It's National Stress Awareness Day! #WellnessWednesday

[alexandraisobsessed]

If there's one thing I can relate to it's STRESS. Life is stressful. Being a parent is stressful. Having OCD IS STRESSFUL.

That's why when I saw this awesome graphic by our very own IOCDF Lead Advocate Katie I bugged her to let me share it with you all.

Stress management is such a big part of my life and I think it's something that a lot of us could always stand to work on whether we have a mental illness or not. After all, we all experience stress on a day to day basis.

That being said, stress management techniques are certainly helpful in managing my OCD and other diagnoses, but they're not a fix! ERP is still the best way to manage OCD. I like to think of evidence-based practices as the main character while stress management and other tools are the supporting actors.

Some of my favorite ways to relieve stress are:

*Running! love to run and feel most free when I'm outside running.

*Painting or drawing

*Journaling and writing

*Roller Skating! I know it might sound silly to some of you, but it's a favorite activity from childhood and it's SO FUN.

*Yoga. I just can't meditate so this is how I get in my mindfulness and stretching.

These are just a few of my favorites. There are so many other great ways to manage stress.

Let me know what your favorite stress management tools are.

Alex

#WellnessWednesday

[nkotbjoeymc]

I was To Stresses out that I couldn’t even post.

[Mcfly64]

Listening to music and walking.