6 Strategies for Reducing Daily Stress

Do you wake up in the morning dreading all the things you have to do in a day? Are you feeling overwhelmed by the size of your to do list?

For a long time, I felt this way. It seemed I could never catch my breath. I was a single mom raising three kids, going to school full time, working, and fulfilling community and church responsibilities. Instead of me managing life, life was managing me. After feeling completely beaten into the ground, I learned a few strategies that significantly reduced my stress levels. My clients say they have made a positive impact in their lives as well.

6 Strategies for Reducing Daily Stress:

1. Calendar It: Whether you keep a paper planner or an electronic calendar, calendar your personal, family, and professional to do items. Writing everything down (physically or electronically) will help you stay on task AND will significantly reduce the mental energy that fatigues you working about or actually forgetting something. I have recently graduated to electronic calendaring. I LOVE the reminder alarms!

Be sure to Include anticipated travel time, any grooming needs (for you or your four-legged family members), home and car care, and MOST IMPORTANTLY breaks! Schedule these breaks as if they are meetings with/for yourself. Use these meetings to decompress in 15-to-30-minute increments throughout the day. If you don't, they most likely will not happen and you'll experience burn out.

2. Before going to bed at night, preview your to do list for the next day. If you've over scheduled the next day, see what you can take off your to do list by either delegating (finding additional resources), rescheduling, or canceling all together. It will help you create a strategy for success before going to sleep so you're not up all-night stressing about things.

3. Think about it! When someone asks you to do something, ask for time to think about it. You'll want to check your availability from not only a calendar perspective but also from an energy perspective.

Let's say someone asks you for a favor Wednesday night, but Thursday morning you have a big presentation at work. To set yourself up for success you'll want to rehearse your presentation material and get a good night's rest the night before. To take on a last minute task Wednesday night may keep you from the prep work and sleep you need. So in this situation you would say "I'm sorry, I'm not available." When you consider what takes your physical, emotional and spiritual energy before making a commitment, it will help you to say "yes" or "no" with confidence and significantly reduce your stress.

4. Drink water frequently! Staying hydrated will keep your body functioning properly, reduce headaches and fatigue, promote mental clarity, and will also force you to get up and walk to the restroom. Believe it or not, that 3-minute bathroom break will do wonders for your mental health. It will force a much-needed mental break you may otherwise not have. Just by walking to the restroom for that short time will oxygenate your blood reducing stress, give you a fresh perspective, and if you're working in an office, it provides opportunities to connect with others along the way.

5. Think only about the next thing! When we have a lot to do thinking about all we have to do is overwhelming. Any time you have a daunting assignment, task, or list of things to do, focus on “what comes next”. What is the very next thing you need to do? Focus on doing that next thing and focus on doing it well. And once that’s completed, focus on the next thing that comes after that. You can do one thing at a time and if you’ve scheduled out your day, you will be able to accomplish that next thing well.

6. Incorporate fun into your day! For me I treat myself to watching one rerun episode of friends, listen to 2-3 of my favorite songs, and look at funny YouTube videos throughout the day. These always make me smile, boost my mood, and my favorite songs make me want to dance. Find the things that make you laugh, smile, or bring back great memories. It will break the tension throughout the day AND will keep you motivated to keep going. You can even use these as rewards after completing a difficult task or responsibility.

Remember you can be the master of your destiny. You don’t have to feel overwhelmed along the journey. I hope these strategies help you as much as they’ve helped me. What strategies have worked best for you?