Got stress? Good news: May is National Mental Health Month.

I was doing research for CNE when I ran into a story about Carey Powell, a Gilbert, Arizona based Certified Life Coach and owner of Fearless Soul Life Coaching. While reading Carey’s story, I learned that May is National Mental Health Month.

The timing is perfect for those of us, like Carey, who have clients and friends who are tangled in stress and need help finding a way out.

In Carey’s case, after 15 years in the corporate world she found herself depressed, overweight and burnt out. Life coaching turned her life around. Today her passion is helping others live a healthy, balanced life through her work as a professional life coach.

One of her major tasks as a life coach is helping clients deal with stress. It’s more than a coincidence that one way to remove our own stress is to do work that helps other people reduce their stress.

According to Carey, signs of stress include:

• Feeling angry, irritable or easily frustrated;
• Change in eating habits;
• Trouble sleeping;
• Problems with memory;
• Having trouble functioning in your job and/or personal life.

Carey suggests that exercise, even in small amounts, can do a great deal to help reduce stress. “Of course, I also recommend seeking the assistance of a life coach. A great coach can help you restore balance in your life by teaching you new techniques and helping you develop the skills to make positive changes.”

Life coaches who are interested in learning stress reduction techniques can consult with other life coaches who specialize in that area, take stress reduction classes, or read some of the classics in the field, including The Relaxation & Stress Reduction Workbook, now in its fifth edition.

You can learn more about Carey’s practice at Fearless Soul Life Coaching.

Want to read more about stress and National Mental Health Month? Visit the Mental Health America web site.