Five Easy Ways to Reduce Stress
We all deal with stress in different ways, but the idea of trying to learn how NOT to stress about things in life seems impossible. It’s an inevitability to feel stress on occasion, but that doesn’t mean that you’re not the problem and allowing added stress. If you’re setting alarms and hitting the snooze button, you’re adding stress to your life. If you’re purposely missing the train in order to do your hair before work, you’re adding stress that you really don’t need to add.
When your stress levels are growing, you instantly blame the world for all of the reasons you’re tripping up. The thing is, you can choose to stop stress from biting you on the behind. Perhaps you turn to cooking to feel calm, or you have a hobby of reading which you indulge in every night. You do these things to switch off, but perhaps it’s time to really shake the foundations of your life and stop the stress from hitting you too much. So, let’s look at some of the ways you can stop the stress from overwhelming you.
Take A Breath
How many times are you hitting that snooze button and not waking up for the day? How many times have you promised yourself you’ll call the debt collection agency and you don’t, because burying your head in the sand is the preferred option? You need to stop delaying all the things that you need to do and take a breath. You need to give yourself a break, and when you are constantly rushing to get things done, you’re living in a state of constant stress. It’s uncomfortable and it’s unfair on you to do it. You are going to be in a better state of mind when you slow down and take a breath. Get up on the first alarm and organize debt forgiveness with your creditors. You need to be able to breathe, and that takes making the effort to pull your head out of the sand!
Say No
Whether it’s work or your friends, you need to quit being such a people-pleaser. It’s the number one reason for stress levels being so high – you have to take a minute and say no. Overscheduling your life may make you look super productive and able to handle anything, but this actually means you’re being walked on right now. You don’t want to let anyone down, but when it comes down to it all you have done is put all the pressure on yourself and none of the accountability on anyone else.
Stop Wasting Your Own Time
Coming back to the alarm clock scenario: you set an alarm for a reason. You have things to do and while sleep is nice, if you keep pressing snooze all you are doing is wasting your day. Procrastination is a leading cause of stress, and you do it all the time without thinking about it. The problem is that you will continue to put off the tasks you want to do until you don’t have time left. Stop it. Make a schedule and stick to it. You will always stick to the time frames you give yourself, so you have to map those timescales out properly!
Declutter Everywhere
If you want to get rid of stress, you need to get rid of any clutter that causes you stress. Both at home and at work, you need to tidy the chaos while you can and you can clear your mind at the same time. Without a clear space in which to live and work, you’re going to feel overwhelmed. Get stuck in and tidy everything up, and you’ll see the instant difference in your happiness when you are in a tidy space.
Be More Mindful
Sometimes, you need to take a moment and think clearly about your actions. Are you at peace when you are working overtime? Probably not. Are you happy when you are too busy for your friends? Definitely not. You need to be mindful about your actions so that you can purposely choose things that will make you happier and feel at peace. You can practice mindfulness even at the most stressful moments, all it takes is a little self-awareness to do it.
Stress will happen – it’s inevitable. If you adjust your thinking and your actions, you can be in charge of it, rather than it being in charge of you. Don’t be afraid to change the way you do things for some inner peace.
