Part 2, as promised! If you didn’t get a chance to read “How to Deal with Stress – Part 1” yet, start there first! The next 5 tips complete my list of tips on how to deal with the everyday stress in our lives.

6. Take 5 and tune it out.

This is my “go to” for reducing my daily stress, and honestly, I do this 2-3 times on highly stressful days. In the “heat of the moment”, you have 2 choices. 1. You can add to the intensity by freaking out OR 2. You can breath, look at the big picture, and make an objective contribution to the conversation. How you react to stress directly affects how stress affects others around you. Throughout the day, take a few minutes to yourself to just breath and tune out the noise of your day.

7. Delegate responsibilities.

Odds are, if you are stressed, you are the keeper of many responsibilities. Learn to delegate simple tasks that could relieve some of your stress. If you’re married, feel free to ask your spouse for some help with house responsibilities. Same goes for kids – they can help out too! At work, know your limits, and don’t take on too much. If you do, then be humble and willing to ask for some assistance.

8. Refill regularly.

Picture yourself as a water pitcher. You are constantly pouring yourself out to your family, friends, work, etc. If you don’t refill, you will be empty. Refills are different for everyone. Some people refill by taking an hour for a manicure, others enjoy some retail therapy. If these aren’t your cup of tea, then maybe just have a cup of tea… Find your refill and use it as often as necessary to maintain your day to day lifestyle.

9. Talk it out.

At some point in your life, you have probably had that friend who was a really good listener, who you could just talk to about your issues and made you feel better just because they “heard” you. Keep this friend. Sometimes you just need to talk it out, and you feel better. Most of the time, you don’t even need advice. You just need to say it out loud to figure out your issue.

10. Plan ahead.

Always have something to look forward to in your schedule. It doesn’t have to be extravagant. It could be a monthly coffee date with one of your friends or an upcoming family trip. By having this already planned, you can remember these plans when you feel desperate for an escape.

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I hope the completed list helps you in de-stressing your life! Feel free to comment below with more tips and share how these have helped you so far 🙂

-L