There’s a health concern that’s been growing by crazy leaps and bounds. No, it’s not heart disease. Or cancer. It’s even more subtle than that. It sneaks in, you brush it aside, you figure it’s life, you figure you’ll deal later. And, all that time, it’s creating a more and more ill you.

What is it? Stress. Chronic stress is linked to the six leading causes of death. More than 75 percent of visits to the doctor are for stress-related issues. No, stress doesn’t get walks or ribbons or scary statistics. Because it works like an undercover spy. You might not notice it, but it’s there. Oh, sure, you get glimpses. But is there anything in your awareness that cries out that you are in danger? Nope. In all the prodding and poking and smashing various bodily items, is there any test for this? Any medical professional asking you about it? Nope again. (And, if you have a health practitioner who asks about the stress in your life, HANG ON TO THEM.)

More and more, we are stressed with our multiple roles, responsibilities and concerns. We do too much, care too much and get too little help — from others and even the medical and financial communities.

Dismal, huh? I know — but you know me. Instead, let’s look at: What are we going to do to turn this baby around? Overall, the basics are found in my 9 building blocks of wellness, especially in stress resilience (of course), natural care, movement and simplicity. If you need a refresher, here’s the overview: 9 building blocks that create wellness.

Here’s what you do:

• Find your stress relief. Doesn’t matter what it is. Doesn’t have to take hours. What are the easy, simple, short things you do that cause you to take a deep breath and feel calmer? You know the answer. Do it more.
• Take care of you. Make time. I don’t care how crazy busy you are or who wants what. You have to do this. (And you’ll enjoy doing it once you kick guilt’s butt out the door.) It’s a being well need, not a luxury. Treat it as such.
• Move … however. Whenever. For however long. That part is not important. Find what you love to do that gets your body moving and do it. Could be running. Could be dancing. Could be yoga. It doesn’t matter. It only matters that it’s something you’ll honestly do because it’ll lower your stress level, give you a bit of time to yourself and make you more resilient in the face of future stress.
• Kindness heals … us all. You know how good you feel after doing something nice for another? That’s the healing power of the release of oxytocin. It makes you feel instantly better (and does the same for that person you were genuinely kind to) plus decreases stress and anxiety.
• Simplify your life so you find more time to do the above three plus feel less stress. Buy less stuff. Donate other stuff you never/rarely use. Don’t check email/social media/your phone 20 times a day. Say NO! (See above about tossing the guilt for saying no.) You can’t say yes to everything everyone asks of you. Remember this: Every time you say yes to something, you are saying no to something else. So when you feel like you have to say yes to something, stop a minute and hold that answer. Think — what then gets a no? Something does. And that something could include the items you need to be well.

We on the same page? Hope so. You’re needed. You not only deserve to make sure you feel well; the world, close and far, needs you to remain well, too.