News
5/5/2006 - 45 Proven Stress Reducers
1. Get up fifteen minutes earlier in the morning. The inevitable morning mishaps will be less stressful.
2. Prepare for the morning the evening before. Set the breakfast table, make lunches, put out the clothes you plan to wear, etc.
3. Don't rely on your memory. Write down appointment times, when to pick up the laundry, when library books are due, etc.
4. Do nothing that may lead you to tell a lie.
5. Make duplicates of all house keys. Bury a house key in a secret spot in the garden and carry a duplicate car key in your wallet, apart from your key ring.
6. Practice preventive maintenance. Your car, appliances, home and relationships will be less likely to break/fall apart "at the worst possible moment."
7. Eliminate (or restrict) the amount of caffeine in your diet.
8. Procrastination is stressful. Whatever you want to do tomorrow, do today, whatever you want to do today, do it now.
9. Plan ahead. Don't let the gas tank get below one-quarter full and keep a well-stocked "emergency shelf" of home staples.
10. Don't put up with something that doesn't work right. If your alarm clock, wallet, shoelaces, windshield wipers - whatever- are a constant aggravation, get them fixed or get new ones.
11. Allow 15 minutes of extra time to get to appointments. Plan to arrive at an airport one hour before domestic departures.
12. Be prepared to wait. A paperback can make a wait in a post office line almost pleasant.
13. Always set up contingency plans, "just in case." ("If we get split up in the shopping center, here's where we'll meet.")
14. Pollyanna-Power! For every one thing that goes wrong, there are probably 10 or 50 or 100 blessings. Count ‘em!
15. Ask questions. Taking a few moments to repeat back directions, what someone expects of you, etc. can save hours.
16. Say "NO!" Saying no to extra projects, social activities, and invitations you know you don't have the time or energy for takes practice, self-respect, and a belief that everyone, everyday, needs a quiet time to relax and be alone.
17. Unplug your phone. Want to take a long bath, sleep, meditate, or read without interruption? Drum up the courage to temporarily disconnect.
18. Turn "needs" into preferences. Our basic physical needs translate into food and water, and keeping warm. Everything else is preference. Don't get attached to preferences.
19. Make friends with non-worriers. Nothing can get you into the habit of worrying faster than associating with chronic worrywarts.
20. Take a hot bath or shower (or a cool one, in the summertime) to relieve tension.
21. Wear earplugs. If you need to find quiet at home but junior must practice piano, pop in some earplugs and smile.
22. Get enough sleep. If necessary, use an alarm clock to remind you to go to bed.
23. Create order out of chaos. Organize your home and workspace so that you always know exactly where things are. Put things away where they belong so that you won't have to go through the stress of losing things.
24. Writing your thoughts and feelings down (in a journal or on paper to be thrown away) can help you clarify things and give you a renewed perspective.
25. Inoculate yourself against a feared event. Just as a vaccine containing a virus can protect you from illness, if you expose yourself to one or more of the dreaded aspects of an experience beforehand, you often mitigate your fears.
26. Get up and stretch periodically if your job requires that you sit for extended periods.
27. One of the most obvious ways to avoid unnecessary stress is to select an environment (work, home, leisure) that is in line with your personal needs and desires. If you hate desk jobs, don't accept a job that requires you to be at a desk all day.
28. Learn to live one day at a time.
29. Everyday, do something you really enjoy.
30. Add an ounce of love to everything you do.
31. Talk it out. Discussing problems with a trusted friend can help clear your mind of confusion so you can concentrate on problem solving.
32. Do something for somebody else.
33. Focus on understanding rather than on being understood, on loving rather than being loved.
34. Do something that will improve your appearance. Looking better can help you feel better.
35. Become more flexible. Some things are worth not doing perfectly and some issues are well to compromise upon.
36. Eliminate destructive self-talk: "I'm too old to...," "I'm too fat to...," etc.
37. Use your weekend for a change of pace. If your work is slow and patterned, make sure there is action and time for spontaneity built into your weekends.
38. Do one thing at a time. When you are with someone, be with that person and with no one or nothing else. When you are busy with a project, concentrate on doing that project and forget about everything else you have to do.
39. Allow yourself time everyday for privacy, quiet, and introspection.
40. If an "unpleasant" task faces you, do it early in the day and get it over with. Then the rest of your day will be free of anxiety.
41. Learn to delegate responsibility to capable others.
42. Don't forget to take a lunch break. Try to get away from your desk or work area in body and mind, even if its just for 15 or 20 minutes.
43. Forget about counting to 10. Count to 1000 before doing something or saying anything that could make matters worse.
44. Have a forgiving view of events and people. Accept the fact that we live in an imperfect world.
45. Have an optimistic view of the world. Believe that most people are doing the best they can.
