Appendix 1
101 ways to reduce your stress
- Tell yourself you’re doing well.
- Exercise regularly.
- Make time to relax.
- A hot bath.
- A hot shower.
- Reduce your caffeine.
- Eat well.
- Meditation.
- Sleep.
- Set goals.
- Celebrate each little success.
- Be optimistic about the future.
- Better time management.
- Do the things you must do.
- Abandon the things you should do.
- Do more of the things you want to do.
- Play with your children.
- Play with your friends.
- Play with yourself.
- Treat yourself to something nice.
- Simplify your life.
- Tidy your desk.
- Clear out clutter.
- Go to a comedy show.
- Watch your favourite movie.
- Count your blessings (literally).
- Forgive someone.
- Breathe deeply.
- Drink more water.
- Stop beating yourself up.
- Pamper yourself.
- Make love with your partner.
- Buy yourself a present.
- Volunteer to help others with more serious problems.
- Say thank you when you go shopping.
- Say thank you to machines.
- Say hello to your colleagues.
- Listen to music.
- Smile.
- Get a pet.
- Eat some chocolate.
- Get a massage.
- Go for a walk.
- Take the phone off the hook.
- Leave work early one day.
- Say ‘no’ and feel good about it.
- Go swimming.
- Set up a squash, tennis, darts match with a friend.
- Walk to the pub and chat with the people there.
- Dig the garden and plant some seeds.
- Arrange a weekend away.
- Go to a café, order a drink, and watch the world go by.
- Call a friend and have a chat.
- Take a walk and pay attention to the colours, the plants and any birds and animals you see, hear or smell.
- Prepare for tomorrow.
- Transfer items from your To Do list to your To Don’t list.
- Turn down the lighting.
- Have an early night.
- Make a nice and healthy meal.
- Take a day off from stimulants like caffeine, alcohol and television.
- Curl up with a good book.
- Go out to lunch with one or two good friends.
- Control your urge to be strong and independent, and ask for help.
- Make some time to laugh during the day – chat at the coffee machine.
- Read a funny novel or buy a copy of Dilbert, Far Side or Calvin and Hobbes.
- Let go of any grudges or resentments towards any colleagues.
- Replace chocolate snacks with fruit or even vegetables like carrots and celery.
- When you eat, pay close attention to the smell, taste and texture of your food.
- ‘I should have’ is a major cause of stress – if it’s important, do it; if it’s not, then let it go!
- Try out a new non-sporting form of exercise: yoga, tai chi, Pilates, Chi Kung, Aikido, Alexander, Shiatsu …
- Join a dance class or club.
- Turn on some music at home and just dance like no one is watching. It’s best to make sure no one is watching.
- Get a manicure or pedicure, or facial.
- Get some toys and play with them.
- Plan a great holiday.
- Create and use a positive, de-stressing, self-affirming mantra.
- Learn advanced techniques for managing your mental state, such as CBT or NLP.
- Turn off your email.
- Turn off your computer.
- Have a lie-in in the morning.
- Take a break from the news – avoid papers, television or radio news and Internet news services.
- Ask yourself: ‘How important will this seem, this time next year?’
- Pay compliments to the people you meet.
- Eat more fruit.
- Have a good stretch.
- Take a nap.
- Set aside some time for silence – sit quietly and close your eyes.
- Eat more nuts and seeds.
- Have a good breakfast.
- Savour the moment and focus on experiencing what you are seeing, hearing, feeling, smelling and tasting now.
- Start to value your time as your most precious commodity.
- Confide in a friend and share your stresses and strains with them.
- Take a break – in fact, schedule regular five-minute breaks into your work pattern.
- Make sure you have half an hour of time to yourself each day.
- Plan what you will do on your weekends so you will use them well.
- Re-read the ‘Relax’ section on page 201.
- Go out to a concert or a play.
- Take yourself to somewhere beautiful and spend time admiring the view – especially at that golden hour around dawn or dusk.
- Take a day or even a week off and go away somewhere spontaneously.
- Have a nice cup of tea and a biscuit.
- And relax.
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