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Identify what stresses you out. As the first step towards eliminating stress in your life, identifying what stresses you out is the most important of all. Spend 10 minutes thinking about what stresses you out during the day. Are there any weekly occurrences that stress you out? Are there any people, activities, or things that stress you out? Start by making a list of your Top 10, and then eliminate those that can be eliminated. If you can't eliminate them, find ways to make them less stressful.
Reduce unnecessary commitments. Our lives are filled with many commitments, starting with work but also including commitments related to kids, spouses, activities at home, other families, civic, side work, religion, hobbies, and online activities. You should evaluate each one based on the amount of stress they provide and the value they provide. Remove the ones that stress you out the most by editing brutally today.
Disorganization. I think we are all a bit disorganized. Even if we've organized something and created a great system for maintaining it, things are prone to going back to chaos after a while. In terms of visual clutter, disorganization stresses us out and makes it difficult to find the things we need. Get organized in your life by starting with your desk and the papers in your home, and then moving on to other areas.
Controlling. We are not the masters of the universe. It's true we sometimes wish we were, but acting as if we are will only lead to stress. Controlling situations and people is impossible, and it only creates anxiety when it doesn't work. Accept how other people do things, and accept what happens in different situations. You can only control yourself - work on that before you try to control the world. Learn to separate yourself from tasks and delegate them. Learning to let go of our need to control others and the situations around us is a major step toward eliminating stress.
Eliminate energy drains. When you have analyzed your life and discovered things that stress you out, you may also have noticed things that drain your energy. There are certain things in our lives that leave us more exhausted than others, with less value. Eliminate them. You'll have more energy and be less stressed. You'll be happier.
Avoid difficult people. These are the people you need to avoid. Consider all the people in your life who make your life more difficult - bosses, coworkers, customers, friends, family, etc. Although you could confront and battle them, that would be very difficult. Just cut them out of your life.
Simplify life. Reduce your stress by simplifying your routines, your commitments, your information intake, your cluttered rooms, and the vast amount of stuff going on in your life.
Slow down. Do not rush through life. Take your time. Savoir your food, enjoy the people around you, and enjoy nature. By doing so, you will reduce your stress levels significantly.
Help others. If you're going to add anything to your life, this should be it. It may sound contradictory to try to help other people (you've got enough to do after all), but if you're going to add anything to your life, this should be it. Volunteering for a charity organization or being compassionate towards people you meet not only gives you a great feeling, it also lowers your stress level. This doesn't work if you try to control others, or if you help others in a rushed and frenetic way - learn to relax, enjoy yourself, and let things happen while you work to improve the lives of others.
Relax throughout the day. Take frequent mini-breaks throughout the day. Get up, stretch, take a walk around, and drink some water. Stop what you're doing, and massage your shoulders, neck, head, hands, and arms. Get outside and enjoy the fresh air. Speak to someone you like. Life isn't all about productivity. You should also avoid using online activity too much as a way to relax - get away from computers to relax.
Exercise. This is common advice for stress relief because it works ... but it's also a method for preventing stress. Exercise relieves stress, gives you quiet time to contemplate and relax, and, more importantly, makes you more fit. A fitter person is better able to handle stress. Being unhealthy can be a major stressor (especially once you have to go to the hospital), and exercise can prevent that.
Eat healthy. Exercise goes hand-in-hand with stress prevention, of course. Get healthier, and a major source of stress will disappear
Be grateful. Being grateful for what you have is a way of thinking positively, eliminating negative thinking from your life, and thus reducing stress. Learn to be grateful for what you have, for the people in your life, and see it as a gift. With this sort of outlook on life, stress will go down and happiness will go up. That’s a winning formula.
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