We live in a stressful world, bombarded by increasing demands, added responsibilities, and by choices between our professional and personal commitments. Sound familiar? Here are 30 ways to reduce stress in your life.

30 Ways to Reduce Stress

1. Make every moment matter. Time is your most valuable asset. Invest it wisely or you’ll be forced to make up for lost time.
2. Live within your means. Debt is a significant source of stress. Ask yourself whether buying something new, on credit, is worth the added pressure.
3. Build in “wiggle room.” Nothing ever goes as planned. When planning life’s journey, always have an alternate route.
4. Know your limits. Cut yourself some slack. You can’t be expected to constantly go full bore or perform well under continual pressure.
   
5. Get it right. Do things right the first time to avoid having to redo them later. Remember, problems are best addressed before they arise.
6. Be open to feedback. Learn from your mistakes. Lessons in life will be repeated until they are learned.
7. Be grateful. Don’t take things for granted. Appreciate what you have or you’ll be forced to learn what it meant to you after you lose it.
8. Take calculated risks. People who live on the edge never fear falling off. But remember, when you bet against the statistics, you’ll eventually become one.
9. Keep things in perspective. Establish priorities. Spend your time where it matters most, or you may live to regret it.
10. Manage your expectations. Set stretch goals, but make sure they’re realistic. Talking a good game doesn’t put points on the board.
11. Reserve “me” time. Give yourself time to pause. It’ll help you keep things in perspective and re-energize your batteries.
12. Say “no.” If you focus too much on making others happy, you may end up sacrificing your own happiness.
13. Work hard AND work smart. Stop and think. Being busy isn’t the same as being productive.
14. Think small. You don’t always have to swing for the fence. The cumulative impact of doing small things in a consistent manner is huge.
15. Plan ahead. Some things come as a surprise; others shouldn’t. Start saving for retirement beginning with your first paycheck.
16. Be early. Don’t wait until the last minute. Instead, be a few minutes early. If a mishap occurs, you’ll still be on time.
17. Go with the flow. Unforeseen events can be alarming and disruptive. But they’re also a fact of life. Expect it. Prepare for it. Remain flexible.
18. Shoot for excellence. Strive for excellence, not perfection. Excellent is more than sufficient.
19. Protect your downside. Be optimistic, but safeguard yourself in case the opportunity doesn’t pan out. If you put all your eggs in one basket, any fall will be a messy one.
20. See the invisible. It’s so easy to lose sight of the things that you can’t see. Trust takes a long time to develop, but can be lost in the blink of an eye.
21. Learn this costly lesson. Cheaper isn’t always less expensive. It’s better to buy good quality, up front, than to replace inferior quality later.
22. Be realistic. Don’t expect rainbows to fill the sky every day. Life is filled with “ups and downs,” so make the most of the “in-betweens.”
23. Find the right balance. Slow down. Happiness is a result of balance rather than intensity.
24. Set priorities. Is your plate overflowing? Saying “no” to one thing will enable you to say “yes” to another.
25. Save for a rainy day. Build a cushion in case unforeseen expenses strike — they usually do.
26. Do preventive maintenance. Take care of your things so that you avoid unnecessary fire drills.
27. Let it go. Keeping things bottled up inside yourself is stressful and anxiety provoking. Hate, envy, and revenge are destructive and unproductive.
28. Learn the meaning of enough. More isn’t always better. Stop working harder and harder to cross a finish line that YOU keep moving.
29. Chill out. Don’t take life so seriously. Most problems aren’t life changing. In fact, you’ll probably forget most of them within two months.
30. Listen to your conscience. Actions have consequences. Be prepared to accept them. Follow your conscience. Sleep well.

Instead of living life to the fullest, we’re all living life on the edge — cramming as much as we can into a day and scrambling to get ahead at all costs. We’re like hamsters on a treadmill, running pointlessly as precious moments pass us by. The sobering fact is, there may come a time when we sit back and wonder what we’ve gained from this frenetic race called life. The fact is, if you have the will and desire, you can change your course today. It’s time to reduce stress in your life. The truth is — you may not have the control to lengthen your life, but you can do much to deepen it. How do you reduce stress in your life?

How Do You Manage Stress?

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Additional Reading:
Lighten Up…And Take a Deep Breath
24 Ways to Simplify Your Life
Stressed Out? You May Be Doing It to Yourself
Inner Peace Is a Choice
Are You Busy Beyond Belief?
42 Ways to Make Your Life Easier
How to Overcome Negativity In Your Life

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