By Janet Athanasiou
APUS Student Affairs Liaison and Active Minds Chapter Co-Advisor

“I’m so stressed!” It’s an expression we’ve all heard or said at some point, and I’m sure many of us would agree that we could use less stress in our lives.

Stress is how your brain and body react to any kind of mental or physical demand. That could be incidents at work, at school or with family. Major life changes, traumatic events and even exercise can all cause stress.

Stress Less Week Encourages People to Participate in Stress-Relieving Activities

Stress Less Week, sponsored by the APUS chapter of Active Minds, runs from April 17 to April 23. This event encourages everyone to engage in an activity for 10 minutes each day that will help them stress less.

What kinds of activities can you engage in? Anything that you think will help you reduce your stress. Some of our members have described taking their dogs for an extra-long walk, going for a hike, or even taking 10 minutes to put on a favorite playlist of upbeat music and dancing out their feelings.

We also recommend meditating, taking a catnap, doing something you love, coloring or scribbling, going for a run, and listening to music. Whatever activity you do that makes you happy and brings your stress down is a good way to engage in Stress Less Week.

During Stress Less Week, Active Minds members — and anyone else who is interested in participating — post pictures on their social media outlets using the hashtag #StressLessWeek. The pictures promote how people reduce their stress, raise awareness of this event and demonstrate how members of an online community engage with each other.

Below are some examples of how Active Minds members stressed less in 2018. We can’t wait to see your stress-reducing activities this week, and don’t forget to use the hashtag #StressLessWeek!

Related link: 5 things you should know about stress

About the Author

Janet Athanasiou has worked for American Public University System since 2011, holding positions such as Academic Advisor, Senior Manager of Advising Schools, and Graduate Academic Advisor. Previously, she worked as a Residence Coordinator for the University of Alberta in Canada. Her academic credentials include a bachelor’s degree in history from Dalhousie University and a master of education degree in counseling psychology from James Madison University. Janet is currently working on her doctoral degree in higher education and higher education administration at George Mason University.