It seems like there’s never enough time during the day to get everything done, and that’s true whether you run your own company or have just taken on a new role at your company. If this is how you feel, you’re not alone, not by a long shot. In fact, 80 percent of workers report being stressed out from their job, and half say they need help to learn to cope with the pressure. Luckily, there are changes you can make to your lifestyle to find a bit of Zen in the storm. Here they are.
Get Help at Home
While effective time management works wonders when squeezing tasks into your schedule, you can’t always fit them all in. That’s fine, and you shouldn’t feel bad looking for help with the chores. Dog walkers will take your four-legged friend for a stroll with pleasure while cleaning services and landscapers keep your house and yard in tip-top shape. You’ll save time and stress while giving another business owner something to smile about.
Spend Time Outdoors
Heading to Yellowstone National Park in the middle of the week is a bit of a challenge, but there are ways to fit nature into your life, which has a number of therapeutic effects including stress relief. According to an article in NBC News, just being among the trees results in lower blood pressure as well as a drop in the stress hormone cortisol, and you can get that through a walk in the park during your lunch break or a trip outside the city on the weekend.
Move Your Body
This takes a bit of commitment, but the results are worth it. Running laps at the track or hitting the heavy bag helps you get rid of any pent up negative emotions, putting your mind at ease so you can spend a quiet evening at home with family. The greatest gift of exercise, however, is the rush of “feel good” neurotransmitters called endorphins after each workout, which makes for a quick morale boost to get you started in the morning.
Eat Healthy
Did you know there are foods that help to reduce stress? Now you do, so you can load up on leafy greens, turkey breast, and oatmeal next time you’re at the grocery store. And this commitment to healthy eating doesn’t require a huge investment in time and effort. There are many dishes you can prepare yourself in 15 minutes with all the vitamins and minerals you need without the fat, sodium and sugar that slow you down.
Take Up Yoga
If you don’t want to spend hours in absolute silence thinking about nothing, that’s fine because nobody’s asking you to. What would do wonders is a 5-minute session of yoga, which consists of rhythmic breathing while advancing through poses and focusing your mind on the sensations coursing through your body. This type of exercise calms you down by activating your restful parasympathetic nervous system, say the gurus at DoYouYoga.
Play Some Music
That guitar has likely been gathering dust since you started getting so busy. Now’s the time to bust it out and tune it up as playing music is a sure-fire way to relax. The effect is similar to meditation. While focusing on the motion of your hands, your mind and body come into synch, your breathing falls into rhythm and you enter into a state of calm where sales targets and deadlines are a world away.
Just Breathe
It’s as easy as four, seven, eight. Wondering what those numbers are about? Get in a relaxed position, inhale through your nose for four seconds, hold your breath for seven seconds, then exhale through your mouth for eight seconds. Doctors have touted this breathing technique as an effective way to calm your nerves as well as fall asleep more quickly. All you need is a few minutes of quiet.
It may take some time before these little efforts become a habit, but once they do, you’ll find yourself with a lot less worry and much more energy to tackle your daily tasks and meet challenges head-on. That’s a simple recipe for success.
Photo Credits: Pixabay