Overcoming Stress

Restored from the Empower Network archive (2011–2017), lightly edited to meet our current advertising standards. Views are the original author’s.

Is Stress Killing You…

“If you ask what is the single most important key to longevity, I would have to say it is avoiding worry, stress and tension. And if you didn’t ask me, I’d still have to say it.” – George F. Burns

Stress

Comes in many forms and is a major problem for many people — a hectic, stressful job, a chaotic home life, bills to worry about, too much money going out and not enough coming in as well as bad habits such as unhealthy eating, drinking and smoking can lead to a mountain of stress.

Chances are your life will probably never be stress-free. That isn’t such a bad thing as stress in fact at a reasonable level it actually challenges us and helps us grow. Problems arise when stress gets too high and as a result causes us to be unhappy and unhealthy.

Leo Babauta of Zen Habits put together his top 10 list of stress busters and we wanted to share them with you.

1. One thing at a time.

This is the simplest and best way to start reducing your stress, and you can start today. Right now. Focus as much as possible on doing one thing at a time. Clear your desk of distractions. Pick something to work on. Need to write a report? Do only that. Remove distractions such as phones and email notifications while you’re working on that report. If you’re going to do email, do only that. This takes practice, and you’ll get urges to do other things. Just keep practicing and you’ll get better at it.

2. Simplify your schedule.

A hectic schedule is a major cause of high stress. Simplify by reducing the number of commitments in your life to just the essential ones. Learn to say no to the rest — and slowly get out of commitments that aren’t beneficial to you. Schedule only a few important things each day, and put space between them. Get out of meetings when they aren’t absolutely essential. Leave room for down time and fun.

3. Get moving.

Do something each day to be active — walk, hike, play a sport, go for a run, do yoga. It doesn’t have to be grueling to reduce stress. Just move. Have fun doing it.

4. Develop one healthy habit this month.

Other than getting active, improving your health overall will help with the stress. But do it one habit at a time. Eat fruits and veggies for snacks. Floss every day. Quit smoking. Cook something healthy for dinner. Drink water instead of soda. One habit at a time.

5. Do something calming.

What do you enjoy that calms you down? For many people, it can be the “get moving” activity discussed above. But it could also be taking a nap, or a bath, or reading, or having sex (which can also be considered a “get moving” activity if you do it for longer than 5 minutes). Other people are calmed by housework or yard work. Some people like to meditate, or take a nature walk. Find your calming activity and try to do it each day.

6. Simplify your finances.

Finances can be a drain on your energy and a major stress factor. If that’s true with you, figure out ways to simplify things. Automate savings and bill payments and debt payments. As much as it may hurt, learn to spend less by going shopping (at malls or online) much less. Find ways to have fun that don’t involve spending money.

7. Have a blast!

Have fun each day, even if it’s just for a few minutes. Do something that excites you and makes you smile. Walk the dog, play with your kids, go bowling – whatever it is make sure you laugh and have a great time doing it!

8. Get creative.

Throwing yourself into a creative activity is another great way to de-stress and to prevent stress. I like writing, but others like to paint or play music or sketch or make pottery or do interior design or build things.

9. Declutter.

This is a great form of therapy as well. Just take 20-30 minutes and go through a room, getting rid of stuff you don’t use or need anymore. Look around at anything that’s cluttering up a room and get rid of it or find a better place for it. When you’re finished you will have a nice, peaceful environment for work, play, and living. Do this a little at a time — it can be one of your “fun activities”.

10. Be early.

We certainly don’t have the best track record for being on time but we are getting much better at it! Being late can be really stressful. Try to leave earlier by getting ready earlier, or schedule more space between events. Things always take longer than normal, so schedule some buffer time: extra time to get ready, to commute, to do errands before you need to be somewhere, to attend a meeting before another scheduled appointment. If you get somewhere early, it’s good to have some reading material.

You may not be able to implement all of these tips into your lives, but adopting at least one or two to your daily routine will make all the difference in the world.

Dream Big, Dream Often