Stress is an inevitable part of life. As we get older, the stressful moments don’t lessen – in fact, they increase more and more as responsibilities pile up. We won’t be rid of the stress when we finally get to finish everything we need to do – we should stop thinking that one day, everything will be ironed out and things will become perfect. Instead, we should learn to manage our stress effectively. It is vital that we accept that stress is inevitable – and subsequently tweak our attitude in order to make room for the things that will come our way no matter what we do.
With that in mind, take a look at these 4 simple ways to manage stress:
1. Make Simple Routines Relaxing
The everyday routines don’t have to be banal and mundane – they can be a source of relaxation and joy. Everything you do from waking up, taking a bath, meditating and praying, choosing your clothes, and cleaning up, can all be ways to slow down and be more deliberate in emptying your mind of its normal troubles and worries.
2. Try Something New
You can always do something that is outside of your normal routine in order to get out of that humdrum feeling. Check out a new route you can take on your way to work, try different meal combinations from restaurants like Coffee Oysters Champagne, and go to a new place with your friends when you have nights out instead of going to your usual spot. These new and different things can bring you exciting surprises, which you can add to your roster of go-tos whenever you need to shake it up and make your life a bit more colourful and thrilling.
Keep A Steady Working Climate
Your work will definitely take up a big chunk of your waking hours; it can be a source of a lot of fulfillment or a lot of disappointment and anxiety. Do the best that you can to manage your work stress – know when to engage in a certain issue and when to let go. Set your boundaries with your colleagues and even your bosses – they will understand that you also have your own style when attacking problems, and that you need your own space when it is time to go home to your family or take care of other responsibilities.
Carve Out Some Me-Time
This is one of the things busy professionals tend to forget – the more hectic life becomes, the more they need to slow down and make some room for processing and relaxation. The problem is, when there is so much at stake, it becomes harder to let go. This is validation that it is hard to balance having a sane mind and being on top of big responsibilities – but it is possible and probably one of the most important things you can do for yourself and for the people who depend on and care about you.
This is a simple checklist to make sure that you are fulfilling a bare minimum in terms of giving yourself a good stress management system. You can and should definitely add more to this – your future self will thank you for attempting to live a life that has as little stress as possible.
*collaborative post