You probably aren’t too worried about it, but April is Stress Awareness Month.

Each year, the Health Resource Network sponsors this month to inform people about the dangers of stress and to share successful coping strategies.

Obviously, it’s important to reduce stress wherever it presents itself — including your investment activities.

How can you cut down on the various stresses associated with investing?

Here are six possible stress-busters:

• Know your risk tolerance.If you’re constantly worrying about your investments' value, your portfolio may simply be too volatile for your individual risk tolerance.

Conversely, if you’re always feeling that your investments will never provide the growth you need to achieve your long-term goals, you might be investing too conservatively.

• Know what to expect from your investments. Uncertainty is often a leading cause of stress. So when you purchase investments that are mysterious to you, you shouldn’t be surprised if they perform in ways that raise your stress levels.

Never invest in something unless you fully understand its characteristics and risk potential.

• Be prepared for market volatility.Over the long term, financial markets have trended upward, though their past performance can’t guarantee future results.

Yet for periods of months, and even years, these same markets can sputter and decline.

When you invest, be aware of this volatility; if you’re prepared for it, you won’t be shocked when it happens, and you should be able to better keep stress at bay.

• Maintain realistic expectations. If you think your investments will earn a high rate of return, year after year, you likely will be disappointed — and you could easily become stressed out.

You’re much better off, from a stress standpoint, not to expect eye-popping results.

• Diversify your portfolio.If you were only to own one asset class, such as growth stocks, and that particular segment took a big hit during a market drop, your whole portfolio could suffer, and it could take years to recover — causing you no end of stress.

But if you spread your investment dollars among a range of vehicles — stocks, bonds, government securities and so on — your portfolio has a better chance of weathering the market's ups and downs. (Keep in mind, though, that while diversification may help you reduce volatility's effects, it can’t prevent losses or guarantee profits.)

• Think long term.If you only measure your investment success by short-term results, you can feel frustrated and stressed.

But when you stop to consider your objectives, you may find that the most important ones, such as a comfortable retirement, are all long term.

Consequently, it makes more sense to measure your investments' progress in periods of years, or even decades, rather than days or months. Instead of fretting over your monthly investment statements, compare where you are today versus where you were 10 or 15 years ago. The results may well surprise and help de-stress you.

Stress Awareness Month will come and go. But by making the right moves, you can help take some of the stress out of investing for a long time to come.

This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward Jones financial adviser.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: SHANKLIN: 6 tips to reduce investment stress

While it can be fun to shop at the supermarket, try foods from other regions or get favorites year-round. Fresh, local, in-season foods are the better option for the best flavor and nutritional value.

Buying fresh means items have not been altered by canning, freezing or other methods. You will get the most vitamins and minerals from unprocessed produce.  

In-season or seasonal foods come from crops ready to be harvested. Since in-season fruits and vegetables generally have not endured long periods of storage and shipping, they tend to be more fresh and flavorful. 

There is an additional bonus: generally, prices for "in-season" foods tend to be less expensive because they are more abundant and, often, are locally grown.

Look for these foods now or coming soon from Florida growers:  tomatoes, corn, blueberries, grapefruit, bell peppers, cucumbers, onions, honey and more. See a complete list of seasonal foods at www.freshfromflorida.com.

Check with your local University of Florida/Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension office, growers or farmers markets to see what is available in your area. The Crestview Farmers Market runs 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at the Old Spanish Trail Park pavilion on Stillwell Boulevard.

As always, make sure your plate is colorful, including a variety of fruits and vegetables, to provide an array of nutrients.

According to the food guide, found on myplate.gov, one-half of your plate should include fruits and vegetables. Remember lean protein, whole grains and low-fat dairy.

Try this no-cook recipe adapted from the Fresh from Florida website.

Ingredients

3 fresh tomatoes, diced

1 cucumber, seeded and chopped

1 red or sweet onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1/2 bunch fresh basil, hand-torn

1/2 bunch fresh parsley, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

kosher salt to taste

fresh ground pepper to taste

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients in a large glass or plastic bowl and let marinate in the refrigerator at least 20 minutes.

2. Serve over salad greens if desired or try in a whole grain pita shell.

3. Try adding feta and olives to this recipe.

Jill Breslawski is an agent at the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension office in Crestview.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: BRESLAWSKI: For healthiest dish, eat farm fresh Northwest Florida produce