Welcome to the 5th part of the series “Tips for a Stress-Free Lifestyle“. I hope you have found the previous tips helpful in bringing control and peace into your daily life.
Tip #41: Dress comfortably
If you dress in a way that makes you feel comfortable, it will ease your stress in many situations. Make sure that what you wear suits for the occasion, the circumstances and your mood. If you wear something that is too tight and you need to move a lot, it can create stress. If you wear a skirt and you have to sit on the floor, it can create stress. When you wear something, always ask yourself,
“Will I feel comfortable wearing this?”
Tips #42: Drink plenty of water
Dehydration is the cause of a lot of discomfort, yet most people are not aware of it being the cause. Drink plenty of water. I am sure you are probably asking yourself, “What is plenty?”. The rule is: 1litre (1quart) of water for every 22kg (48lbs) that you weigh (obviously, a person weighing 45kg and a person weighing 85kg do not need the same amount of water).
Tip #43: Learn your stress signs
Everyone experiences stress differently. Some people’s heart beats faster, others sweat or their voice becomes high-pitched. Stress also has many physical signs that, when they begin, may look like a particular sickness, but are actually caused by stress. Examples include sore throat, chest pain, headache, stomachache or indigestion, change in eyesight and skin irritation. Learn to recognize your signs of stress and use them as warnings. You do not have to wait until you find yourself in hospital, having developed a serious medical problem, or for the doctor to say you must lower your stress levels to do something. You can always take care of your stress as soon as you notice the signs.
Tip #44: Write down your feelings and thoughts
Use a journal to write down what you think and feel. Believe it or not, this has been found to increase people’s happiness. After 3 weeks of regular writing for 5 minutes a day, you will notice the difference. Sometimes, when we are stressed and have strong feelings or unhealthy thoughts, it is good to write them down. This allows you to go back to your feelings and thoughts at a better time and to reevaluate them. It can help change your perspective on a particularly stressful situation.
Tip #45: Solve conflicts
If you experience conflict with someone and you feel stressed about it, look for a way to talk to the other person and solve the problem. If you carry unhappy thoughts with you about the conflict, it will make you more stressed. If you find it too hard to talk to the other person, send them a letter or ask to talk to them at a better time when you are both relaxed.
Tip #46: Do the hard stuff first
When you have a few things to do and you need to choose between doing the easy things first or the hard things first, favor the hard things. If you do the easy things first, you continue to carry the stress related to the hard things with you for longer. However, if you do the hard stuff first, you can relax most of the time. Surprisingly, you will often find that the hard things are also not so hard to do, and your self confidence will grow.
Tip #47: Delegate to responsible people
You do not have to do everything by yourself. Find people who can share the load with you and delegate things to them. Sure, you might have to give up the desire to control everything, but eventually it will clear lots of your time and lower your stress levels. Make sure you do it gradually and efficiently so you do not find yourself in the situation where you have to do it again yourself.
Tip #48: Use natural ways to relax
You can always burn essential oils to calm yourself down or use some herbs like marjoram, Valerian, lemon balm or passionflower.
Tip #49: Laugh as much as you can
Laughing is a known technique to combat stress. When you laugh, certain chemicals are released into your brain, which make you feel better instantly. After fun and laughter, you will also sleep better.
Tips #50: Get a massage
A massage is great therapy to ease tension. When you feel stressed, you can go to a professional for massage therapy. If this is too complicated, you can ask a family member or a friend to give you a massage. If no one else is around, you can massage your feet. There are many pressure points all over your body that you can massage to ease tension.