Got Stress? 10 Simple Ways to Reduce Stress

Everybody’s got stress, right?  It seems like in a world of fast-paced always “on” society, there’s never a chance to de-stress and not feel guilty about it.  The thing is, stress is the leading cause of stress – ha!  Seriously, though, stress has already been scientifically proven to shorten the duration and quality of your life, so ease up on yourself, and try a few of these techniques:

1. Meditate.  No, I haven’t gone all “Yogi” on you, but taking 10-15 minutes of quiet to allow yourself to reflect on your day can significantly help you deal with whatever is causing you stress in the first place.  I swear, sometimes, when I finally give myself a minute to think about my stress, I can come up with a plan of attack much faster than letting it eat at the back of my mind while I busily cross things off of my to-do list.
2. Be realistic about timing.  Allow yourself extra time to get wherever you are going.  The stress of being late doesn’t usually disappear once you have arrived, people tend to carry the stress into the rest of their day.
3. Get enough sleep.  I know, how are you supposed to fit more sleep into your already crazy schedule?  I get it, but sleep is an absolute necessity for your brain.  It helps you manage everything that the day brings way easier than when you’re sleep deprived {I am sure any new mom’s reading this can totally attest to this one.} 
4. Prioritize.  Someone gave me this tip a long time ago, and I have carried it with me for years.  Create a list of priorities:  family, friend, exercise, work, etc.  Anything outside of that list, simply doesn’t get attention if there is not extra time.  Your time is a pie, there is only so much to go around, so when you say “yes” to something, make sure it doesn’t take a slice out of one of your priorities–because if it does, you can almost guarantee will lead to guilt, resentment, etc. which all cause stress.
5. Garden.  You know I had to include this one.  Seriously, though, getting out in the garden puts things in perspective.  It’s slow, methodical and satisfying–and rarely has pressing deadlines.  It’s simplicity at its finest.
6. Exercise.  Gotta release those endorphins.  Get moving and get away from the demands of life long enough to put yourself and your health first.  Even a 30 minute walk can be a powerful de-stresser.
7. Eat healthy well balanced meals.  I know this is reading like a recipe for healthy living, but crappy food causes you to feel crappy–which in turn increases your stress.  So, do yourself a favor and practice a little prevention.
8. Laugh.  Rent a funny movie, call a funny friend, etc.  Laughter has been shown to improve overall mood, which…you guessed it:  reduces stress.
9. Turn off electronics.  Seriously, sometimes I think the constant distraction of phones, computers, television, etc. is driving us mad.  Don’t be afraid to turn them off.  If there is an emergency, you may actually have bought yourself an hour of additional peace before someone comes looking for you.  Turn them off and feel the stress melt away.  I promise.
10. When all else fails, give yourself some credit.  Being human means some days just don’t go your way.  Don’t beat yourself up, just chalk it up to a bad day and move on.  How does that saying go?  Change what you can and accept what you can’t?  Something like that, anyway.

What do YOU do to reduce stress?

~Mavis