The Best Methods To Reduce Stress

Be Sure To Prioritize

When dealing with stress related to your to-do list, one of the most helpful things you can do is learn to prioritize. As with breaking tasks down, use a physical sheet of paper or word document to plan. Write down everything you need or want to do. Depending on the amount that needs doing, you might want to sort the tasks into categories, such as work, school, household chores, and personal. Then sort the tasks by priority. The highest-priority ones are the ones with the closest due dates or anything overdue. Follow it up with items of medium and low priority. Having this physical list is extremely helpful because it works as a guide for productivity. You start with the highest-priority tasks, then when those are completed, move on to the others. This will keep you from missing deadlines and becoming overwhelmed. For large projects with multiple steps, break them down as mentioned previously. Then assign each part of the project a manageable due date, and put these tasks into the priority list.

Take Time To Relax

In today's modern world, we often receive messages telling us we have to be working at all times. If we're not literally at work or in school, we need to work on household chores, taking care of our families, and other activities that drain energy. But humans aren't actually built to function with constant busy work and productivity without breaks. We need to take time to relax. Not only is relaxation essential for mental health, but it's vital to our physical health as well. Relaxing activates our parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for everything unrelated to fight-or-flight. When we relax, our blood pressure lowers, and the levels of the stress hormone cortisol become lower in our blood. Relaxation gives us time to reconnect with the world. It's a chance to feel good and remind ourselves of what we enjoy, what positive elements we have in our life, and what our body needs.