How to Stress Less (Not More)!

By: Centerstone

If you’re ready to get rid of your gloomy mood and pessimism, you’ve come to the right place! It’s time to let go of misery and reduce your stress.

Here are five ways to reduce the amount of stress in your life:

Don’t track your faults
Keeping a full inventory of all your faults keeps your stress level high. Don’t recall all your past slip-ups, sins, mistakes and failures. Stop concentrating on your bad points. Avoid friends and relatives who remind you of your weaknesses; instead, focus on your strengths to reduce stress.

Get as much sleep as possible
Lack of sleep is a great stress producer. Some may think sleeping “wastes” valuable time (and then drink coffee and other caffeine-packed beverages to stay alert). But this behavior only increases stress. Rest isn’t for wimps. By getting more sleep, you’ll reduce your stress.

View the glass as half full
A negative outlook increases stress. So, it’s time to let your sad mood and pessimism go. Positive thinking helps you live a life with less stress and leads to lower rates of depression. Positive thinking also leads to a reduced risk of death from cardiovascular disease and better coping skills during hardships and times of crisis. View the glass as half full instead of half empty and enjoy a reduction in stress.

Communicate!
It’s important to let people know how you feel or what you need. Your friends and family members cannot read your mind and anticipate your needs. Communicating openly may seem like too much trouble, but it’s an important step to maintaining healthy relationships and reducing personal stress.

Don’t live in the past
To let go of stress, look forward, not back. Living in the past can be quite comfortable, but it can also be very stressful. Let go of all the things you should have done but didn’t. Stop reviewing your regrets regularly. Rerunning the past takes your mind off today. Live in the present.