All Stressed Out and Nowhere to Go?

33 Ways to Reduce Stress and Increase Your Life Expectancy

Are you feeling the stress of everyday life? Do you sometimes or often feel overwhelmed? I used to. People often remark that I get lots done in a day, that I am very productive and they wonder what my “secret” is. I’ll tell you.  I started taking control of my own situations and took back my life. I started with little things like saying no, avoiding negative people and learning to relax.

Here’ s my list of 33 things that have helped reduce stress in my life. Each of these tips help me cope and even avoid stress. After all, stress is the number one killer of life’s pleasures and joy. Not to mention a main factor in shortening one’s life. Feel free to copy this, and share it with others. It is not mine to keep, it’s mine to share. 

1. Surround yourself with beauty. A garden, flowers, pretty pictures will all help keep the stress levels low.

2. Take care of emails once. Answer them, trash them or file them for follow up. Don’t let your inbox get cluttered.

3. If you are struggling with a project, take a 5 or 10 minute break from it. Do something else, that won’t cause further stress. When you get back to the project, you will have “fresh eyes” and a better perspective – it will be easier to tackle.

4. Surround yourself with a support network. People you can turn to, talk to, seek advice and share your frustrations. Be sure to also share your triumphs so you don’t burn them out as well.

5. Let go of things that are totally out of your control. Most stress comes from feeling powerless. Letting go, helps you gain control of yourself and gain perspective on the situation.

6. Get rid of the negative people in your life. No, don’t shoot them, simply avoid them. They need you, you don’t need them. Better yet, introduce them to one another and let them make each other miserable.

7. Prioritize your daily tasks. Do the most important first, add some “fun” or enjoyable tasks in your plan and tackle the mundane when energy is lowest.

8. Set SMART Goals. setting goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, realist, and that have a reasonable time limit for their accomplishment will help you gain control of your time and see the light at the end of the tunnel.

9. Breath. It is interesting that when we are under the most stress we forget to breath. Taking deep breaths fills the lungs and helps clear the mind.

10. Small steps taken each day can lead to the ultimate goals you have for your life. Learn to manage your time and your stress will be lessened.

11. Don’t sweat the small stuff; after all, most of it is small stuff. Instead of blowing those little problems out of proportion learn to put things in perspective by focusing on the bigger issues in life.

13. Stop trying to be perfect. Excellence is a commendable trait, but perfection can lead to an early grave. And besides it can drive your family, friends and colleagues crazy.

14. Say Ahhhhhmmmmm – mediation has been shown to reduce blood pressure and other stress-related symptoms. Mediation improves your immune functions, clears the mind, improves creativity and increases emotional stability.

15. Recite a mantra. It could be something as simple as “I feel good,” to something more profound such as bible verse or poem. A mantra that has meaning to your life will help you overcome those annoying little stressors that happen to us every day.

16. Be flexible. Find ways to work within and around your stressful situations instead of reacting to them.

17. Be happy. Will Rogers said “Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” I believe him.

18. Laughter is the best medicine. Laughter reduces levels of stress hormones, increase levels of health enhancing endorphins, increases antibody-producing cells that strengthen the immune system and exercises the heart.

19. Get organized. Another key stressor in life is being surrounded by clutter. When you clean up your space you are more calm and relaxed.

20. Join the Journalution. My friend Sandy Grason, wrote a wonderful book all about Journaling, called “JOURNALUTION: Journaling to Awaken Your Inner Voice, Heal Your Life and Manifest Your Dreams.” I highly recommend you grab a copy.

Journaling can help you become aware of your feelings, your emotions and creates an outlet for putting to paper those thoughts that might be filling your mind. Journaling can greatly reduce stress because when you write down your thoughts you “empty your mind” of things that you might not otherwise let go of.

21. Just say “no.” Sometimes we say yes to someone and almost immediately regret doing so. Our plates are get fuller and fuller and then we get angry at ourselves for taking on more than we can manage. Learning to say “no” will help avoid these situations.

22. Learn to slow down. Less is more. Life may be fast, but we don’t have to cram something into every single moment. When we slow down, we are better able to appreciate the “little things” in life.

23. Exercise. Period. Exercise lowers stress, improves blood flow to the brain, releases endorphines and makes us feel better about ourselves.

24. Get plenty of sleep. Lack of proper sleep affects our moods, our memory and our ability to focus and function properly.

25. Play, relax, enjoy life. The ride is short (for some shorter than others) so learning to enjoy it can add years to your life and decrease stress.

26. Stop and Smell the Flowers. Having a nice-smelling aromas around you will help your emotions deal with stress factors. Aromatherapy helps promote the good health and relaxation. The oils can give you a lift and calm you down. Relaxing aromas include cedar wood, lavender, sandalwood and chamomile.

27. Put your financial house in order. Learn to budget and invest so you won’t have to worry about who is going to take care of you when you retire.

28. Take 5. Take breaks during the day. Every 40 minutes take a stretch break, grab a glass of water, and drink. Close your eyes for a couple of moments and relax.

29. Make a list of the little annoyances in your life and find ways to fix them or get rid of them.

30. Ask for help. If there are daily chores you don’t like doing get others to do them for you. You might have to “pay” for the help, but in the long run it’s worth it. You can concentrate on the things that add value and meaning to your life.

31. Break large projects and tasks into smaller to-do’s.

32. Write it down. I don’t know about you, but I have a tendency to forget things sometimes really important things. Then I wake up in the middle of the night in a sweat, realizing I forgot to do something or be somewhere. Having pads of paper and a pen always at hand has helped me tremendously. Now if only I could find my glasses!

33. Simplify your life. One of the best books I have ever read on simplifying your life is “Simple Abundance” by Sarah Bran Breathnach.  It is filled with ideas to pare down and get rid of unnecessary “things” in life.

Feel free to leave your tips for simplifying your life and relieving stress.