How to manage stress is a never-ending story. Lots of sites sell you pills, potions and promises to get rid of it. The thing is, life is a balancing act with stress.
We need some stress to motivate us when we’re lazy, misbehaved or goal-oriented. It is unnecessary stress, attacks on our self-esteem or sense of fair play that gets in the way. Learn how to avoid rude people or how to ignore their rudeness. Keeping life simple can minimize other kinds of stress.
Good organization is one of the greatest ways to relieve stress. Develop a habit of putting your belongings away in the same place every time. Tossing tools, clothes, house wares and school supplies any old place will cost you time and good moods when you forget where they are but have to find them in a hurry. If your home, office or school locker and desk are messy, pull everything out and start over.
Organize your stuff. Toss out garbage and fill a box with things you can donate to some organization. Fill extra plastic pitchers with the kitchen tools you keep. Buy affordable drawer organizers. Place office, school, hobby and home items in them.
Take a few days to figure out the best set-up for everything, and make necessary changes. Then stick to the routine of “A place for everything and everything in its place.” Put dirty clothes in the hamper instead of under the bed or over a chair.
Stress relief games are fun and helpful. Make a sport of finding the best solutions to stressful problems. Reward yourself for victories that improve your life and maybe someone else’s. Here’s how to manage stress with your kids: Make a game out of getting their gear and daily schedules in order.
Create colourful chore charts together. Then focus on putting away the stickers, markers, crayons etc. together. Praise them for placing items in the correct containers. Remind them that being organized will help them to find what they want. That can reduce temper tantrums, angry conversations with parents and siblings.
One of the worst symptoms of stress is a bad temper. Improve your personality by looking in a mirror as you chat on the phone. Smile to yourself. Practice role-playing with someone, if necessary. They can pretend to be a hard case giving you a bad time over something.
Keep responding with patience until you deserve to win an Oscar. Cussing, threats and dumb answers (hey, they’re free, but very expensive when you give them) become reasons to realize that the other person is causing his/her own problems. You remain saintly each time you respond politely to the fake “caller” with more and more practice. You’ll be ready to sweet-talk really irate people in your life when life gets in the way.
Illness and money problems are stress categories all their own. You already know how to reduce stress about that. Read library books about how to cope with medical crises. They’re free and you can sign them out many times.
Keep a list of things you can live without. Adjust it over time. That can improve your wallet. Nobody writes headlines about people who became rich by spending too much money on snack food. Eat whole foods to keep you better nourished and feeling full.
Gadgets can stay on store shelves instead of draining your credit card. Use the tools you have or can borrow. Return them as soon as you finish your repair job.
A calendar or day-planner can be great solutions when you want to know how to reduce stress. Mark your social, employment and family commitments on the correct dates as soon as you learn of them.
Keep your calendar or day-planner near the phone or PC when you use them a lot. Many appointments are made with them. It’s easier to update your schedule with handy tools close by. You can look at them instead of feeling stupid for asking someone “When is my appointment” too many times.
Take business cards from people giving you appointments. Organize them in a business card binder; you can buy at office supply or stationary stores. Tape appointment cards to the correct date of your calendar or day planner.