Everybody experiences stress throughout the day. Most of the time, this stress is natural or even good, but other times the stress can become too much to handle. Here are five tips for reducing your day-to-day stress.
Identify and address stressors
Identify the things that stress you out. You may want to keep a journal of the things that cause you stress each day so you can visually see patterns in your stress and point out your greatest stressors. These stressors may include certain activities, places, and people. After figuring out exactly what causes you unhealthy amounts of stress, address those problems. What can you do differently in those situations to limit your stress? If these stressors are things that you can easily cut out of your life, consider doing so.
Meditate
Meditation is a great outlet to help alleviate and manage some stress. Meditation helps bring calmness to the mind and body, but also makes you more aware of how you feel physically and mentally. This can help you pinpoint and acknowledge both physical and mental stress while also actively working to relieve the stress. Meditating one or two times for five to ten minutes a day may help you cope with and reduce the stress you are experiencing.
Organize
A lack of organization is an enormous stressor for many. Organize your area. This can be organizing your desk at work or organizing the files on your personal computer. This way you do not need to worry about locating or losing things. Organizing your time may also be beneficial. Many complain about not having enough time in the day for balance, but it is likely that if they organized their time better, they would be able to reduce their stress. Try keeping track of what you need to have done on a calendar and make short-term and long-term goals for yourself.
Take care of yourself
Self-care is very important. You must be prepared to deal with your daily stressors. To do so, you must be sleeping, eating, and exercising properly. Sleep for at least eight hours a night. Being tired increases stress, especially if you combat exhaustion with caffeine. Make sure to eat healthy, balanced meals. The term hangry, when you are more irritable due to hunger, is a real thing. Make sure that you are properly nourished so that your mind is working as efficiently as possible. Make sure that you exercise enough. Exercise is effective at relieving stress as it is both a physical and mental escape from stressors.
Have limits
Know when and how to say no. Juggling too many tasks at the same time can be very stressful. If you are not stressing over things that are not urgent or important, you will have more time to work on things that are important or urgent. The stress of one task can amplify the stress of another task, making things way more stressful than they need to be.
Remember that not all stress is always bad, but unhealthy stress should be limited. If you feel like you cannot manage the amount of stress on your own, contact a mental health professional for help.