Stress is part of our lives – whether it’s a start-of-the-year slump, COVID restrictions or just staying on top of the day-to-day. When it’s constant and begins to interfere with your wellbeing, it can become destructive and overwhelm you.

Sometimes, the mere thought of trying to reduce stress can cause even more stress.

Here are five simple things you can do to minimize stress and help avoid overwhelm.

Know Your Signs

Be it headaches, rapid breathing, irritability, anxiety or brain fog, we all have indicators of unhealthy stress. Listen to your body and get to know your signs. Don’t wait until you’re hurtling toward overwhelm.

We often only realize these after the event, so write them down when you have those “aha” moments after a stressful period. You’re more likely to notice them next time and when you do, it can give you enough pause to at least see through the fog and put things into perspective. 

Weed Out Your Schedule

When we take on too much it’s very likely to lead to stress. One of the biggest culprits is the amount of information we are exposed to nowadays, telling us that we “must have” or “must do” certain things. This leads to lists and lists of stuff and fluff that we don’t need, nor ever get around to.

Learn to prioritize and cut out the junk.

Move Outside

I don’t need to labour this point, you get it, I know you do. Movement and being outside (preferably in nature) are free/gratis stress busters. Step out of your home and go for a walk or a run. This isn’t something you have to plan either – you just open your door and step OUT!

Take a stroll with the family, so you can all get those endorphins buzzing and de-stress together. If you can find a patch of winter sunshine, get your face in it and close your eyes for 10 minutes.

Unplug Electronics

Social media is constantly telling us how we do not measure up, what else we should be doing to look a certain way, how to hit six figures in six days, look how yummy this mummy is – where did you go wrong … If you’re feeling crappy anyway and you’re being assaulted by messaging like this, your sense of wellbeing will suffer. 

Set tech breaks, unsubscribe from any emails that do not serve you and switch off screens one hour before bedtime. You do not need all that extra noise.

Accept What You Cannot Change

It’s a brutal truth about life – there are many things we have no control over. When you begin to accept the things you can’t control you are allowing yourself to lead a much more satisfied, content life. 

Acceptance is not the same as passivity or resignation. Determine what is within your influence and put your energy into those things.

Juggling family, responding to uncertainty, the unexpected and plain old real-life causes enough unavoidable stress in our daily routines. Take the time to remove the excess (and the noise – so much noise!) and look for small things you can do to soothe your nervous system. 

Having a toolkit of “calm-me-downs”, even just learning to take a few deep breaths, can help fortify you to respond to the stressful moments that matter in a way that will not be detrimental to your health.

If you are struggling with stress, you might find my guide, 7 Self-care Steps to Stress Less, useful. Download it >> HERE <<.