7 Little Changes That’ll Make a Big Difference with Your Stress

Small Life Hacks That Will Help You Better Manage Your Stress

Life is stressful.

Have the thoughts, “I could never do that” or “I don’t have time for that” ever kept you from doing something you knew was good for you?

Could it be you were envisioning some huge life change that would take tremendous willpower or would involve a significant time commitment? You don’t have to put it off any longer. Here are 7 little changes in your daily routine that are guaranteed to make a big difference in the way you feel.

You don’t have to struggle with big changes to make a big difference. Small changes can add up. Literally.

Otha Anders can attest to that. He saved his first penny over 45 years ago. His penny collection grew slowly as he picked up stray pennies he found along the way. Not long ago he loaded his collection into the back of his pickup and headed to the bank. With the help of five friends, he unloaded fifteen five-gallon plastic water jugs filled with pennies and carried them to his bank’s coin room. Hacking the jugs open with an ax and hammer, they fed the pennies into the bank’s coin counting machine. Five hours and over half a million pennies later, Otha deposited $5,136.14 into his bank account to go toward a recent dental bill. Think about that next time you consider leaving that measly little penny on the ground in the Wal-Mart parking lot. Small change can lead to big results.

7 Simple Life Hacks to Help With Your Stress

• Make a to-do list – Don’t bite off more than you can chew. I encourage you to get into the habit of planning your tomorrow the evening before. This will allow you to focus on what needs to be done and not get stressed over what to start with first thing in the morning. Before you go to bed in the evening, decide what is important that needs to get done the next day. Write that down. If something is urgent and needs to be done, write that down also. Finish your list. Now go through your list and pare it down. Then go through it one more time and cut even more. I know I tend to be over-optimistic about what I can effectively accomplish in any given day. This way you will accomplish the “have-to’s” on your list and at least one thing that will add value to your life or the life of someone else.

• Get to bed at least a half-hour earlier tonight – It may not seem like much, but most of us don’t get the needed 7-8 hours of sleep each night. If we’re not careful, the TV or those last-minute household chores will eat away at the night and we’ll finally roll into bed around midnight. Remember, small changes.

• Take a fifteen-minute walk – We can all benefit from moving around more. You don’t have to be running miles a day to reap the benefits of simple exercise. It begins with your first step. Try taking a walk during your lunch break. Walk around the neighborhood. You will be surprised how much of a difference this can make. Use this time to clear your head. Just relax and enjoy the walk.

• Take a warm bath or shower – I have a colleague who heads to the shower first thing after getting home from a difficult day at work. He envisions the warm soothing flow of water melting away all the toxic emotions he has dealt with during the day and lets them disappear down the drain. Later, when he emerges from his room, he can be husband and dad without the cares and struggles of the day overflowing onto his family.

• Spend fifteen minutes doing something that distracts you – It can be anything from playing with the family pet, that walk we talked about earlier, or playing an instrument. Do something that distracts you from your worries. After all, it’s only fifteen minutes so you won’t feel guilty about wasting it.

• Listen to music – When you listen to your favorite music it can transport you to wonderful places. Some folks love smooth jazz to melt away the stress of the day. Some love to blast their favorite tunes to block out everything else. Whatever works for you.

• Do something you have control over – Much of our stress comes from situations that are beyond our control. Do something you enjoy. Take on a small task that’s within your control. You’ll feel better once you’ve got it accomplished.

What small things have you found that make a big difference in managing your stress?