April is National Stress Prevention Month. It’s a time to be alert to the mental and physical effects of stress and to learn ways to manage stress that can benefit you all year round.

You may not be able to fully eradicate stress from your life, but you can lessen it. The first step is to recognize how it affects your health. We often think of the emotional effects of stress, such as depression, anxiety or panic attacks. But stress also takes a toll on your physical health in the form of aches and pains, disrupted sleep or increased heart rate or blood pressure. Another key indicator that you’re under stress is repeated illness, which is a sign your immune system is not functioning well. Stress increases cortisol levels, which, in turn, increase inflammation over time and affect the body’s ability to fight viruses.

Pinpointing what’s provoking the stress — a difficult relationship or a work obligation, say — can help you define the problem and take steps to solve it. Sometimes the source of stress is beyond your immediate control, such as the political climate or even someone else’s stressful situation. In such cases, the only thing you can control is your own response to the stress.

So how to manage your response? Just as stress affects your mind and body, you can help control stress through both mental and physical self-care. Screen out stressors you can’t control by limiting your exposure to social media or the news, for example. It can also help to keep a journal, both for venting emotions and listing things for which you’re grateful. Whenever possible, reach out to friends, family and groups in your community so you don’t feel alone.

You also can make sure you get enough sleep, eat nutritious foods and make time for exercise every day — even a short walk yields benefits. Pay particular attention to your consumption of alcohol, drugs and tobacco. In the absence of more productive ways of managing stress, it’s all too easy to turn to these ways of coping — which can, in turn, pave the way for addictive behavior.

If you are struggling to manage stress, feel free to reach out to the UFT’s Member Assistance Program Monday through Friday at 212-701-9620 or mapinfo@uft.org to speak to a licensed clinician, or call or text the UFT Helpline 24/7 at 1-866-UFT-FOR-U (1-866-838-3678) for urgent assistance.