Ten Ways To Beat Stress
Self-Help Book Suggestions Included
1. Call an old friend. This does wonders and the friend is usually happy to hear from an old buddy. Sometimes people get stubborn and say they're waiting for the other person to call. The next thing you know, a year has passed. Reminiscing with each other about old times is fun and will do both some good.
2. Learn something new. Take a course about something you've always wanted to learn. There are courses at community colleges on everything from furniture refinishing, cooking, sewing or learning a new language. Keeping the mind active makes people feel good, and it's a great way to meet like-minded people. It's also an effective stress buster because problems are often forgotten once people get busy.
3. Start a new hobby. Everyone's different, but there's bound to be something someone wants to pursue. They might decide to get into model trains, embroidery, painting, ceramics, bird watching or photography. Create time to have fun with this new hobby. It's therapeutic and doesn't necessarily involve going back to school.
4. Volunteer. Helping someone almost always lifts a person's spirits. If someone's helping with something that he or she has personal experience with, that's even better. For example a cancer survivor would be a great support and inspiration for someone still suffering.
5. Get dressed up. This will probably cheer a stressed out person up, even if he or she's not going anywhere. Besides, it's not the greatest feeling answering the door with sweatpants on and hair that's standing on end.
6. Go somewhere new. Try a new restaurant, hit a new beach or check out a museum. Sampling new tastes, sounds and sights is refreshing.
7. Read an uplifting book. Sometimes people get in a slump and don't know why. Self-help books can help inspire with ideas on new ways of thinking and looking at things. Some self-help book suggestions that help reduce stress include:
- Breaking The Pattern by Charles Stuart Platkin
- Don't Sweat the Small Stuff by Richard Carlson
- Kicking Your Stress Habits by Donald A. Tubesing
- Your Sacred Self by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer
8. Listen to upbeat music. This is cheap and fun therapy. Try getting family or friends involved and dance. Create feel good song lists specifically for those times when feeling blue.
9. Exercise. This helps release natural endorphins to reduce stress. Even if someone doesn't feel like going for a walk or jumping on that stepper, he or she will feel better after working up a sweat.
10. Put things in perspective. This is part of the reason that helping others is so effective. Is the fact that you broke a nail or tore your clothes really that big of a problem when there are homeless and starving people out there that need help? Worrying about things that might never happen doesn't make much sense either, but it can be habit forming.
“When I look back on all these worries, I remember the story of the old man who said on his deathbed that he had had a lot of trouble in his life, most of which had never happened” - Winston Churchill
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