De-Stress By Getting Practical

Day 77 - NaNoWriMo Day 16 (Photo credit: Sashala)

Although a certain amount of stress in our lives can be helpful, chronic stress is detrimental to our health and our emotional well being.  As stress builds, once it reaches a certain level it can turn into anxiety disorders, which as I mentioned last week, are the number one mental health issue in our population. 

I thought that this week I might bring up some easy and practical things that can de-stress our daily lives.  Besides being busy, and looking to reduce the major stress producing activities from the daily routine, there are other, simple things that can be done.

1. Get up 15 minutes earlier in the morning.  Having an extra 15 minutes can take the rush out of getting ready and set the tone of your day to a more calm pace.  Going a bit further, getting things ready the night before can also give us more time in the morning.  If the family eats breakfast together, setting the table the night before could shave a few minutes off the daily routine.  Making lunch and setting out your clothes the night before can also be a de-stressor.
2. Make duplicates of all your keys.  If you happen to need a spare set, you can rest assured that with a quick phone call, you can be back in your car or in your home within minutes.  If you want to set a spare set of keys outside there are key safes that can be mounted to your door frame or you can bury a spare set of keys somewhere in your garden.  Although tempting, it isn't the safest thing to put spare keys somewhere on the outside of your car or in a "rock" in the garden.  Most criminals know all the places to look.
3. Do NOTHING, which after being done, leads you to tell a lie.  Having to keep track of things you have said which are not true creates an undue amount of stress.  It is much easier to remember the truth.
4. If you have clothes that don't fit, either get new ones or have them fixed.  There are few things that create stress over long periods of time than wearing clothing or shoes that don't fit right.
5. Take stock of anything in your life that might be a consistent aggrivation.  Windshield wipers, stacks of laundry that need to be done, doors that catch and don't work smoothly, appliances that don't work right etc.  Get these things fixed or purchase new ones!
6. Plan ahead - don't wait until you are down to your last egg, your last drop of shampoo, or your last gallon of gas before you replenish your supply.  Doing that creates stress. 
7. Live in the moment.  When you are doing a task, think about what you are doing rather than doing the task and then thinking about the next thing.  If you are wholly present with the people you are with, that not only is a more calming strategy, it also improves relationships.
8. Take time every day for yourself.  Make sure you have lunch, rather than working through.  Take some time to have peace and quiet, pray or spend time doing things that you enjoy.
9. Every day, perform a random act of kindness.
10. Take a bath.  The warm water can be a source of relaxation.
11. When feeling stressed, most people tend to breathe in short, shallow breathes.  When you breathe like this, stale air is not expelled, oxidation of the tissues 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 are knotted and your breathing is shallow, relax all your muscles and take several, deep, slow breaths.
12. Say NO.  If you don't have time or if you are uninterested in a project, just say no.
13. Schedule a realistic day.  Avoid the tendency to schedule back-to-back appointments; allow time between appointments for a breathing spell. 
14. Schedule unpleasant tasks for early in the day.  Get them done and the rest of the day will be more peaceful.
15. Ask for help when you need it, delegate when you can.  As my mother used to say, many hands make light work.
16. Stop being late!  Allow 15 minutes of extra time to get to your appointments.  You will find it will be less stressful and it is very considerate of the person you have scheduled the appointment with.
17. Practice good self care.  Take vacations...if you can get away once a quarter that would be optimum.  Do something different on your weekends than what you normally do during the week.  The change of pace helps prevent burnout.  Preserve at least one day of rest during the week.  Your body needs the down time to recover.
18. Don't take your iPad to bed.  Computer screens are stimulating, stimulation makes for problems in getting and staying asleep.  Lack of sleep creates stress.
19. Take stock of any stimulants you are ingesting and eliminate or restrict them. 
20. If you are worrying about something, take steps to solve the problem.  Being in a chronic state of worry adds to the stress load.  If you are procrastinating about something, get it done.  Procrastination is stressful.

If you will take some time to assess where the stress is coming from in your life and take steps to make some simple changes, you may find yourself in a better place. 

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