Stress Management: 12 Strategies for Minimizing Stress

Having some stress in your life is usually unavoidable. In fact, a small amount of stress can be helpful in helping you meet some goals – and it’s never a good idea to avoid problems that need to be handled. But for those who are chronically over-stressed, it’s important to learn how to manage it, and possibly even minimize it so it’s at a more manageable level. Once you’ve identified your stressors and taken a look at the ways you cope with stress, you can adopt some strategies to manage your stress.

To stress less, pare down your to-do list

• Assess your to-do list. Is it filled with must-dos or are there some should-dos as well? If there are items that are always on your list, but never get done, just get rid of them. If there are things you’d like to accomplish, but your life won’t change if they don’t get done, move them to the bottom of your list or eliminate them entirely.
• Say no. It’s important to understand your limits and act accordingly. You don’t have to take on everything that people ask of you – unless of course, you want more stress. It doesn’t make you mean or uncooperative – it just means you know what you can handle and what you can’t.
• Get organized. You know that feeling when you get home after a busy day at work and walk into a house that’s in total chaos? That feeling when you can rarely find what you’re looking for amid all the clutter? Yeah – that’s stress. Taking some time to organize your living and work spaces – and keeping them organized -  goes a long way toward helping your stress level.
• Talk about it. Bottling up your concerns doesn’t do anything to help you. Instead, communicate what’s bothering you in a respectful way. If you don’t speak up, things will never change.
• Consider a compromise. You can’t ask someone to change their behavior without being willing to change yours, too. If you’re both willing to bend a little, you may find you can easily meet in the middle.
  

  Sometimes a compromise is the best solution

• Master your time. This is usually an aspect of your life that you do have some control over. If you’re constantly running behind or have committed to too many things, you need to better manage your time. Chronically poor time management skills can add a lot of stress to your life – so do something about it.
• Focus on what you can control. There are some situations we just have no control over. The death of a loved one, a natural disaster, serious illness – these are all beyond our control. Another thing you really can’t control is other people’s reactions. That’s why it’s important to focus on your own actions and reactions in these situations, since those are really the only things that are in your control.
  

  Focus on the things that really matter

• Look on the bright side. Each challenge offers you a chance to learn more about yourself and to grow stronger emotionally. Challenges can sometimes also teach you what you could do differently if the same situation arises in the future.
• Talk it out. Talking about how you’re feeling with a friend, family member or even a therapist can help you feel less stressed out – even if nothing can really be done to change the situation.
• Stop comparing yourself to others. There’s always going to be someone richer/smarter/funnier/more athletic/(fill in the blank) than you. But to waste your energy focusing on what you don’t have is just going to cause you a lot of stress – and make you miss out on the good things you do have going for you.
• Make some time for yourself. Taking care of yourself is one of the best things you can do to help keep your stress level in check. Not only should you regularly schedule some fun, but you should also engage in activities that promote a healthy lifestyle, such as exercise, meditation, going for walks or getting a massage. These activities are great stress relievers, plus they contribute to your overall health and well-being. Remember, you’re better able to face problems head-on and better able to care for others when you take the time to care for yourself first.
• Keep your sense of humor. Sometimes life doesn’t seem very funny, but for your own well-being, it’s important to try keep things in perspective. In most situations, you can find at least one thing that you can laugh about, no matter how small. It’s true – laughter really is the best medicine.

Tagged as: productivity tools, stress, Stress Management, Time Management