Throughout the day, we all have to deal with normal, everyday stressful situations. That is just a natural part of life. Many of these situations are beyond our control. Your spouse might come home from work in a grouchy mood. Your children may behave badly (as children sometimes do!). Or bad weather unexpectedly may delay you from getting to work on time. Life can be unpredictable.

And, of course, sometimes we create our own stress! When we arrive late to appointments, when we are not able to pay our bills due to overspending, and when we are tired due to staying up too late, we have created our own stress.

In order to enjoy each day, we need to develop good habits so that we can manage the stress we can’t avoid, and so that we can limit the stress that we create for ourselves. Below are some great habits you might consider adopting so that you can be happy and relaxed no matter what comes your way.

Get Enough Sleep: No one manages stress well when they are tired. In fact, I’ve known some people who fall apart even when they are just slightly tired. When you get enough sleep, you are better able to manage the occasional stresses that come with each day. For instance, waiting in a long line at the grocery store is exhausting when you didn’t get enough sleep the night before. However, a long line won’t seem like a big deal if you are feeling well-rested and relaxed.

Wake Up Early: No good comes from sleeping in too late, especially on a work day. Your life will go more smoothly if you go to sleep early and wake up early. Otherwise, you create the unnecessary stress of being late for appointments or late for work. Worse yet, you will approach every day tense and harried if you regularly race out the door because you are running late. Better to start each day early, feeling calm and prepared.

Don’t Multi-Task: Multi-tasking does not work. No one can do two things at once well. You simply can do two things at the same time poorly. Better to focus your attention on one task at a time. You then will make fewer mistakes, and you will be more relaxed in how you approach your work. When you accomplish one task at a time, you will be able to take pride in what you do because you will be doing your best work.

Fill Your Brain with Positive Influences: If you approach each day with a positive frame of mind, the little inconveniences of life won’t seem so bad. To stay positive, you need to carefully choose what you read and what you listen to. For example, while it is good to keep abreast of the news, most of the news is negative. Better to keep your current events information to a necessary minimum, and instead, read spiritually uplifting books or listen to interesting and positive podcasts. That way, you can maintain a good attitude, no matter what happens during your day.

Break the Caffeine Habit: For those of you who have a caffeine “addiction,” I am very sympathetic. I used to drink a pot of coffee during the course of a day. I always had a cup nearby. But a couple of years ago, I was sick and had to give up caffeine for a time. I ended up getting splitting headaches from the caffeine withdrawal (yes, some of us can have withdrawal symptoms from giving up caffeine!). However, once my body adjusted to being without caffeine, I noticed something – I no longer was as keyed up as I used to be.

The caffeine had made me tense in ways that I didn’t realize. Since giving up caffeine, I now am much more relaxed. And being relaxed and at ease puts me in the right frame of mind to deal calmly with the tiny bumps in the road that happen from time to time.

Be Organized: Being highly organized may sound boring. However, it is just the opposite. When you are highly organized, then you have fewer mishaps. For instance, if you open your email or regular mail every day and pay all your bills immediately, you won’t end up with late fees. And if you keep your home organized and tidy, then having unexpected guests isn’t stressful. Better yet, you aren’t constantly looking for your keys! There is no downside to being organized. In fact, highly organized people enjoy life more because they aren’t wasting their time dealing with the occasional disasters that happen to disorganized people.

Take Breaks During the Day: Between work and home responsibilities, it is easy to feel worn out by the end of the day. And when we are exhausted, every little thing that goes wrong seems ten times worse. Life is more civilized if you take short breaks throughout the day. When I used to work in an office, I found that just going outside to get a breath of fresh air made a huge difference. Even a ten-minute walk to grab cup of coffee could un-muddle my brain. I then was able to return and approach my work with a clear head and do a better job.

Consider following the above suggestions to reduce the every day stress in your life. You’ll find that by making some of these simple changes to your routine, your days will run more smoothly. And then if inconveniences happen, you’ll be able to handle them with ease.

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