First let me say that I didn’t come up with this list. I found it in a local advertisement for a hospital. But we do stay way too stressed out and this list holds some practical, simple ways to make your life less crazy. But in writing this post I have to say that NOT HAVING A BLOG would help me cope with stress! Just trying to format these posts makes me crazy sometimes! Somebody, somewhere, sometime must have prayed for me to have more patience. They better hope I don’t find out who they are 😉
- Get up 18 minutes early
- Prepare for the morning the night before
- Avoid tight fitting clothes
- Avoid relying on chemical aids (I can attest personally to this one—Trouble with a capital T!
- Set appointments ahead
- Don’t rely on your memory…write it down
- Practice preventative maintenance
- Make duplicate keys
- Say “no” more often
- Set priorities in your life
- Avoid negative people (Some days this means I can’t look in the mirror)
- Use time wisely
- Simplify meal times (“Kids, go jump in the car”)
- Always make copies of important papers (and then remember where you put them)
- Anticipate your need
- Repair anything that doesn’t work properly (In my house this means call a handyman, or we’ll end up paying more in the long run)
- Ask for help with the jobs you don’t like (Or just don’t do them)
- Break large tasks into small portions
- Look at challenges differently
- Unclutter your life (That one alone would cure my stress)
- Smile
- Prepare for rain
- Tickle a baby
- Pet a friendly dog or cat (or one of the horses (ahem—great danes) that live in my house)
- Don’t know all the answers (No matter how badly I want to)
- Look for the silver lining
- Say something nice to someone (especially your significant other…we neglect them all too often)
- Teach a kid to fly a kite (right after you teach yourself!)
- Walk in the rain
- Schedule play time into every day
- Take a bubble bath (I’m especially good at that one!)
- Be aware of the decisions you make
- Believe in yourself
- Stop saying negative things to yourself
- Visualize yourself winning
- Develop your sense of humor
- Stop thinking tomorrow will be a better day
- Have goals for yourself
- Dance a jig
- Say hello to a stranger
- Ask a friend for a hug
- Look up at the stars
- Practice breathing slowly
- Learn to whistle a tune (Or just watch Andy Griffith)
- Read a poem
- Listen to a symphony
- Watch a ballet
- Read a story curled up in bed
- Do a brand new thing
- Stop a bad habit
- Buy yourself a flower
- Take stock of your achievements
- Find support from others
- Ask someone to be your “vent” partner (I got one of those just this week!)
- Do it today
- Work at being cheerful and optomistic
- Put safety first
- Do everything in moderation
- Pay attention to your appearance
- Strive for excellence not perfection (I needed this one a LONG time ago)
- Stretch your limits a little each day
- Look at a work of art
- Hum a tune
- Maintain your weight
- Plant a tree
- Feed the bird
- Practice grace under pressure
- Stand up and stretch
- Always have a plan “B”
- Learn a new doodle
- Memorize a joke
- Be responsible for you feelings
- Learn to meet your own needs
- Become a better listener
- Know your limitations and let others know them too
- Tell someone to have a good day in pig latin
- Throw a paper airplane
- Exercise every day
- Learn the words to a new song
- Get to work early
- Clean out a closet
- Play patty-cake with a toddler
- Go on a picnic
- Take a different route to work
- Leave work early  (with permission, of course)
- Put air freshener in your car
- Watch a movie and eat popcorn
- Write a note to a far-away friend
- Go to a ball game and scream
- Cook a meal and eat it by candlelight
- Recognize the importance of unconditional love
- Remember that stress is an attitude
- Keep a journal
- Practice a gigantic smile (but don’t creep people out!)
- Remember you always have options
- Have a support network of people, place, and things
- Stop trying to “fix” other people
- Get enough sleep (which I need to go do right now!)
- Talk less and listen more
- Freely praise other people
- Relax and take one day at a time…you have the rest of your life to live
- And I MUST add one more…PRAY, PRAY, and PRAY some more!
