{"id":118001,"date":"2023-05-02T21:43:41","date_gmt":"2023-05-03T01:43:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=118001"},"modified":"2023-05-03T14:57:50","modified_gmt":"2023-05-03T18:57:50","slug":"five-things-to-know-about-the-end-of-the-covid-public-health-emergency-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=118001","title":{"rendered":"A Course Toward Less Stress"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Capital Blue Cross \u2013  THINK<\/a> (Trusted Health Information, News, and Knowledge) is a community publication of Capital Blue Cross. Our mission is to provide education, resources, and news on the latest health and insurance issues.<\/em><\/b><\/p>\n

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A third of people say they\u2019re extremely stressed, and about three-quarters say that stress negatively affects their physical and mental health. But there are proven ways to help cope with stress, and an in-depth Capital Blue Cross course \u2013 offered to many with Capital health insurance through their employers \u2013 can help.<\/em><\/strong><\/span> <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

A client reached out recently to Gina McDonald, senior health coach at Capital Blue Cross, hoping to find ways to handle extreme stress.<\/p>\n

Among McDonald\u2019s several suggestions was prompted journaling.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s when you pose questions to yourself and free-write about them,\u201d McDonald said. \u201cQuestions such as, \u2018What brings me joy? What am I grateful for in my life?\u2019 Or \u2018What achievements have made me the person I am?\u2019 This helped this person move away from some of the stress and pave a healthier path forward.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes, when we\u2019re feeling like we\u2019re drowning from stress, we forget the good things in our lives, and journaling is one positive way of reminding us, and helping us emerge from that feeling.\u201d<\/p>\n

April is National Stress Awareness Month, and the anecdote McDonald shared illustrates how critical it is for those suffering from stress to master coping mechanisms. Stress is a major issue in the working world: Gallup\u2019s \u201cState of the Global Workplace: 2022 report\u201d finds that U.S. employees are among the world\u2019s most stressed.<\/p>\n

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Stressful stats<\/strong><\/p>\n

Journaling is one of many techniques McDonald teaches in a Capital Blue Cross stress-management course called \u201cBalance.\u201d Capital offers the six-session, six-week course to many of those with Capital health insurance through their employers.<\/p>\n

Such courses are clearly needed. According to the American Institute of Stress (AIS):<\/p>\n