to reduce stress is also one of the simplest.
Talk about it.
Not in a complaining way.
In an honest way.
Name what you’re experiencing.
Notice what your body is doing.
Share what feels heavy.
Stress tends to grow in silence.
Awareness brings it into the light.
And once you can see it clearly, you can begin to work with it.
And if you’re tired of doing all the emotional heavy lifting on your own—this is exactly the kind of thing I help my clients with.
You don’t have to power through.
You can pause, process, and still rise stronger.
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