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7 | The IFP -H alton H ills | T hursday,A ugust 13,2020 theifp.ca ®® NOWOPEN! ®® NOWOPEN! For more information visit www.marineland.caF e information visit www.marineland Enjoy a complimentary Fun Card upgrade for the price of a general admission ticket now until August 15th. That means unlimited visits and unlimited fun all season long! BUY ONLINE TODAY! I'm not sure who first came up with it, but it's plain and simple: "Triple A." This stands for Avoid, Alter and Accept -- three approaches we can take when faced with things that tax us. First, "avoid" -- defi- nitely the easiest way to For years, I've seen an easy reminder of how to manage stress floating around. get rid of stress because it means that we just don't deal with whatever is causing it. Of course, we can't go around avoiding every- thing that makes us feel a bit frazzled, but some- times we can avoid things even if we think we can't. We may get so wrapped up in living up to our or oth- ers' expectations or trying to show that we can "do it all" that we don't consider all of our options. So, how does "avoiding" actually work? Here are a few things to ask yourself: • "Am I at my limit?" We only have so much time and energy to give and it's important to keep an eye on how we are feeling. Are you overwhelmed, tired or irritable? If so, be selective about what you're taking on and avoid what you can. • "Can I say no?" We may be reluctant to say no for a number of reasons. Think about what saying yes would mean for your stress level, and if it seems unmanageable, consider taking a pass on optional things. It may be key to a healthy balance. • "Can I delegate?" Dele- gating doesn't mean ran- domly pawning off unde- sirable tasks on others. It means giving up a need for control. Keys to delegat- ing are choosing someone who has time and skills to give, expressing your rea- son for asking and your gratitude, and then letting it go. • "Is this a priority?" Just because a task is on your to-do list, it doesn't mean it has to be done now. Weigh the benefit of getting it off your list with the relief of keeping it for later and decide which is best for you. Stay tuned to our next two columns for more on altering and accepting. Melanie McGregor is the communications and advancement specialist at the Canadian Mental Health Association Halton Region Branch, which provides mental health/ addiction community support and education. Visit www.halton.cmha.ca for more information and follow @cmhahalton on Twitter. OPINION TRY THE TRIPLE-A APPROACH TO STRESS MANAGEMENT HERE ARE SOME TOOLS TO HELP AVOID PLACING UNDUE BURDEN ON YOUR MENTAL HEALTH, WRITES MELANIE MCGREGOR MELANIE MCGREGOR Column When it was built on Mountainview Road in 1967, Andrew Murray Motors did not have many neighbours. Today, the Chevrolet dealership has been recently renovated. Courtesy of Heritage Halton Hills and the Esquesing Historical Society. EHS photos THEN AND NOW COMMUNITY