Monday, March 24, 2014

14 Ways to Beat Stress in 2014 (Part 1)

Today is part 1 (1-7) because otherwise it would be WAY too long for one post :)

1) Prep- do the prep work.  This could be anything from laying out your clothes the night before, planning out your schedule for the week, packing lunches the night before, or doing meal preparation on Sundays for the week ahead.  Preparation is the KEY!



2) Write it Down!  Make a list of things to do and don't worry about adding to it (aka making the list longer).  As you think of something write it down/make note of it immediately so that you won't forget to do it.  Then, as you do it- CROSS IT OFF!  Celebrate the fact that it's taken care of!  (and if it helps to write something down AFTER you do it then cross it off- then by all means- go for it LOL) :)  And writing it down goes for goals and dreams also.  Put it on paper- dream big!
(see I told you it was okay) LOL

3) Set Priorities- On that to-do list make stars or hearts or something beside the ones that MUST be done that day.  Organize them into Must-Do Today tasks and It's okay if ends up another day tasks and then be okay with that.



4) Say something nice.  Seriously- if you are stressed so are other people.  Sometimes, the best way to defuse a stressful situation or to calm yourself down is to look at the situation or person and say something nice/compliment them.  I guarantee it will make them feel better as well as making yourself feel better!



5) Take a bubble bath or a hot shower- just get away from the "real world" for a few minutes (or longer if needed).  Sometimes that's all it takes to gain a new perspective on things.  And even if not, you have had a chance to relax and unwind before approaching life again!





6) Dance- I am not a dancer and I don't pretend to be but I will say, there's just something about cutting loose in the privacy of your home (or car if you are brave) and just dancing around to a song that's playing.  My current song that makes me want to dance is "Happy".  You can't help but smile when you are dancing (especially if you can laugh at yourself!) 


7) Say hello to a stranger.  Runners are always really good at this- you might get a good morning or just a simple nod of acknowledgement but don't let it just be a runner.  There's the saying that your smile might be the only one someone sees that day.  There's numerous stories out there where a simple kind word from a stranger turns someone's day around.  You never know what your simple words to acknowledge the existence of someone can do!  Make a difference!




There's 1-7.  8-14 will be later this week, along with another post that I am cooking up (and maybe 2 more!)  You would think that I would have worked on these over spring break but nope- didn't happen :)  Oh, and these reminders are for myself as well ;)    Which one of these will you try today?  (in fact, there's 7- you can do at least one a day for the next week!)

*all of the graphics were located on pinterest and saved to the computer.  They were not altered in any way.

4 comments:

Bill (cycleguy) said...

i CAN tell you I ain't going to dance! :) And that song? Aaaah no. (But you know my style). As you know I smile and laugh easily. I'll give one of those away today.

Tami Grandi said...

I know you won't dance LOL and I know you don't like that style but the song is just FUN :) Love you

Unknown said...

Love these, especially the saying hello/smiling at someone else :) I'm a huge fan of writing things down just to check them off, too, haha. What can I say? Definitely a Type A person ;)

Brooke said...

"Happy" is such an infectious song!
although i will admit that your marathon ticket does make me a bit stressed/anxious! :P