Thursday, December 13, 2012
In the spirit of continuing to enjoy this month of holiday celebrations, I’ve decided to continue the list started in last week’s blog post on ways to reduce your stress level. Some of these may be longer-term solutions but are all great things to begin to practice today!
1. Every day before leaving your office or ending your day, make a list of your top priorities five priorities to complete tomorrow.
2. Delegate all non-priorities (both at home and at work).
3. Begin a regular exercise routine – even if it starts as just a 10-minute walk every day, start doing it.
4. Stop worrying about things you cannot control (i.e., the weather, the delayed train or plane, the fact that your boss is in a bad mood).
5. If you must worry, set a timer for three-five minutes of “worry time”. Then let it go and move on.
6. Don’t play the “what if” game (“what if my flight gets delayed?” “What if my boss hates my presentation?”)
7. Instead, play the “wouldn’t it be nice” game (“Wouldn’t’ it be nice if I get an upgrade to business class on my next flight?” “Wouldn’t it be nice if my boss loves my presentation and has no changes?”…)
8. If you are feeling anxious when you wake up, wait before jumping out of bed. Focus on your breath for at least 3 minutes, until you feel less anxious and can get out of bed and begin your day on a calm note.
9. Don’t sleep with your work cell phone next to your bed. Leave it in another room before going to sleep.
10. Make a rule that at least one day every weekend will be a work-free day – you will not look at any work email or any work-related material.
11. Share a smile with a stranger.
Okay, that was 11 so you got one extra! I trust you definitely can start doing a handful of these things today so your stress level begins decreasing. What other ideas to you have for stress reduction? I’d love to hear what works best for you. Feel free to make a comment to share your ideas or post some suggestions to our Facebook page.
