The alarm goes off in the morning and your mind starts racing about everything that you need to do for the day.  How are you going to cram everything into the next 24 hours? These helpful hints might help you feel less stressed and be far more productive….

 Now, I won’t go into all the reasons why you become stressed because…well…you already know that!

Our number one stress reliever is EXERCISE.  We know…you’re thinking, “I don’t have time to do the things I HAVE to do, let alone do the things that I WANT to do.”  The fact is, that if you really do want to decrease your stress levels and get a lot more done in a day, exercise is vitally important.  You might think that we are biased here, but there have been many studies done to prove that exercise not only increases your ‘feel good’ hormones, it also helps to improve productivity and mental alertness as well as energy levels.  This means that although you might think that you can’t fit exercise into your already tight schedule, once you have done your workout, you will feel much better and be able to get through so much more.

Maintain Proper Nutrition. Yes…sounds like we are telling you nothing you don’t know.  The thing is; if you do your best to eat well, rather than pick up the quickest fast food option, your mind will be clearer and you’ll be able to think through tasks so that they get done in less time.

Maybe these next few things you might not have thought of:

Hug your friends… You might think this is a little bit crazy, but it’s true. Think about how good it feels to get a hug from someone that you care about, so next time you feel stressed, greet your friends with a hug.

Interrupt your normal routine… You might be doing the same things over and over every day.  For some people routine is comforting, but for others it can be very boring and feel like they are stuck in a rut.  A change in routine can break the cycle and help you feel like you have taken a holiday without going anywhere.

Listen to your favourite music…  You’ve heard the term, ‘music soothes the savage beast’…. Well, we are not saying you are a savage beast when you are stressed, but if music can calm down a wild animal, then surely it can help to relax you.  Put your favourite music on in the car, at home or work (like we do!) and sing along!  You’ll be amazed at how much better you feel.

So next time you feel like tearing your hair out, take a breather and try some of these simple strategies.  Your body and your family will thank you.