Daily Dose of Stress Relief
By Kathy Gates
Wouldn't it be great if there was a Daily Dose of
Stress Relief that we could take every morning?
It's easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of
everyday life and start to feel overwhelmed,
frustrated, burned-out, and fed up. Stress is caused by
a lot of things, but when you look closely, as often as
not, it's the small things that drive you batty on any
given day. Try these 4 ways to create your very own
Daily Dose of Stress Relief.
1. Make Room for Happiness.
You wouldn't just plop a new couch on top of an old
one would you? Of course not. Yet that's what we're
all guilty of in our daily lives - just adding more and
more stuff without being willing to move out what we
no longer find useful. Be willing to let go of not only
physical stuff that is making you claustrophobic, but
also roles, attitudes, and yes, even some people.
Hanging on to the things in your life that are just
taking up space and not contributing to your life, is
just squeezing out any room for the good stuff that
you really do want. Move out the old, let in the new.
2. Finish What You Start.
Do complete work. Get it over with. A huge cause of
stress in your life is the unfinished things that come
back to haunt you -- from having to iron because you
left your blouse in the dryer, to a home-improvement
project that's half finished. Start a new habit of
finishing whatever you start. Take the physical action
required, such as returning a borrowed item or
painting the baseboards. Or assign the job to
someone else either by hiring someone to finish it, or
passing the task to another member of your
team/family. Or maybe it's time to dump it, declare
an end to it, and go on to something else (such as
calling an end to a diet, or deciding you're never
going to read all those magazines you have stacked in
the corner).
3. Don't Continue A Mistake.
Another cause of stress is living with something you
know is an error in judgment. Did you get locked
into a mortgage that's too high and it straps your
budget each month? Do you have marriage problems
that need counseling? Are you simply overloaded
with duties and responsibilities? Do you have a goal
that just no longer excites you, but you're afraid to
admit it to other people? Be honest. Be authentic.
Be willing to be honest with yourself and with other
people it affects. Admit the mistake, make restitution
if necessary, forgive yourself, and move to the freer
side of life.
4. Always Have More Than You Need.
No, I'm not talking just about money, but also having
more than you need in time, in energy, in space, in
opportunities, in love, in support, also makes a huge
difference in your stress level. If you live in clutter
and confusion of space and time on a daily basis,
you'll feel frustrated, no doubt about it. Start by
simplifying how you use your time; eliminate things
that are no longer useful and beautiful (if you're
terrified to get rid of it completely, just box it up, and
see if you really miss it). You'll naturally begin to
find more than you need. For example, stop sitting
through 2 hours of junk TV, to see the one show you
are interested in. Tape it, and you've automatically
found 2 hours for something that's important to you.
About the Author:
Professional Life Coach Kathy offers books,
programs, teleclasses, workshops, articles, and other
resources to help people who are burned out, stressed
out, and fed up to get back in touch with the
foundations of their life. www.reallifecoach.com