“Relax.”
The word is said with good intentions but often has the opposite effect on someone who is feeling the pressure.
Regardless of this, relaxing is something that all of us should be doing more often. Especially as we get through one of the hardest years of our lives.
How to lower your stress levels
Here are some top tips for instant stress relief that can improve your wellbeing in as little as 15 minutes…
Slow down
When we are frantically running from point A to B, struggling to cram in every amount of work, productivity, seeing people, completing errands – it begins to feel like a never-ending story that we can’t get out of.
Once you actually begin to slow down your life becomes infinitely better. Start slowly by just spending one whole day doing just a handful of tasks, not rushing around ticking a million things off.
Get up earlier than you usually do, spend extra time, sit down to eat, drink and speak and breathe.
Be early
If you aim to arrive on time, it is easy to become late. By factoring in extra time for worst-case-scenarios, like traffic, breakdown or other inevitable issues you avoid the panic of time ticking away in front of you.
Control the factors that make you stressed – like tardiness – by setting your watch early, or scheduling meetings in your diary 15-30 mins earlier than they actually are.
This works surprisingly well for those who are still studying too. If you fill your diary with dates that are a few days ahead of when essays, reports or assessments are actually due, you alleviate the stress of a deadline.
Not to mention, you give yourself a few extra days to fine tune the final product.
Reset your morning routine
Start your day right. Don’t begin the day ahead by waking up with stress. By beginning each day with positivity you are guaranteed to improve the quality of your experiences.
Simple things like organising your lunch and wardrobe the night before can drastically improve your state of mind first thing in the morning. Click here for our top tips for starting the day off right.
Prepare the night before
Going to bed early can be a struggle for some, especially those who finish work late and find it hard to fit all of there to-do items before bed.
But make it a focus to aim for hitting the hay an hour earlier and your mind will be all the better for it.
Click here for our top tips for getting to sleep quick.
Re-organise Your Life
Being disorganised at home can extend to your work and outside life as well. If you reorganise your home life, you will be surprised at how quickly your outside work can become organised too.
A messy desk = a messy head. Clutter and mess can have adverse effects on our mental health. Instead of wasting time looking for lost things or struggling to find your latest bill, list or other items, being organised can significantly streamline your life.
Spend at least one day organising your home and office and do your best to keep everything in a place that is easily accessible.
