20 Ways to Ease Stress…Part 1.

Don’t know where to start in your bid to manage stress? Here 20 simple ideas to help you let off some steam…

1. Have a laugh… look for the humor in stressful situations.  Laughter relaxes muscles and lowers blood pressure
2. Make realistic plans…. don’t try to do too many things.  Think ahead and adjust your plans to try to avoid triggers of stress
3. Claim some private time… have a morning prayer time, take quiet walks, get in the hot tub.  Have some space alone.
4. Breathe… take long, deep breaths, focusing on relaxation.
5. Communicate artfully… openly discuss situations, versus avoiding conflict.
6. The pause that refreshes… make many breaks part of your day.  Have a Starbucks therapy.  Take a break, take a walk, take time out.
7. Accept that nobody’s perfect… don’t demand absolute perfection of yourself…. set realistic and attainable goals.  Don’t sweat it if not everything is perfect.
8. Get moving… physical activity is a time-tested stress reliever.  Even a brisk walk will reduce the level of stress hormones in the blood.  Start slowly and aspire to at least 30 minutes a day. Three walks a week will do you good.
9. Use your friends… friends can be good medicine… daily conversation.  Regular social engagements and sharing of deep feelings and thoughts will reduce stress quite nicely.  Your friends are there for you and talking helps them de-stress, too.
10. Count to 10… it’s good to acknowledge your anger but let yourself cool down before you yell, rant, or rave.  Evidence shows that both repression and impulsively venting anger increases the risk of early death.