April

April is National Stress Awareness Month and National Minority Health Month
April 2nd is Autism Awareness Day
April 7th is World Health Day.
April 12th is the Day of (No) Silence.

Stress Survival Guide

How to cope with stress

April is appropriately deemed the National Stress Awareness Month… taxes, end of the semester approaching, allergies. We’re not going to tell you not to stress about these things -stress is a part of life and manageable stress can even be beneficial for your health. We are going to tell you some ways to help cope with and reduce the effects of your stress.

Physical health is a big part of managing stress, from exercise to nutrition and sleep. Physical activity is our number one recommendation for stress management! Especially if you can pair exercise with nature. Taking a walk around a park, roller skating at a skate park, hiking, and doing yoga in your backyard are all great examples of how to pair exercise with nature to help produce “happy hormones” and reduce the feelings of stress on your body. There are other ways to get moving though – dancing, cleaning, playing tag, and numerous other activities are great for your physical and mental wellbeing. Eating enough nutrient-rich foods is also important; without enough of the right nutrients, our bodies struggle to handle stress. Fiber has been shown to be incredibly important in maintaining gut health, which in turn helps take care of our brain’s health! Leafy greens, fruits and vegetables are great sources of fiber and should be incorporated into your diet when possible. Your diet is vital for your physical and mental health. Sleep is also very important, because our bodies use sleep to maintain our brains, immune systems, and memories. Getting enough sleep (typically 7-9 hours are recommended) and maintaining a consistent sleep schedule can be beneficial for your mental health and ability to manage stress. Your physical health is one of the most important factors in coping with stress.

DAISY’s Reading

The Cuckoo’s Egg: Tracking a Spy Through the Maze of Computer Espionage by Clifford Stoll

The Cuckoo’s Egg is about an astronomer (Cliff Stoll) working as a systems manager at Lawrence Berkley Lab who finds an unwelcome visitor on Lawrence’s computer systems. With some help from the CIA, FBI, and foreign intelligence agencies, he unveils the hacker and the people supporting them.

This book is a bit of a long read but it is quite a page-turner! DAISY wanted to keep reading to find out what Stoll and the hacker would do next. A really interesting read from a time before the internet was as accessible as it is now.