Follow these five steps this weekend to reduce stress and increase happiness
If you are like the vast majority of folks today, you could use a break. Unfortunately, you probably don’t have a vacation coming, right? How do we reduce stress and recharge without a break or without walking away from our responsibilities? It sounds like a big question with some kind of deep, profound answer waiting out there. The truth is, as with many things in our lives, reducing stress is about doing the little things right.
The feeling of being overwhelmed or overworked is so powerful it can be hard to believe that the solutions to these problems are quite simple. The best part about our five step plan to reduce stress while injecting a little more happiness into your life is that it can be carried out in one day.
Take this coming weekend as an opportunity to practice a little of the self care needed to feel better. We all feel overwhelmed from time to time. Maybe today things are going your way. If that’s the case, then stow this list away for a time when you need some extra help and direction.
Any of these five steps can be done individually, and the order isn’t vitally important. But if you choose to take on our one-day or one-weekend challenge, consider following steps one through five in order, to make things as painless and fun as possible.
One last thing before we get into these tips. It can be a lot easier to make changes or to accomplish tasks when you’re with a friend or partner. Offer to help a friend carry out these five steps, and in exchange, ask them to help you out next weekend. Junk hauling and yard debris removal are a lot more fun with a buddy.
One: Rest
Fun first step, right? The truth is, almost none of us gets enough sleep. It’s hard to do the little things necessary to feel good and healthy when you’re struggling to keep your eyes open or to focus. You need to start getting better rest. We all do. If there is no time in your day for a nap, then you have to fight the urge to stay up late.
You can increase the quality of your rest by turning off digital devices and avoiding computer or television screens for an hour before laying down. We know, it’s tempting to watch Netflix from the comfort of your bed, but when you do that, you’re harming the quality of the rest that you are getting too little of to begin with.
Two: Exercise
Exercising will immediately lower your stress levels, increase healthy hormone output, and improve your sleep. But you know all that. We all know we should be exercising more. So why is it so difficult?
For the sake of our five step program, all we need you to do is warm-up. Only a bit of stretching as you shake things out. Why so little? Because steps three through five are going to serve as your exercise for the next day or two. To avoid injury, go for a short walk and rattle off a few jumping jacks before you move on to step three.
Three: Clean and Declutter
Now that you’re feeling fresh and ready to mitigate the stresses in your life, it’s time to clean things up. Most of us do alright with the actual dirt or junk. We keep clean homes to the best of our ability. It’s easier than ever with wipes and Swiffers and myriad other toys and tools. The problem is all the stuff. We accumulate so much cardboard, packing material, and clutter that we end up prisoners to our unused stuff.
Clutter is stressful. A house with a lot of unused stuff can cause anxiety and feelings of being insufficient or incapable. Clutter is a quiet nuisance, which is why it often goes unchecked. We look to other more obvious, pressing, or loud matters, and then we let things pile up until they stress us out.
Four: Simplify
Minimalism is popular for a reason. In an age where we are inundated with junk and unwanted stuff, simplifying our lives is more important than ever. Do you need and use each and every item in your home? Probably not. Now, while things are clean and the clutter is gone, take some time to scale down.
Start in hard places, like the closet and the kitchen. It’s best to use our energy on the more challenging tasks first. If you haven’t worn it, donate it. And if you don’t use it, get rid of it. Whether you use a junk hauling service or make trips to Goodwill, you will feel lighter and freer without the unnecessary stuff.
Five: Organize
Now that we are down to only what you need and use, it’s time to organize things in a way that makes your life easier. We tend to do a pretty good job in the kitchen or even in our closets when it comes to putting things in a place where they are easy to find and use at the right time. We could all be better about shaping the flow and function of our other spaces, especially the garage.
It is simple. Things that you use often need to be easy to find. Things you rarely touch should be available as soon as you need them. Take some time and organize things throughout the house with a focus on how they can help improve daily routines like packing the kids’ lunches or cooking dinner.
When you need a little help getting rid of your unwanted stuff, give Curb-It a try.
Curb-It is on-demand junk removal
You snap a pic of the stuff you want gone
You get upfront prices from background-checked Providers
You select your Hauler and your stuff is gone within hours
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