Love Yourself Series
No one wants to be stressed or have anxiety, but life isn’t perfect and it hands us overwhelming situations. I found, if I do things in preparation I feel a lot less stressed about my day. I can’t control everything, but at least I can help myself feel as prepared as I can for the day and weeks ahead. Here are 5 easy ways to deal with stress. I hope they help you as much as they have helped me.
Prepare for the next day the night before
There are several things you can prepare the night before so you’re not so rushed in the morning. Some people like to sleep in late and leave no extra time for things that may arise. They leave no time for traffic issues, dog problems, and kids not listening. That is not how “real” mornings play out so preparing things the night before leaves time for when these stressful situations happen in the morning. You can set out the main parts of your lunch. You might not want to make the sandwich, but you can set out a banana and crackers. You can press your outfit and pick out your shoes. This will save a lot of time in the morning. You can go ahead and place your breakfast out so in the morning you are just quickly making it. You can also pack up your work bag. This also means finding your keys and being ready to just walk out the door.
keep your planner up to date
Writing down your schedule and important dates will help you see everything in a glance. Seeing the big picture will help you stay organized and allow your brain to relax a bit. Then you’re not always having to constantly remember all the tidbits of your life. That’s draining! I also like to keep a pad of paper by my bed so if I think of something important I can jot it down and then add it to my planner in the morning. This can really help if you’re having sleep issues. I always feel if I write it down then my brain can relax.
Manage your time wisely
I like using block scheduling in my day. I like to set up my day in chunks so I can fit everything in. I try to stick to those times unless something is really pressing. It really allows you to try to get to all the things on your list. Setting a timer is also so helpful. For some reason, that timer really keeps me cruising along. I don’t know what authority it has on me, but I really push myself to stay on track if the timer is set. Know your priorities and get the most important things done first. This is very important with time management. If you know something doesn’t have to be done until next month do the thing that has to be done tomorrow first.
Spend time with family
Spending quality time with your family has shown to relieve stress. When you’re around people who love you, you tend to relax and just be yourself. Isn’t that a novel idea that we can be the people we want to be around the people that love us. Ask yourself, “are you spending the amount of time you want with your family or are you working too much?” This could be one of the causes of your stress. Evaluate this in your life and see if there is anything in your schedule that you can shift to help you spend more time with your family.
Stay Positive
We are all a work in progress. Taking baby steps is still progress. Any time you are moving forward is progress no matter how small. Nobody is perfect and you shouldn’t strive to be. That in itself will bring you more stress than you know. Let go of the past and try to move forward with some new priorities set in place to bring about positivity in your life.
Today was the last day of the series. I hope you have been following along and taking good care of yourself. If you missed any of the posts you can check them out here, here and here. Have a great weekend.
Yours Truly,
Jenn
