Nine tips to reduce stress

Take time to watch the clouds go by.

Stress damages your immune system and lowers your overall sense of wellbeing. It is very important to aim to reduce and eliminate stress in your life. The following tips are suggested as ways to improve your control in your life and to allow you to effectively combat stress.

1. Prioritize your tasks

When you are not sure what is important to you, it is easy to lose your way among all the details and distractions of life. When you keep your priorities in mind it will be easier to keep focused on the work at hand and not to spend time and effort worrying about what is not important.

2. Concentrate on one thing at at time

For all the social myths that make “multi-tasking” desirable, the truth is that if you try to do too many things at once you will not end up doing anything particularly well. Stress is the inevitable result of a cluttered mind and unsure priorities. Once you have determined the relative importance of things you need to do, concentrate on one thing at a time, and do it well.

3. Keep your objectives clear

Define your objectives closely so that you know what kind of results you want to achieve. When you are not clear about exactly what you want to get out of the tasks you embark upon, you will always be left in doubt and uncertainty. Stress proceeds from such quandaries.

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4. Get regular exercise

Exercise is not only beneficial for bodily health—it refreshes the mind as well. Exercise is an excellent method of taking your mind off pressing tasks which may be causes of stress. While distracted by exercise, your subconscious mind will be grappling with your dilemmas for you. You may find that after a few weeks of regular exercise you find the instances of unsought inspiration increase.

5. Eat healthy

Of all the popular clichés thrown around in today’s world, “you are what you eat” is probably one of the most apt. Good quality food and a balanced diet helps nourish your body and helps you cope with stressful situations more effectively. This is especially important to keep in mind, as when stressed many people have a tendency to turn to comfort eating and junk food for a quick fix.

6. Take up meditation

Meditation allows your mind to relax and rest in a way unequalled even by sleep. Regular meditation equips you with an inner calmness which can be brought to bear during even the most stressful moments of life.

7. Listen to music

We all recognise songs and pieces of music that make us feel relaxed, energised and inspired. In times of stress, listening to music can effectively change our way of thought and give us a new direction. Unfortunately, when in the grip of stress many people do not want to listen to music as their mood is so far removed from the positive associations invoked by the music. In these circumstances, I cannot over-emphasise the value of partaking in music regardless, and observing the stress busting qualities of music working over a very short period of time.

8. Get enough sleep

Each adult needs different quantities of sleep, but it is always in the region of between five and nine hours per night. It is important that you get to know the amount of sleep you need and make sure you have enough time so that your needs are met. This time will also include the requisite period needed to unwind before bed. Good quality sleep rejuvenates the body and also allows your mind to digest problems that may be causing you stress. The expression “sleep on it” does not spring out of nowhere.

9. Aim for balance in your life

One of the biggest causes of stress is the feeling that there is never enough time for anything, or that life is spent rushing from one thing to another, without any sense of achievement. To reduce stress, try to see the different spheres of your life as an inclusive whole, and make sure justice is done to all of them. The phrase “work/life balance” does not do this justice as it implies a dualism between working and non-working life which simply does not exist in real terms. Give each task the time and effort it requires, but do not ignore your needs for relaxation, hobbies and quality time with family and friends.

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