7 Easy Changes You Can Make to Reduce Stress
Let’s face it, stress is a normal part of life. Every single one of us will feel stress over something. While we are all experiencing different types of stress, we all typically share one thing in common; A lot of our stress is made up.
Made up? I don’t know Brandy, this stress feels pretty real to me!
Let’s Talk About Overwhelm
Have you felt it before? Did me mentioning being overwhelmed make you overwhelmed about being overwhelmed?
Yes, life can get pretty crazy at times. I totally feel ya. There’s a never-ending to-do list in my head rattling off too many things to count.
What happens when you get overwhelmed though? Does the feeling of “so much to do” ever actually motivate you to get started? Not really, or at least not in my experience. Nothing makes me want to take a step back, drink a glass of wine, and crawl into a hole more. Overwhelm is a way your brain excuses you from not doing what you need to accomplish.
How Overwhelm Leads to Unnecessary Stress
Let’s say you need to do laundry, finish a blog post, check in on your clients, take the dog out and get an oil change all in the middle of moving. (In case you’re wondering, yes, this is exactly my life right now.)
GUT CHECK: Writing this blog post will take 30 mins to an hour. Taking my dog out will take 10 minutes. Checking in on my clients and laundry both can be done in-between tasks. I don’t HAVE to do the oil change right this second, I can do it first thing in the morning. This leaves me plenty of time to cook dinner and finish moving my things.
When you have more than a few things to do, you experience anxiety trying to “figure out” how to get all done, when really if you step back, it’s not so bad.
Here are some things you can do to help de-stress and fight the feeling of overwhelm:Listening to or reading personal development
Listening to good vibes always lifts my mood and makes me remember that I’m capable of anything! Check out this list I made of my favorite books: 8 Books to Motivate you to Tackle your Depression and Live Life FullyPaying it forward
Living in abundance creates more abundance. Plus, paying it forward always makes you feel so much better! This can be from leaving a good tip, paying for someone’s Starbuck’s order, to giving someone a really sincere compliment
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Establishing routines
The best way to feel like you have your life together is to have some sort of routine. This creates less surprise & overwhelm because you already know what to expect!
Learn more about my routine: What is a Miracle Morning?
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Meditation
I promise you, this one’s important. Our brains our filled with so many thoughts, we need to take time to empty it and start fresh. I always meditate in the morning to start my day with a strong, clear mind. There are so many health & mental benefits to meditation. Try it for yourself and see!
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Working out and eating right
Your food is your fuel. If you’re eating like crap – you’ll feel like crap. If you fuel your body with what it needs, you’ll feel amazing. Same goes for working out. It’s so important for your energy levels. I don’t feel like I really need to tell you all the benefits, you’re smart, but for real – IMPLEMENT THIS!
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Doing something special for yourself regularly
Do something to pamper yourself on the reg! Have a glass of wine, take a bubble path, get a pedicure, read a good book, make time for your hobbies. You are important. You are special. Treat you like you’re the only you there is – because uh, you are the only you there is. And you is awesome!
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Make a to-do list
Making a to-do list has actually become part of my nightly routine! I have severe anxiety, and I stress about the next day before it even happens. If I make the to-do list the night before, I feel more prepared. It’s all out on paper, I know I won’t forget it, and I know what to expect. You may find that doing it first thing in the morning helps you! Give it a try though, it always feels good to cross something off!
Stress-Reducing Toolbox
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I hope these tips help! And if nothing else, my motto is “If you’re going to have a shitty day, may as well make a day of it!” What I mean by that is, is if you’re going to be in a bad, stressed mood anyway you may as well get something accomplished. Challenge yourself to have the worst day ever, get all your tasks done, and then allow yourself to have the best day ever tomorrow.
What are your favorite ways to reduce stress?
