The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

7 | O akville B eaver | T hursday,A ugust 27,2020 insidehalton.com Independent Living Apartments • Full Service Retirement Suites • Assisted Care • Memory Care STAYING TOGETHER in our apartment while my husband gets great care, ENJOYING THE FREEDOM to prepare fresh meals in our full kitchen and PLAYING CARDS on Thursday evenings with my friends. I'm looking forward to...I'm looking forward to... LIFE at The VillageLIFE at The Village 2930 Erin Centre Boulevard, Mississauga For more inform ation call Christina or B radley 905-56 9-7155 x 8015 schlegelvillag es.com For years, I've seen an easy reminder of how to manage stress floating around. 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. Sure, the challenges in our life can be complex, but the As at least give us a starting point for thinking about how we can cope. First, "avoid" -- defi- nitely the easiest way to 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 sometimes we can avoid things even if we think we can't. We may get so wrapped up in keep- ing familiar routines (even those that aren't working), living up to our or others' 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 it's a resound- ing yes or even a strong maybe, be very 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, such as fearing giving up control or that others will judge us, so giving yourself permission to weigh saying no if you can is the first step. Think about what saying yes would mean for your stress level, and if it seems un- manageable, consider tak- ing a pass on optional things. • "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 and putting trust in others when we simply aren't able to give some- thing the energy and atten- tion it needs. Keys to dele- gating are choosing some- one who has time and skills to give, expressing your reason for asking and your gratitude, and then letting it go. Micromanaging and looking over someone's shoulder will do little to re- duce your stress level. • "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 de- cide 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 sup- port and education. Visit www.halton.cmha.ca for more information and follow @cmhahalton on Twitter. TRY THE TRIPLE-A APPROACH TO STRESS MANAGEMENT OPINION HERE ARE SOME TOOLS TO HELP AVOID PLACING UNDUE BURDEN ON YOUR MENTAL HEALTH, WRITES MELANIE MCGREGOR MELANIE MCGREGOR Column Dear editor: I am seeking your read- ers' assistance in trying to contact a man who was of great help to me. On Sunday, Apr. 28, 2019 at 8:13 p.m., I was sitting be- side a man named Gerry, his wife and disabled adult daughter in the disability section of the GO Train. We departed westerly out of Union Station. Gerry and his family had been visiting his grandson at Sick Kids Hospital. He had just undergone cardiac surgery. They were on their way home as we chat- ted. As I got off the train at Clarkson Station, the train ramp gave way and I fell out of my wheelchair, caus- ing some serious injuries. Gerry was terrific in his assistance to me as a first responder while awaiting an ambulance. Gerry is an older gentleman with white hair, medium height, Caucasian and probably resides in Oakville, Milton, Burlington or Hamilton. He was of tremendous help to me and I'd love to be able to get in touch with him. If you know Gerry or his family, please share this message and ask them to contact me by email at rachel.a.dean@hot- mail.com. RACHEL DEAN, OAKVILLE DO YOU KNOW THIS GOOD SAMARITAN? SIGN UP FOR OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER AT INSIDEHALTON.COM