We’ve all been there - stressed and stretched in every direction and daunted by the thought of adding one more thing to our already overflowing plate. Although you may not be sure exactly what needs to be done differently (or how to do it) – you are certain that something has got to change. Here are seven things to help you beat stress by shifting your perspective and time to support the priorities that really matter.
1. Develop a calming start to each day: Before your morning workout, take 10 minutes to sit in silence, meditate or read something inspirational.
2. Delegate life and work to-dos: Whether it’s telling your roommate, spouse or partner to clean the apt (for a change) or asking the intern to help with something you’d normally do, ask or require others to step up and take on added responsibility.
3. Replace boring with interesting: It’s hard to feel stressed out when you are intrigued by something compelling to read, think about, and discuss with others. Taking a few minutes each week to participate in an engaging activity will reduce feelings of monotony and give you more mental and physical energy to accomplish your responsibilities and goals.
4. Face your weaknesses straight on: Create a plan to address and overcome things that are not your strong suit. Specifically, focus on one thing (we all have one) that always takes you off track or causes you to lose focus. Simply having a plan of action to help you stay motivated, when you might otherwise stray off course, can help reduce procrastination, writers block or “paralysis by analysis” and thereby make you much more productive.
5. Find hope: When you feel overwhelmed you are less likely to see the good in anything. Simply finding one thing everyday to be optimistic about can not only change your outlook but actually make the things you do seem even better. Never forget that optimism is a major key to success in life, career, and almost any endeavor.
6. Get out of town: Taking a short train or bus ride to new surroundings can give you a much needed boost to re-charge and re-boot your batteries and energy. A change of scenery doesn’t have to cost a lot of time or money but can do wonders when it comes to relieving stress and gaining clarity about what really matters and how to better prioritize the time you do have.
7. Create a financial action plan: Money problems are one of the leading causes of stress and they often take time to get resolved. However, taking one or two steps towards turning a positive financial page can make you feel less stressed and more in control. Start by re-reading last week’s Living on Purpose Project post on reducing your expenses and commit to putting just one thing into practice.
Sometimes we need to de-stress and discover new energy to do the things we both want and have to do. Life will never be stress-free, but the more you can embrace healthy ways to eliminate feelings of boredom, anxiety, and uncertainty, the better you will feel. And, the better you feel the more you’re likely to put yourself out there, embrace new challenges and uncover new opportunities.
What have you always done naturally? Are you most comfortable when you cheer others on or are when you are given a problem to fix?