Identify the stressors in your life. As simple as it sounds, many people aren't even aware of what stresses them out, nor does everyone find the same things stressful. One person's stress can be another's challenge or motivation. Similarly, few people realize how much their own thoughts, feelings and behaviors contribute to their stress. We are each in charge of how we interpret events in our lives. We are also in charge of behaviors such as procrastination, lack of organization, and inattention that lead to deadline worries, not paying bills on time and inability to accomplish important tasks which, in turn, cause stress. Therefore, the first import step is to identify the stressors in your life and the ways you might be contributing to them.
Simplify Your Life. If you are burning yourself out by doing too much, start cutting back on some of your unproductive, yet time consuming and energy draining activities. No one can do everything. Set your priorities and make room for doing what you value and find most important. Equally important is learning to say NO! Delegate and redistribute tasks if you have to, but don't try to do it all. Hire a cleaning service one day a week, get a baby sitter to pick up the kids after school, have a lawn service do the landscaping. Feeling stressed and overburdened comes from taking on too much and not balancing it with relaxation and down time.
Reduce effects of stress by eating well, exercising regularly and getting enough sleep. I don't know about you, but when I'm hungry, sluggish (from inactivity) or tired, I am very stressed and grumpy! Not getting the nutrients your body needs to stay healthy causes both mental and physical stress; so does not getting enough sleep. And regular exercise not only releases tension and stress while you're doing it, it builds stamina and endurance enabling you to handle stress better. Most people totally underestimate the importance of maintaining good physical health to ward off stress and anxiety.
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