How to De-Stress Your Life Improve Productivity - Introvert Whisperer

Introvert Whisperer / How to De-Stress Your Life Improve Productivity - Introvert Whisperer How to De-Stress Your Life Improve Productivity Intro: Are you tired of feeling bogged down by a seemingly never-ending number of things you have on your to-do list? Do you feel like you don’t remember what your life was like without stress? Sometimes it can feel like your life is in a permanent state of stress that you are unable to get out of. In reality, stress is something that will come and go in life. Its important to be able to manage your stress so that in busy times you can compartmentalize the stress and see it simply as a passing feeling. Follow these steps if you’re looking to de-stress your life and give yourself more time to focus on what makes you happy. 1 Learn stress-coping techniques If you find yourself overwhelmed with stress often, it can be a good idea to learn some coping techniques to help you through stressful times. Learn these tricks to manage your stress: Stay positive: keeping yourself in a positive mindset can help mitigate feelings of overwhelming stress. When you feel yourself stressing out over a situation or deadline, reframe your initial reaction into a more positive one. Think about all the reasons you are thankful for the responsibility and ability to work. Additionally, relinquishing control over your circumstances can help put you in a more positive mindset. Telling yourself that stress will happen, and simply acknowledging the feeling and not trying to micromanage everything, will help you to stay positive. Another way you can stay positive while in a period of stress is journaling. Journaling when you wake up in the morning can set the tone for the day. You can use journaling as a method of relaxation as well as a way to practice gratitude. Remain calm: If stress affects you in a physical way, use coping mechanisms to find relief. One way of remaining calm in times of stress is starting a meditation or yoga routine. Taking time each day to dedicate to a practice that focuses on grounding yourself is a great way to de-stress. Another calming practice you can adopt is to use breathing exercises in high-stress situations. The box breathing technique, implemented by the Navy Seals to remain calm in stressful situations, can be used for instant stress relief. Breathe in for 4 seconds, hold the breath for 4 seconds, breathe out for 4 seconds, and hold for 4 seconds. Try this a few times to instantly slow your heart rate and put you in a more relaxed state. 2 Stay organized A good way to ensure that you remain calm when you have several things going on at once is to stay organized. Writing down everything you need to do can help you easily stay on top of tasks. Write down all of your tasks for the week in a place where you will be reminded of them such as the calendar app on your phone. Set alerts to let yourself know when it’s time to start a new task. Reward yourself by crossing off each item when complete for a sense of accomplishment! Another way of staying organized in order to promote less stress is to not procrastinate. Stress often builds up when tasks build up. Therefore, completing tasks as they arrive or making a detailed to-do list and sticking to it can really help reduce stress when it comes to deadlines. 3 Get enough sleep In times of stress, we often feel like there aren’t enough hours in the day to complete all the tasks we need to get done. This can lead to us staying up late, waking up early, and even pulling all-nighters to get things done on time. Note that different ages need different amounts of sleep in order to function properly. For most adults, getting between 7-9 hours of interrupted sleep is ideal. In addition to focusing on getting the proper amount of sleep, we should consider the quality of sleep we’re getting. In order to wake feeling fully rested and ready to take on the day, we need to get good quality sleep. A lack of quality sleep can affect brain function and can leave us feeling groggy and tired. In order to get good quality sleep, we should go to bed feeling calm and relaxed. In order to achieve this relaxation, we should spend the 30 minutes before bed avoiding looking at our phones, reading a good book, stretching, drinking herbal tea, or doing any action that helps us unwind. 4 Say no to added responsibilities If you find yourself easily overwhelmed because you have too much on your plate, start saying no to added responsibilities when possible. Getting ahead at work, helping out more, or going to optional events isn’t worth sacrificing your mental health. Learn how to say to added responsibilities if you know it will cause stress. Additionally, leave time for yourself. Your social and work schedules should never be fully booked. Saying no to added responsibilities means also leaving room for self-care. Self-care isn’t always about spending money at a spa and treating yourself, but rather giving yourself time to unwind and relax. Don’t forget to leave time for yourself in order to re-energize so that when it’s time to get back to your tasks you feel less overworked and more focused. Outro: Although it’s nearly impossible to avoid stress entirely, finding ways to help you manage stress can make those times of high stress feel less daunting. Learning coping techniques, staying organized, getting enough sleep, and saying no to added responsibilities are all great ways to ensure you stay happy and healthy even in stressful times. Author Bio