These 15 essential tips on how to live a stress free life will help you to dramatically reduce the stress and anxiety that builds up in your day to day life.
So How Can You Reduce Stress?
We all wish we knew how to live a stress free life but we have busy lives. It’s no surprise that life can get a bit too much for some of us.
It’s easy for the pressure life puts on us to leave us feeling stressed out but we must make sure we deal with this in a healthy way.
Stress can be caused by a number of factors. Work, family, relationships, and financial problems are all common triggers. Big life changes can also cause stress. For example, buying a house, getting married, or losing a loved one.
It’s important that we learn to manage stress as it can be very serious when stress gets out of control.
Short on time? Pin this post for later.
The Effects Of Stress
Stress can affect us in many ways. It can make us feel overwhelmed, irritable, and scared. It can also change the way we feel about ourselves causing poor self-esteem and low mood.
Stress may cause us to worry constantly, and cause poor concentration, and decision-making problems. It may cause sleep issues which can lead to fatigue and an inability to cope throughout the day.
Feeling stressed out can also affect us physically, causing headaches, nausea and dizziness. This can lead to poor appetite. Muscle tension and pain may also be experienced.
This post may contain affiliate links, if you click on a link and make a purchase I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.
[convertkit_form form=”6855770″]
How To Live A Stress Free Life
A little stress from time to time is a normal part of life, but when things get too much it is very important to reduce stress as much as possible. Here are 15 simple stress management strategies to help you work towards becoming stress free.
Just Breathe
When you start to feel stressed take 5 minutes and breathe deeply. Really concentrate on your breathing. This will help reduce stress hormones and lower heart rate and blood pressure. Try a simple relaxation technique like the ones listed here.
Go For A Walk
If you have 30 minutes free, take a walk. The fresh air helps to relax the mind.
Walking can increase endorphins which will reduce stress hormones. It will also boost your energy and reduce fatigue.
Sleep Well
It’s so important to get a good night’s sleep. This will help to reduce stress and fatigue. It will also help to improve concentration and cognitive function.
The more sleep we have, the more energy we have to help us deal with the stresses of the day.
If you have problems falling asleep, take a look at my tips to get a good night’s sleep.
Reduce Alcohol, Caffeine, Nicotine
All of these things may trick you into thinking that you need them in times of stress. They may actually make you feel better for a short while.
The truth is that they can all contribute to stress. Caffeine and nicotine are both stimulants and can only make things worse.
Although alcohol is a depressive and will calm you down in the short term, in the long run it will only contribute to feelings of anxiety. This will make stress harder to deal with.
Here are some tips on how to reduce caffeine.
Stay Hydrated
For a quick, easy, and free way to help combat stress drink a glass of water. If we don’t drink enough water there is a risk of being dehydrated which is known to cause stress.
Dehydration can cause stress hormone levels to rise. It’s recommended that we drink 2 to 3 litres of water per day.
Healthy Eating
When stressed we crave foods that are very high in sugar and fat. This can lead to health issues and weight gain which of course will lead to more stress. Reduce your intake of unhealthy foods and increase the number of foods that are known to relieve stress.
- Spinach
- Blueberries
- Pistachios
- Salmon
- Dark Chocolate
- Avocado
- Bananas
- Swiss Chard
- Carrots
- Yoghurt
Have A Laugh
Laughter is a great way to reduce stress. It can greatly reduce the physical symptoms of stress. Laughter increases your intake of oxygen, stimulating your heart and lungs, and increasing endorphins.
Laughter can also stimulate circulation and aid muscle relaxation. It makes difficult situations easier to cope with, connects you with other people and improves your mood.
Listen To Music
Listening to soothing music can reduce heart rate, blood pressure and stress. It can instantly relax you and calm your mind.
I often turn to music when things get rough, it has never failed me yet. Try the
Ultimate Relaxation Playlist the next time you are feeling stressed.
Reach Out To Friends And Family
You know how the old saying goes! Sharing what’s troubling you with others can be a great relief and can reduce stress greatly.
The support of our loved ones is so important and it is never healthy to keep things bottled up.
Although they may not be able to solve your problems, just talking about it can sometimes be enough to clear your mind and enable you to see a way forward.
Yoga
Yoga is a mind-body practice combining physical poses, controlled breathing and meditation. It can help lower blood pressure and heart rate and reduces stress.
Yoga has many styles and difficulty levels, meaning it’s accessible to almost everyone.
Hatha yoga is especially good for dealing with stress. It is slower-paced and focuses on individual poses, combined with controlled breathing.
Practice Mindfulness
Mindfulness is a simple form of meditation that brings our attention to the present moment. It focuses on breathing and full-body scans which directs attention to particular areas of the body and sensations that can be felt.
By focusing on the here and now we are less likely to worry about the future or regret the past.
Mindfulness may reduce stress, improve sleep and help lower blood pressure.
Be More Organised
A disorganised world can create stress. Organising your day can bring a sense of control over your life which will reduce stress.
Here are some tips.
- Write things down
- Make schedules and set deadlines
- Use a checklist
- Automate everything you can
- Avoid multitasking
- Declutter your home
- Plan your day the night before
Be sure to check out my post on the best planners for organisation.
Be Positive
Whether you’re the glass half empty or half full type can affect your stress levels. Negative thoughts can activate a stress response but having an optimistic mind can reduce stress, give you better coping skills and improve your overall wellbeing.
Positive thinking is not about sticking your head in the sand and ignoring your problems but about dealing with them in a positive and healthy way.
The first step is to change your automatic thought processes from negative to positive and to focus on the best possible outcome, not the worst.
Learn To Say No
It’s always easier to say yes, but taking on too much can result in loss of control. In turn, this can lead to stress, which may cause you to get run down and possibly sick.
If you are worried that you will cause offence by saying no, just remember that if you are honest and respectful people will understand.
It is so much better to devote more time and energy to 5 projects than spread yourself thinly working on 10.
Accept That There Are Things Beyond Our Control
It’s a fact of life that we can’t control everything. Some things are just out of our hands. Accepting this and not wasting time worrying about them will reduce stress greatly. You can’t control what other people do and how they feel but you can have the best influence possible.
If you think about the worst possible outcome I bet it’s not that bad. Know that you will get through it and move on to what you can change.
Focus on the things that can be controlled and make realistic and positive choices.
These are the tools that get me through stressful times. What do you do to help with stress management?
Related Posts On Stress
How To Live A Stress Free Life
