Feeling overwhelmed?
You've come to the right place.
While we can't always drop everything and escape to a beach paradise, there are plenty of simple and fun ways to keep stress at bay right here, right now.
We've compiled a list of 52 stress reducers—your toolkit for transforming stress into serenity, one small step at a time.
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Practice preventive maintenance. Your car, appliances, home, and relationships will be less likely to break down/fall apart “at the worst possible moment.”
Plan ahead. Don’t let the gas tank get below one-quarter full; keep a well-stocked “emergency shelf” of home staples; don’t wait until you’re down to your last bus token or postage stamp to buy more; etc.
Be prepared to wait. A paperback can make a wait in a post office line almost pleasant.
Procrastination is stressful. Whatever you want to do tomorrow, do today; whatever you want to do today, do it now.
Allow 15 minutes of extra time to get to appointments. Plan to arrive at an airport one hour before domestic departures.
Relax your standards. The world will not end if the grass doesn’t get mowed this weekend.
Don’t put up with something that doesn’t work right. If your alarm clock, wallet, shoe laces, windshield wipers – whatever- are a constant aggravation, get them fixed or get new ones.
Always set up contingency plans, “just in case.” (“If for some reason either of us is delayed, here’s what we’ll do. . .” kind of thing. Or, “If we get split up in the shopping center, here’s where we’ll meet.”)
Schedule a realistic day. Avoid the tendency to schedule back-to-back appointments; allow time between appointments for a breathing spell.
Use your weekend time for a change of pace. If your work week is slow and patterned, make sure there is action and time for spontaneity built into your weekends. If your work week is fast-paced and full of people and deadlines, seek peace and solitude during your days off. Feel as if you aren’t accomplishing anything at work? Tackle a job on the weekend which you can finish to your satisfaction.
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Pollyanna-Power! For every one thing that goes wrong, there are probably 10 or 50, or 100 blessings. Count ’em!
Ask questions. Taking a few moments to repeat back directions, what someone expects of you, etc., can save hours. (The old “the hurrier I go, the behinder I get” idea.)
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, every day, needs quiet time to relax and be alone.
Unplug your phone. Want to take a long bath, meditate, sleep, or read without interruption? Drum up the courage to temporarily disconnect. (The possibility of there being a terrible emergency in the next hour or so is almost nil.) Or use an answering machine.
Turn “needs” into preferences. Our basic physical needs translate into food, water, and keeping warm. Everything else is a preference. Don’t get attached to preferences.
Wear earplugs. If you need to find quiet at home, pop in some earplugs.
When the stress of getting a job done gets in the way of getting the job done, diversion – a voluntary change in activity and/or environment – may be just what you need.
Learn to live one day at a time.
Take a hot bath or shower (or a cool one in summertime) to relieve tension.
Focus on understanding rather than on being understood; on loving rather than on being loved.
Add an ounce of love to everything you do.
Forget about counting to 10. Count to 1,000 before doing something or saying anything that could make matters worse.
Simplify, simplify, simplify. . .
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Get up and stretch periodically if your job requires that you sit for extended periods.
Get enough sleep. If necessary, use an alarm clock to remind you to go to bed.
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, and you won’t have to deal with the stress of losing them.
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Make friends with non-worriers. Nothing can get you into the habit of worrying faster than associating with chronic worrywarts.
Talk it out. Discussing your problems with a trusted friend can help clear your mind of confusion so you can concentrate on problem-solving.
Do something for somebody else.
Do something that will improve your appearance. Looking better can help you feel better.
Focus on understanding rather than on being understood; on loving rather than on being loved.
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Remove or decrease the amount of caffeine in your diet.
Get enough sleep. Use an alarm clock to remind you to go to bed if necessary.
Eat a balanced diet and stay hydrated.
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Allow yourself time – every day – for privacy, quiet, and introspection.
Every day, do something you really enjoy.
If an especially 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.
When feeling stressed, most people tend to breathe short, shallow breaths. When you breathe like this, stale air is not expelled, tissue oxidation is incomplete, and muscle tension frequently results. Check your breathing throughout the day and before, during, and after high-pressure situations. If you find your stomach muscles knotted and your breathing shallow, relax all your muscles and take several deep, slow breaths.
Have an optimistic view of the world and believe that most people are doing the best they can.
Don’t forget to take a lunch break. Try to get away from your desk or work area in body and mind, even if it’s just for 15 or 20 minutes.
Learn to delegate responsibility to capable others.
Eliminate destructive self-talk: “I’m too old to...” “I’m too fat to. . .,” etc.
Have a forgiving view of events and people. Accept the fact that we live in an imperfect world.
Try the following yoga technique whenever you feel the need to relax. Inhale deeply through your nose to the count of eight. Then, with lips puckered, exhale very slowly through your mouth to the count of 16, or for as long as you can. Concentrate on the long sighing sound and feel the tension dissolve. Repeat 10 times.
Inoculate yourself against a feared event. Example: before speaking in public, take time to go over every part of the experience in your mind. Imagine what you’ll wear, what the audience will look like, how you will present your talk, what the questions will be and how you will answer them, etc. Visualize the experience the way you would have it be. You’ll likely find that when the time comes to make the actual presentation, it will be “old hat” and much of your anxiety will have fled.
Become more flexible. Some things are worth not doing perfectly, and some issues are fine to compromise upon.
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.
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.
“Worry about the pennies, and the dollars will take care of themselves." That’s another way of saying: take care of the todays as best you can, and the yesterdays and the tomorrows will take care of themselves.
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