Tenomania.com

Maybe it’s the challenging economy. Maybe it’s anticipation for the holiday season. Or maybe it’s just your natural state of being. Whatever the cause, stress can feel overwhelming. And it may seem like you have no power over it.

You’ll always have bills, obligations, and people to please. You can’t change those things. But you can change the way you think and act to create a more balanced, peaceful life and environment. These tips are a good start:  

1. Put it in writing

Write in a journal, or pen a letter to someone explaining your feelings–even if you burn it instead of sending it. Research shows expressive writing is an effective method for reducing depression in people who tend to brood.

2. Change your thinking

The way you think about an event dictates how you feel about it. If you see your meeting as an opportunity to screw something up, you’ll naturally feel overwhelmed. If you see it as a challenge you can meet, you’ll feel more at ease with the experience.

3. Practice deep breathing

People often hold their breath when they’re anxious. This limits your oxygen intake, stressing your body further.

4. Meditate

Pull your body completely into the present moment, and perceive everything around you with all your senses. Meditation increases serotonin production, which influences mood and behavior.

5. Sweat it out

Studies show that people who go to a sauna at least twice a week for 10-30 minutes are less stressed after work than others with similar jobs who don’t.

6. Laugh it out

Research shows that laughter soothes tension, improves your immune system, and even eases pain. Give yourself a break to reminisce with a friend about a memory that made you smile. Don’t worry–you’ll have plenty of time to think about everything else when you’re done.

7. Complete a small task

According to Georgia Witkin, assistant director of psychiatry at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, completing a small task increases your sense of control and decreases your stress level.

8. Get mindful

Mindfulness means focusing your full attention on the present moment, instead of thinking about past or future events. When practiced regularly, mindfulness actually strengthens the areas of the brain associated with joy and relaxation.

9. Minimize stress triggers

Avoid conversations about topics that stress you out. Limit your time with people who continually get you going.

10. Reassess how you manage your time

Your jam-packed to-do list may contain unnecessary items. Your morning routine may be too full to allow prompt arrival at work. If you don’t overextend yourself, you will likely feel less stressed.

Article Source – Tinybuddha.com

As we live our daily routine, our lives, no matter how busy or involved you are, can become monotonous. How can you make it more exciting?

1. Kick up your wardrobe a notch

Wearing bolder clothes or a different style may let people see you in a new light–which means they’ll interact with your differently.

2. Use a pedometer to count your steps

It’s an easy incentive to get more active, and it may encourage you to go outside when you’d usually be sitting indoors.

3. If you drive, park your car a mile away and take the bus the rest of the way

Maybe you’ll see a restaurant you’d like to try some time, or meet someone you’d otherwise never meet

4. Switch offices or desks with a coworker for the day

A new space may inspire you to think differently, which could ripple into your actions.

5. Do something you used to love but haven’t done in a while

Ride your bike to work, talk to your Spanish friend in her native tongue, or post a soulful blog.

6. Help someone with something you love doing

Post a Craigslist ad offering to give someone dating advice or help someone choose the right used car.

7. Learn something new on your lunch break

Listen to an audio book, take a class, or head to your local library.

8. Use familiar things in new ways

Make a planter out of a milk jug. Use egg to make your hair shiny. Google "odd uses for" to find more ideas.

9. Talk to someone on Twitter who does what you’d like to do for a living

Ask that designer how she got her first break. Find out which schools that architect recommends.

10. Commit to trying five new things

a new food, a different hair style, a new exercise class. Anything that pulls you out of your comfort zone.