Title: Expressing support for designation of April 2017 as National Stress Awareness Month.
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Expresses support for the designation of National Stress Awareness Month.
Recognizes the efforts made by the Department of Health and Human Services to educate people about the causes, symptoms, and treatment of stress.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 277 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 277

  Expressing support for designation of April 2017 as National Stress 
                            Awareness Month.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 25, 2017

Mr. Cardenas (for himself, Mr. Butterfield, Mr. Hastings, Ms. Kelly of 
  Illinois, Ms. Lee, Mr. Loebsack, Mr. Meeks, Mr. Payne, Mr. Ryan of 
  Ohio, Mr. Vargas, and Mr. Walz) submitted the following resolution; 
       which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Expressing support for designation of April 2017 as National Stress 
                            Awareness Month.

Whereas the Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of 
        Health, National Institute of Mental Health, and Health Resource Network 
        have declared the month of April 2017 as National Stress Awareness 
        Month;
Whereas three-fourths of employees believe the worker has more on-the-job stress 
        than a generation ago;
Whereas stress can be brought about by a sudden negative change such as losing a 
        job, divorce, illness, or traumatic event in which one may be seriously 
        hurt or in danger of being killed;
Whereas the Secretary of Veterans Affairs reports that of veterans who served in 
        Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation New 
        Dawn who are receiving health care from the Department of Veterans 
        Affairs, more than 570,000 have received a diagnosis for at least 1 
        mental health disorder;
Whereas a recent survey by the Cooperative Institutional Research Program at 
        UCLA, found that incoming students in 2014 possessed the lowest self-
        rated emotional health in 49 years since the survey began;
Whereas the physical effects of stress can start out as a simple headache or 
        digestive problem, evidence gathered by the Centers for Disease Control 
        and Prevention finds that it can escalate to serious cardiovascular 
        disease and musculoskeletal disorders;
Whereas research shows that long-term exposure to stress creates an imbalance in 
        grey and white matter in the brain, leading to decreased cognitive 
        function;
Whereas among workers who report higher levels of stress, on average they miss 
        20 days of work and necessitate 50-percent higher health care costs 
        compared with other workers;
Whereas separate studies done through UCLA and the Alzheimer's Research and 
        Prevention Foundation, and the University of Oregon have showed that 12 
        minutes a day of meditation can have strong positive effects on reducing 
        stress and lowering cortisol levels that affect memory function;
Whereas a survey done by the American Psychological Association found that more 
        than half of people say it is very important to manage stress yet less 
        than 37 percent proactively attempt to manage it through eating healthy 
        or being physically active;
Whereas eating a healthy, well-balanced diet can help reduce stress and benefit 
        both one's personal environment and the broader global environment;
Whereas it is important to take time for oneself through exercise, meditation, 
        and proper rest, in order to reduce stress; and
Whereas the month of April 2017 has been declared as National Stress Awareness 
        Month by numerous groups: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) supports the designation of National Stress Awareness 
        Month;
            (2) supports the goals and ideas of National Stress 
        Awareness Month;
            (3) honors and recognizes the efforts made by the 
        Department of Health and Human Services to educate people in 
        the United States about the causes, symptoms, and treatment of 
        stress; and
            (4) encourages the people of the United States to observe 
        National Stress Awareness Month by taking the opportunity to 
        learn about and implement positive stress reduction methods.
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