6 Great Ways to Relieve Daily Stress
There are countless ways in which successful time-managers relieve some of their daily stress. I’ve picked 6 that tend to universally work, no matter what point you’re starting from to ease your day to day operations and smoothly maneuver through your busy schedule. Certainly, some of you might have some routines set in place, but if you haven’t touched up on those, do try them out!
Prepare Your Clothes the Night Before
We’ve all been there! That mindless moment when you’re standing in front of your closet, sometimes frantically browsing through the many items of clothing that seem to all uniformly merge into one blob. You just can’t decide on what to wear! Other times it’s as if you’re trying to come up with some type of formula to explain the meaning of the universe; it’s mostly you up there just scratching your head, really. Well think of the time you can save had you done that the night before? First off, your brain must work better in trying to decide what to wear the night before. For the mornings, I’d like to think of the brain as a segmentation machine where it tends to take on certain tasks at different times in the day.
Wake Up At Least An Hour Before You Start Your Day
The snooze button can be equally a good thing and a bad thing. It will just depend on how you use it. This powerful button should be respected and not abused. Allow some time for yourself to wake up earlier than you usually do, and take a moment to reclaim your mind and body before taking on the day. I find that waking up at least an hour or two before you get ANY work done works wonders. Ideally, waking up without an alarm is a blessing many cannot afford to enjoy, but that’s for a whole other topic to delve into. Take some time to self-reflect and prepare to be ready to take on anything before you start your day.
Start Time-Blocking
A recurring theme that successful entrepreneurs carry throughout is the fact that they manage their time very wisely. What has helped them immensely in juggling tasks was the power of time-blocking. If you were to take a time management class, I’d start with the power of time-blocking. Choose a timer on your phone and start! I usually work in 25-minute time-blocks and feel as if that duration is enough to focus on the one task without having to worry about procrastinating. Once the timer is done, just rinse and repeat! You will find that getting into flow-like states will be much easier, enabling you to get that task down in no time.
Exercise Regularly
Who would’ve guessed that this one would be up here? Well, it always should be! Countless peer reviewed studies have clearly shown the immediate and long-term effects of exercise on your mood and focus. Exercise is the best way to clear stress and manage it almost immediately! No matter what you do, or who you are, there is a way for you to get up and get that blood flowing. Feel the immediate effects of exercise on your stress levels and make sure to keep that train rolling. Always remember that habits are formed with repetition.
Take Your Vitamins
Vitamins and micro-nutrient deficiencies have shown to correlate with your stress levels. Make sure to regularly take blood tests and follow-up closely with your doctor. Before blaming your stress and other symptoms on external factors, first look internally. This TEDx talk explains some of the benefits of looking into your vitamin intake levels when assessing daily stress. When some nutrients in your body are off balance, certain triggers could start reacting with your ability to focus and manage stress well. Sometimes, following a balanced vitamin and micro-nutrient regimen could be the best remedy.
Invest in Yourself
Investing in yourself pays dividends when relieving daily and long-term stresses. A little self-love can go a long way. There are many ways to approach that, but the bottom line is that you will need to give yourself time to unwind and relax. Get a massage, join some yoga classes, etc… My partner and I get biweekly massages at our home-office and also take part in breathing circles as a way to keep ourselves accountable, while also getting to self-reflect and relax.
What you’ll eventually encounter is that some techniques will work for you, while others won’t. There are many stress inducing factors in the world, but that only means there are definitive actions you can take to counter act that. Relieving stress and making sure you are accountable of your “emotional hygiene” causes a domino effect of positivity and in turn in the quality of your daily life. Find what works best for you personally, and once you do, you’ll tone down the unnecessary noise and get to enjoy the best parts of life.