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The latest on the Key Bridge collapse, New York puts forth legislation to get clean energy projects on the grid and Wisconsin and other states join a federal summer food program to help feed kids across the country.

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Republicans float conspiracy theories on the collapse of Baltimore's Key Bridge, South Carolina's congressional elections will use a map ruled unconstitutional, and the Senate schedules an impeachment trial for Homeland Secretary Mayorkas.

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Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Stress Awareness Month: Helping ND Students Cope

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Wednesday, April 20, 2016   

BISMARCK, N.D. - April is Stress Awareness Month, and North Dakota health officials say it's a good time to remember that young students sometimes can need help in managing chronic stress.

Alison Traynor, suicide-prevention director at the North Dakota Department of Health, said stressors such as bullying or transferring to a new school can sometimes be difficult for young people to handle. To help, the department has been helping some schools roll out the Sources of Strength program, which helps students reach out to their peers who may feel isolated.

"Maybe they take the bus right away after school, they can't participate in after-school activities," she said. "Students that may not otherwise have a chance to interact with other students get a chance to do that and form really strong friendships."

Traynor said traumatic stress can be a risk factor for suicide, but added that talking with peers can help reduce that risk. The Sources of Strength program is looking for more peer mentors in order to expand to more schools later this year.

According to the Mayo Clinic, long-term exposure to stressful situations also can lead to other serious health problems, including anxiety, depression, even sleep disorders and heart disease. Traynor said those negative health effects can build up over time, but there are simple ways to manage how we respond to stress.

"Some of the things that we recommend," she said, are "taking some time for joyful activities, social activities with friends, exercising -- and participating in mindfulness activities is also recommended."

Traynor also said one of the first steps to managing stress is become aware of warning signs such as tense muscles and shallow breathing.

Information about Sources of Strength is online at sourcesofstrength.org.


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