We recently had a wellness day at work – and one of the ‘sessions’ you could attend was on Stress Management. Needless to say, it was the most popular session of the day…even moreso than lunch!
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One of the items we walked away with was a list of Self Imposed Stress items – those things you do yourself (maybe even unconsciously) that make your life more stressful than it needs to be.
So – which are you guilty of? 🙂 I am definitely guilty of the Learn to say NO one…I have a terrible time telling people no!
Self Imposed Stress
Most stressful situations in life are self-created…here are some tips on how to prevent stress in your life.
1. Get up 15 minutes earlier in the morning.
2. Prepare for the morning the evening before…set out breakfast, make lunches, put out the clothes you plan to wear (I do this one…huge time saver!)
3. Don’t rely on your memory. Write down appointment times, and leave yourself reminder notes where you are sure you’ll see them!
4. LAUGH! Almost every distaster has something humorous about it.
5. Make duplicates of all keys. Keep an extra car key in your wallet; hide the house key in a secret place.
6. Practice preventative maintenance. That way, your car, appliances, etc will be less likely to break down at ‘the worst possible moment’.
7. Do one thing at a time. Trying to do two or three things at the same time often serves to prove the old adage that ‘haste makes waste’.
8. Plan ahead. Don’t let the gas tank get below a quarter full; don’t wait until you are down to your last bus token or postage stamp to buy more, etc.
9. Don’t put up with something that doesn’t work right. Ifyour alarm clock, shoe laces, windshield wipers, or whatever are a constant aggravation, get them fixed or get new ones!
10. Give yourself time. Allow 15 minutes of extra time to meet dinner reservations, get to appointments, etc.
11. Be prepared to wait. A paperback book can make the wait in a post office line almost pleasant.
12. Always set up contingency plans – just in case. “If we all happen to split up in this crowd, here’s where we’ll all meet…” – That kind of thing.
13. Relax your standards. The world will not come to an end if the grass does not get cut this weekend, if the bedsheets have to get changed on Sunday instead of Saturday, etc.
14. Ask questions. In keeping with this, take a few moments to repeat back directions that someone gives you.
15. Learn to say “NO”. Saying “no” to extra projects, social activities, or other matters you don’t have the time for is simply a matter of self-respect and a belief that everyone needs time to do their own thing.
16. Unplug (or turn off) your phone. If you want to take a long bath, meditate, sleep, or read without interruption, drum up the courage to temporarily disconnect.
17. Say you’re sorry. If you feel badly about something you said or did, tell the person you’re sorry, or send a card. You’ll feel much better.
18. Don’t procrastinate. Instead of tomorrow, do it today. Instead of today, do it now.
19. Simplify, simplify, simplify. Work smarter, not harder.
20. Count your blessings. For everything that goes wrong, there are a myriad of them that don’t.
