Use Pencils
If you rely on your to-do list as much as I do, then you’ll want to start using pencil instead of pen. Because one important stress buster is to try to stay as flexible as you can. Things change!
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Fruit
Fresh or dried fruit (apricots, dates and figs) are a good source of fibre, vitamins and minerals and can help stabilize your system.
Pumpkin and sunflower seeds, nuts (particularly walnuts) are also great anti-stress foods. You can also try rice cakes with yeast extract, hummus or wholemeal.
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Water and Herbal Tea
Cut down on or avoid coffee, tea, fizzy drinks and cocoa which can overly stimulate the body. Drink water, herbal teas and fresh fruit juices instead.
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Fish
Fish is great for stress. Try serving it with buckwheat noodles and sprinkled with some sesame seeds. Any pasta with a tomato sauce is good, too.
Choose carbohydrate-rich foods such as pasta, potatoes or rice for your evening meal, as these help the body to produce cortisol.
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Light and Easy Meals
Eat light, low-fat, high-protein meals, such as griddle or grilled chicken or fish with a baked potato and green salad or steamed vegetables.
Sandwiches or a soft tortilla with tuna, chicken, hummus or guacamole filling, served with carrot, pepper and celery crudités are also great options. So are sardines on wholemeal toast.
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Start Breakfast Right
In the morning, slice fresh fruit into whole grain cereals or porridge, and drink freshly squeezed fruit juice.
Choose wholemeal toast with a high-fruit, low-sugar jam or yeast extract to satisfy your appetite while helping your body produce cortisol, the anti-stress hormone which helps wind you down.
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One Thing At A Time
Do just one thing at a time. For example, if you're outside exercising, turn your cell phone off and immerse yourself in the experience. The world won't end if you wait until after to check your phone.
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Unnecessary Technology
Labour saving devices, like smartphones or tablet computers, often encourage us to cram too many activities into a day.
Before you buy new equipment, be sure that it will really improve your life. Be aware that taking care of equipment and getting it repaired can be stressful.
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Stop Competing Over Everything
Always comparing yourself to others, whether in accomplishments, appearance, or possessions, is an avoidable source of stress. You might know people who do all they can to provoke envy in others, but don't fall for the trap.
While it's easy to say you should be satisfied with what you have, it’s the truth. Stress from this kind of jealousy is self-inflicted.
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Avoid Stressful People
If you do not get along with your mother -in-law but you do not want to make an issue of it, invite other in-laws at the same time you invite him.
Having other people around will absorb some of the pressure you would normally feel. The relaxed atmosphere you put yourself in may even help you to build a better relationship with your in-laws.
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Get Enough Sleep
Try to get six to eight hours of sleep each night. If you can't sleep, take steps to help reduce stress and depression. Physical activity also may improve the quality of sleep.
Remember, only when your mind is rested enough is it able to help you focus on the right things.
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Slow Down
Try to "pace" instead of "race." Plan ahead and allow enough time to get the most important things done.
Pause a while to reflect, think and plan. Bringing down the pace for the moment to a lower level not only release stress for yourself and people around you, it also allows you time to take a look at your current position better.
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Practice Giving Back
Volunteer your time or return a favor to a friend. Helping others helps you. When you feel that you are making a meaningful contribution, your stress level decreases as you begin to feel better about yourself.
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Quit Smoking
For millions of smokers, the calming effect of a cigarette can be reason enough not to quit. But in actual fact, the calming effect of a cigarette is a MYTH, at least in the long term.
Studies have found that lighting up has, in actual fact, the opposite effect, causing long-term stress levels to rise, not fall. For those dependent on smoking, the only stress it relieves is the withdrawal between cigarettes.
Smokers experience higher levels of stress and tension between cigarettes and lower levels over all when they quit.
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Avoid Optional Stress
If a certain sport or game makes you tense (whether it’s tennis or bridge), decline the invitation to play. After all, the point of these activities is to have a good time. If you know you won’t, there’s no reason to play.
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Laugh a Little
When you laugh, you send chemicals called endorphins to your brain that ease pain and enhance your feeling of well-being.
Laughter also stimulates the heart, lungs, and muscles and boosts your resistance to infection. If you laugh for 20 seconds, your body gets the same amount of beneficial oxygen - good for stress relief - as it does in three minutes of aerobic exercise.
Plus, it’s nearly impossible to stay tense while you’re laughing. Find cartoons, videos, TV shows, writers, and comics that make you laugh. Share jokes with friends. Just laugh out loud!
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Avoid Crowds
Schedule your
commute to avoid traffic, go for lunch 15 minutes before the usual rush, make
Thursday, not Saturday, your night out, shop for groceries on a weeknight, and
order your clothes online.
Without the hassle of thinking how to move through
the packed hallways will keep your stress hormones in check.
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Carve Time for Yourself
Give a little
higher priority to your “relax and renewal” time. Include it in your schedule
at least every other day. If you have to cut out an activity to make time for
your hobby—or a warm bath—then do it. Or spend some time alone reading or
listening to music you love.
Being at ease with yourself helps you to be more at
ease with the world around you.
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Chop YourTo-Do List in Half
Most of us set the
bar too high. After you have written your to-do list, decide what’s most
important to you in the long run, then cut the list in half.
If you can’t eliminate certain tasks, try to have
someone else do them. For instance, hire a neighborhood teenager to do the yard
work, or skip cooking and order in. Do not overload yourself.
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Get A Massage
Massage not only
relaxes tense muscles, it decreases the level of stress hormones in the
bloodstream and stimulates the release of serotonin, a brain chemical
associated with relaxation and a feeling of well-being. Studies show that
massage can even lower your heart rate and blood pressure.
So take a break & indulge yourself in this
little luxury!
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Get Organized
Set aside a place
for bills, paperwork, and letters. Store items you use most often in accessible
places. Spend five minutes straightening your office or main living area at the
end of the day. Keep a long-range calendar and a short-range to-do list. Check
off items as you finish them.
Plan some time of the week to give yourself that
time to get organized & plan for the week ahead. Why not today?
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Keep a Journal
Reflect on your day, your emotions, and your personal goals. Include everything that stresses you, so you can start to recognize patterns and take appropriate action.
Writing is also a great way to relax and put things into perspective. Forget about the grammar and just write. You are the only one who is going to read it anyway.
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Eliminate Last-Minute Rushes
Leave the house 15 minutes early for appointments, set up a system for paying your bills (set up automatic payments online), refill your prescriptions a week ahead of time, and stock up on birthday cards whenever you see ones you like.
A little advance planning can spare you a lot of headaches. It also leaves you time and in a great state of mind for a lot more other more important things in life.
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De-Clutter Your World
Stop hoarding old magazines, and throw away those old receipts and tax returns you no longer need. Donate away those clothes & shoes that you will never wear again.
Clutter-free surroundings will help prevent the frustration of not being able to find something you need, and give you the reassuring knowledge that everything’s in its place.
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Lean On Others
Studies of both animals and humans show that social contact can help tone down the body’s physical response to stress. It can even boost immunity.
So cultivate a network of people you can turn to. Share what’s bothering you with a friend and ask for some helpful advice.
Avoid people who always need something without giving back, or who are constantly moody or depressed. Be with the positive to stay positive!
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