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Now, let's think about the "Alter" possibilities. There are always going to be stressful things that we can't avoid and need to deal with, but we don't al- ways have to deal with them as-is. Instead, we can think about altering them -- changing something to make them a little more manageable. It may sometimes feel like demands are coming at us from all directions, but there may be at least some parts of them that we can control. As discussed with "Avoid," it starts with giv- ing ourselves permission to do what we need to do without feeling like we need to do it all. Consider the following tips for how we may be able to alter stressors: • Communicate, com- municate, communicate. Ask yourself what you need or need to know to manage better. What are you most stressed about and what would help? It could be requesting more information from someone who assigned you a task, clarifying expectations, asking someone to pitch in, or even just talking about finding the task stressful. Either way, speaking up and listening can go a long way. • Manage your time. Time management isn't about doing more in the same amount of time -- it's about doing different things or doing things dif- ferently. Be selective about how you spend your valu- able time and focus on pri- orities first. Altering a stressor may mean simply rescheduling until other priorities are taken care of and you have more energy to put towards it, and that may mean the different be- tween feeling over- whelmed and feeling in control. • Get organized. Taking a step back to plan often falls by the wayside when we feel maxed out and just want to get things done. But, taking even a few min- utes to consider a schedule or make a list can help make things more manage- able. It can also improve your focus and help you feel more present when you can direct your atten- tion to a single task at a time knowing you have set times to focus on other tasks. • Simplify. In the past, I've been guilty of, for ex- ample, being overly ambi- tious with holiday baking and creating a long list of things to make, and I was stressed! So, I made my list much shorter and simpler and was able to adequately meet my goal of having yummy treats to share with much less time and ef- fort invested. Tune in to the next col- umn for the final A. 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. 'ALTER' YOUR STRESS MANAGEMENT STRATEGY OPINION MELANIE MCGREGOR Column This letter is in response to the story "Help us be more representative of com- munities we serve" that ap- peared in the Sept. 10 issue of the Oakville Beaver. I am Canadian. Walking at Coronation Park or any trail these days, I marvel at the diversity all around me. I've lived in Oakville since 1992 and can comfort- ably say that, at the time, I was one of the only Chi- nese-looking residents wherever I went in this family-friendly town. Flash forward to 2020 and the community is increas- ingly diverse, yet we smile at each other when we share our parks and other areas within our town. In schools and work- places, people are courte- ous, friendly and respect- ful of others and their opin- ions. One unique aspect that I appreciate about our town and country is that while English and French are our official languages, peo- ple tend to fall back to their cultural languages when they gather, and as Canadi- ans, we are OK with it. We are so lucky to be liv- ing here -- in a world where there is promotion on fear, such as wars, com- munism, political agendas -- to be living an environ- ment that encourages us to say what we mean and mean what we say: A voice to speak up! ANGELA BORGEEST, OAKVILLE OAKVILLE: A DIVERSE AND INCLUSIVE COMMUNITY SIGN UP FOR OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER AT INSIDEHALTON.COM