Tips for Reducing Stress

Make time to do something good for yourself.

If you are feeling stressed out and overwhelmed, it's time to take action. There are several simple steps you can take to battle the fatigue and anxiety caused by stress. Start by adding activities into your schedule that help you relax. Then try these six suggestions:

Get moving.

Believe it or not, exercise not only helps relieve your tense muscles, but helps your mood too! Before and after your workout your body makes certain chemicals, called endorphins, which relieve stress and improve your mood.

Talk to friends.
Talking to a friend can help you work through your stress. Find someone who will let you talk freely about your problems and feelings — it can do a world of good. It also helps to hear a different point of view, if your friend has one. And friends will remind you that you're not alone.

Talk to a therapist.
A therapist can help you work through stress and find better ways to deal with problems. For more serious stress related disorders, like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), therapy can be helpful. There also are medications that can help ease symptoms of depression and anxiety and help you sleep better (poor sleep can be a contributor to stress or a side effect of it).

Compromise.
Sometimes, it's not worth the stress to stand your ground in an argument. Give in once in awhile.

Write down your thoughts.
Have you ever typed an email to a friend about your lousy day and felt better afterward? Writing is a good way to organize your thoughts and relieve anxiety. Grab a pen and paper (or sit at your keyboard) and write down what's going on in your life! Keeping a journal can be a great way to get things off your chest and work through issues.

Set limits.
When it comes to the never-ending list of tasks you need to accomplish for your work and family, it's easy to feel overwhelmed. Don't just race through the list as fast as you can. Instead, figure out how much you can realistically accomplish. There are only so many hours in the day. Set limits with yourself and others. Don't be afraid to say "No" to requests for your time and energy.