How many times have you gotten angry at yourself for misplacing your keys, being late to meet a friend, or forgetting to pay a bill on time? Being angry at ourselves can be one of the most stressful experiences there is. We are our own worst critic. Trying to change this behavior for the better, even a little bit, can help you feel happier and less stressed. Try some of the following tips to get started.
If you procrastinate, you run the risk of increasing your stress levels without even realizing it. Even though most of us agree that we work best under pressure, the opposite is actually true. Are you actually doing your best when doing it at the last minute? The stress of having the extra pressure on your shoulders from the impending duty that you keep putting off automatically increases your stress level. Rather than procrastinating, complete your work as soon as you receive it in order to reduce your stress level.
A lot of your stress is directly caused by the food that you put in your mouth. To limit the stress level in your life, cut back on the caffeine and coffee that you drink on a daily basis. This will make you feel calmer inside so that you can maximize how you feel.
Reducing clutter in your life will automatically reduce some amount of stress! Be it your desk, pantry or closet, anything over cluttering your physical environment makes it much harder to work and find things and just isn’t pleasing to look at it! By cleaning up clutter you can operate more efficiently, enjoy your surroundings more and simply be less stressed.
Stress can have a tremendous effect on the amount and types of food that we eat. We may have the tendency to gorge on junk food when we are stressed. Our stomachs may be so upset by the stress that we can barely eat anything. Either reaction is potentially dangerous. Minimizing your stress level can radically improve your dietary choices.
Drugs and alcohol have been commonly used for centuries by people to try to combat stressful situations. This is how they get temporary relief from the stressful feelings that overwhelm their lives. Of course, drugs and alcohol will not do anything to help the way you feel. They will most likely make your life even more complicated and should not be used as an answer to your stress problems.
If you are driving on the road and have something on your mind, sing the words of a song at the top of your lungs. Since no one can hear you, this is a great time to let it all out to a song that you know. Singing is a great form of stress relief.
If you live near a pool, an important thing to do for stress control is to swim. Swim a few laps in the cool waters to get your mind off of your troubles and reduce stress. This is also a great form of exercise, which will indirectly help your stress level.
One way to reduce stress is to go to bed an hour early. If you do this, you probably will naturally wake up before your alarm, which is a very relaxing feeling. By going to bed earlier, you will feel as though you have all the time in the world the next morning.
Stand near a sturdy wall placing your hands against it and push, keeping your feet firmly on the floor. The stretching and exertion of your hamstrings can relieve stress.
When trying to get rid of stress, here is a very important and simple tip that many people seem to forget about. To easily combat stress, simply get a good night’s sleep. Sleep refreshes your mind and body and replenishes energy. Naps are also effective at doing this.
A good tip that can help you keep your stress levels down is to simply surround yourself with positive, happy people. Being around negative people all the time will have an influence on you whether you know it or not. Try to be around positive people as much as you can.
If you feel stressed and irritable in the morning, try waking up 15 minutes earlier. It may seem counter intuitive to deprive yourself of sleep, but this will allow you to have a nice breakfast and to feel less rushed as you head out the door. Getting up earlier may also help you avoid stress inducing traffic.
As you can see, being kind to yourself really isn’t that hard, and it sure feels better than being stressed and angry. Don’t underestimate the ill effects of stress on your health. Factor the above tips into your daily habits, and you will be making a very positive investment in your health and your life.