Stress.  Have you heard of it?  Do you know someone who suffers from it?  Could this person even be you?  I have to laugh in writing this.  When I read that April is National Stress Awareness Month, I was sitting at my desk and thought, "Really?  Who isn't aware of stress?  Isn't it just stressful thinking about the fact that now even stress itself gets a whole month to be payed attention to?  Why not call it National Relaxation Month where we can all focus on relaxation instead."

The more I read about it my stressed out mind decided to participate and play along.  Really the point of National Stress Awareness Month is to increase the publics awareness about causes and cures for the stress epidemic.   So, here it is:

Behind all of our services at the Pittsburgh Center for Complementary Health and Healing Stress Relief and Relaxation are important intentions for the experience.  I am always surprised when a client comes in and they seem almost embarresed to have the intention of relaxation, as if unless they wanted to go on a deep journey of personal growth that for some reason thier own relaxatin wasn't worthwhile.

The fact is, we all know that relaxation feels good, but do you realize that there are major health benefits to managing your stress through various means of relaxation. One of the founding principles of the Pittsburgh Center for Complementary Health and Healing is to boost the immune system and overall well-being of our clients be assiting them in learning skills to relax and unwind.  When the body is in a relaxed state of being it is able to function from higher states of vitality and ease.

Could stress be making you sick? Yes!

Studies are showing that stress can cause the onset or exacerbation of illnesses such as:

Some of the signs and symptoms of excess stress are:

Today in our busy schedules it is virtually impossible to avoid stress, so the question is
How can you better manage your stress?

To answer this question you may first want to ask yourself:
Is this stress due to excess pressures and demands of daily life or is it due to internal causes?

Often times an internal cause or belief about oneself or their relationship to the environment in which they live can be the major contributing factor. Internal causes can include such things as:

• Self-criticism
• Unrealistic expectations or beliefs
• Perfectionism
• Low self-esteem
• Negative beliefs
• Unexpressed anger and fear
• Lack of trust

Once you can identify the cause of your stress it is easier to address what form of relaxation or therapy would be best for you. At the Pittsburgh Center for Complementary Health and Healing we offer a range of services to help you relax and more effectively manage all types of stress.

Massage Therapy, Cellular Expansion and Healing, Reiki, and Meditation are all some of the ways to care for yourself preventatively and/or during periods of acute or chronic stress during National Stress Awareness Month (or what I like to call it National Relaxation Month) and always!