Happy New Year! Try some of these suggestions and see if your new year is more peaceful, less stressed.
1. Approach each moment with excitement. Watch your life transform when you perceive it with positivity.
2. When in doubt, laugh. Even if you are not on top of the world, a laugh can trick your mind into thinking you are doing ok, that you are feeling upbeat and joyous. The physical act of laughing sends a signal throughout your body to relax, to not be so defensive. This may be a surprise, but the internal vibration laughing sends through your body soothes your internal organs as well (crazy, I know).
3. In the morning, think of your to-do list and prioritize. You not only want to prioritize the necessities, but also your wants. That is, what needs to be done in order for you to feel balanced and at peace. If you can organize your day to some degree, an increased sense of calm will follow. Take time for yourself today!
4. Pay attention to any obstacles you face today, and most importantly, how you handle them. When you effectively manage a tough situation, spend more time acknowledging your skills that were needed to accomplish that goal. In other words, give yourself credit for a job well done!
5. Notice the little jewels in your day, the things often taken for granted. The sun, flowers, animals, people laughing, children playing, and the fact the sun rose this morning.
6. Focus on one thing at a time. Although you have many things to do, focus on what is in front of you. This present-mindedness helps prevent an overwhelmed, stressed out feeling. It also makes the activity more enjoyable since you are taking in the experience, paying attention to any sights and sounds, things easily overlooked in the normal day to day bustle.
7. Get in touch with your favorite music. Listen to it, hear it and have it around you. Research has shown time and again, how music has a calming effect on our brains and our bodies. Think of how often your mood has changed for the better after listening to a favorite song.
8. What do you find humorous today? Funny things are happening around us all the time, so pay attention and relax in the humorous side of life
9. Don’t let little things bother you. Stop sweating the small stuff!
10. Festering, mulling events over and over in your mind is not a good mental healthpractice. Either talk it out or let it go.
11. How are you going to give up control this week? Pick something you typically feel compelled to control and decide to let go. It’s unrealistic and unhealthy to feel you need to control all things in your life. Instead, get in the practice of actually saying words such as, “I will let it go and leave it.”
12. Think of a hobby or activity that is relaxing for you and schedule it this week. Examples could be a yoga class, a movie, shopping, biking, hanging out with friends, or taking a drive to your favorite spot. Whatever it is, follow through on it, prioritizing your very important “me” time.
13. Take time to foster your relationships with loved ones. Connection with others is a vital component to happy mental health. Feeling unified with others is necessary for your spiritual, physical, and mental well-being. This week get in touch with someone special in your life.
14. When feeling overwhelmed, remember to stop and take deep abdominal breaths. Put yourself in a quiet area where you can be along. Try shutting out all the clutter for a few minutes, so you can allow your mind time to decompress.
15. Motivation comes with the doing, not the feeling. With the gains, not the complaints. With forward movement, not regret of steps not taken.
16. It is better to exercise everyday, even if it’s just a small amount of time. Ten minutes a day, everyday, is better for stress management, than a 45- minute session, once per week. This may seem minimal, but keep in mind it’s not where you are, but where you are headed to keep yourself motivated.
Ten minutes per day, this week, could easily lead to 15 minutes per day next week. Before you know it, you will have found a way to carve out enough time per week for your fitness goals. Getting into the habit of daily exercise will go a long way toward overall anxiety reduction.
• This week incorporate at least 10 minutes of exercise in your daily routine. See how you feel in a week. You very likely will want to increase the amount of time in the weeks to follow.
17. Organize your life. Declutter. It’s amazing how much clearer your mindset will be once you get rid of the clutter. With a clear head the overwhelming sense of “things to do” will lighten and you’ll more easily tackle those things of priority for you, whether it is things for work, home life or personal development. When you have clutter and massive disorganization it is much more difficult to put that aside because it’s always lingering, and always a thing you need to get done. Create an area in your home that is organized, which will make it much easier for your mind to stay more focused during the day.
18. Drink a glass of water first thing in the morning. It provides the following stress-reducing benefits:
• It will speed up your metabolism first thing in the morning.
• It will help you feel full, so you can consume less non-essential calories.
• It is contributing to your body’s demands for daily hydration, that is so vital to physical and mental health.
• It provides you with energy. What a great way to fend off stress!
19. When making plans, be sure to add on an additional 5-10 minutes it will take to get to your destination. Underestimating the amount of time is a sure way to cause unnecessary stress for yourself, resulting in a lot of rushing around. Instead of mismanaging your time, add on 5-10 minutes and you’ll begin to enjoy the sense of control you have over your plans and your life.
20. If something does not go your way, don’t judge all your actions by this one situation. This is called overgeneralizing, which fosters a highly negative mindset. It prevents you from acknowledging your accomplishments, and instead keeps you focused on your mistakes.
Try some of these ways to begin 2019 with less stress. You can find many more tips on my website www.happymentality.com.
Have any more stress management strategies that have worked for you? Be sure to leave a comment on my website.
Thanks and Happy New Year!
Andrea