Ten simple ways to live a less stressful life.

Stress is a major problem for many people; a hectic, stressful job, a chaotic home life, bills to worry about, and bad habits such as unhealthy eating, drinking and smoking can lead to a mountain of stress.

If your life is full of stress, there are some simple things you can do to get your life to a more manageable level.

Now, your life will probably never be stress-free even if it is desirable, and possible, because stress is something that challenges us and helps us grow. At a reasonable level.

You can work long hours in a very stressful job, with little time for your family, smoking and eating fatty foods and not exercising. For that you have a lot of debt and too many bills. It can cause you being unhappy, unhealthy and stressed out all the time. Actually that is because of genetics, but still being pretty stressed.

So you can make some drastic changes an you quit your job. In that case you simplify your life. Not only that but also you quit smoking and start exercising and eating healthier. It eliminates your debt. And you learn some habits that, when apply on a daily basis, can really transform the way you live, in a positive way.

How do you do all of this? One thing at a time. You don’t do a major recall of your life. You change one habit a month, and gradually over the course of a year or two can change a lot of things in your life.

It won’t guarantee that all of these will work for some. They work for all people, but each person is different. Pick and choose the ones that will work best for you, and give them a try. One at a time.

1. One thing at a time. This is the simplest and best way to start reducing your stress, and you can start today. Right now. Focus as much as possible on doing one thing at a time. Clear your desk of distractions. Pick something to work on. Need to write a report? Do only that. Remove distractions such as phones and email notifications while you’re working on that report. If you’re going to do email, do only that. This takes practice, and you’ll get urges to do other things. Just keep practicing and you’ll get better at it.

2. Simplify your schedule. A hectic schedule is a major cause of high stress. Simplify by reducing the number of commitments in your life to just the essential ones. Learn to say no to the rest and slowly get out of commitments that aren’t beneficial to you. Schedule only a few important things each day, and put space between them. Get out of meetings when they aren’t absolutely essential. Leave room for down time and fun.

3. Get moving. Do something each day to be active walk, hike, play a sport, go for a run. It doesn’t have to be grueling to reduce stress. Just move. Have fun doing it.

4. Develop one healthy habit this month. Other than getting active, improving your health overall will help with the stress. But do it one habit at a time. Eat fruits and veggies for snacks. Floss every day. Quit smoking. Cook something healthy for dinner. Drink water instead of soda. One habit at a time.

5. Do something calming. What do you enjoy that calms you down? For many people, it can be the “get moving” activity discussed above. But it could also be taking a nap, or a bath, or reading, (which can also be considered a “get moving” activity if you do it for longer than 5 minutes). Other people are calmed by housework or yard work. Some people like to meditate, or take a nature walk. Find your calming activity and try to do it each day.

6. Simplify your finances. Finances can be a drain on your energy and a major stressor. If that’s true with you, figure out ways to simplify things. Automate savings and bill payments and debt payments. Spend less by going shopping (at malls or online) much less. Find ways to have fun that don’t involve spending money.

7. Have a blast! Have fun each day, even if it’s just for a few minutes. Some like to play with their kids, they take the mind off everything and are really hilarious. They also like to play sports (again, often with my kids). Board games are fun. Dancing, again, can be a fun activity. Whatever you choose, be sure to laugh.

8. Get creative. Throwing yourself into a creative activity is another great way to de-stress and to prevent stress. Some people like writing, but others like to paint or play music or sketch or make pottery or do interior design or build things.

9. Dilution. This is a favorite of some people. You can like to take 20-30 minutes and just go through a room, getting rid of stuff we don’t use or need anymore. Some people look around at anything that’s cluttering up a room, and get rid of it or find a better place for it. When I’m done, I have a nice, peaceful environment for work, play, and living. Do this a little at a time; it can be one of your “fun activities”.

10. Be early. It will admit that it’s hard to be early when you have to get 6 kids ready (seriously, try it!). But being late can be very stressful. Try to leave earlier by getting ready earlier, or by scheduling more space between events. Things always take longer than normal, so schedule some buffer time: extra time to get ready, to commute, to do errands before you need to be somewhere, to attend a meeting before another scheduled appointment. If you get somewhere early, it’s good to have some reading material.

As a conclusion you have to keep the stress in your life to a manageable level by taking a look on those different ways so that you choose one which will help you.