Top 10 Ways to Decrease Stress

According to Denny Kercher‘s book, I’m Juggling as Fast as I Can: 80% of what we think about is either in the past or the future, and 80% of those thoughts are negative. Thinking about this when you are “stressing out” is helpful to remember that it takes you out of living in the moment. Here are some other de-stressing techniques:

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Take a deep belly breath. Simple as that. Take four, five or ten of them. Think about your belly going in and out.
Let go of the outcome. There are many books and philosophies about this topic. It is very simple really. It is a lesson in control. Giving up control will actually help you to stop worrying and decrease your stress.

Debra Chance
Do you have an important presentation and get nervous before-hand? Enough that your heart beats very fast and your palms sweat? Try this trick: Close your eyes. Put very gentle pressure on your eyeballs with your fingers. Hold for one minute. This will work on your sympathetic nervous system to calm you down. Another way is to gently pinch the web of your hand, the fleshy spot between you thumb and first finger, and hold for one minute. Try this it works!
Take a walk. You already know the benefits of walking for your health, but even just walking around the block will help you clear your head and decrease your stress.
Stretch. I can't recommend this enough. It is very relaxing and there are stretches that can be done anywhere: In the car, on the airplane, at work, at home, standing in line, etc. When you are stressed, take notice if your shoulders are tight and do ten reverse shoulder rolls very slowly. Or, bend your upper body slowly to the floor and hang. I know many stretches and would be more than happy to show you a few of them.
Write. Write. Write. If you are going over an event or conversation in your head over and over, you can really stress yourself out. Even if you don't resolve anything today, write it all down. This is personal for you, so get it all out.
Eat good foods. Don't know what they are? Call Debbie Sarfati at Whole Nourishment. She knows all of them. (303)938-1468, www.wholenourishment.com
Hobbies? Don't have one? Get one. A great way do distract yourself is to actually distract yourself.
Make a list. If you are really overwhelmed, don't just write down all the things you have to do. Prioritize. Schedule yourself fun stuff too.
Live intentionally. In other words: Be conscious of who you are now, at this moment. Don't think about previous moments, even two minutes ago; don't think about tomorrow or the next day. You are here now. Reading this now. Any there is no better time than right now. This step is a lifelong process and not very simple, so don't stress out if it doesn't come naturally. There are teachers, mentors, and books about this topic. I encourage you to investigate what's out there.