Stress reducers at home - My Senior Health Care

Stress can rear its ugly head at home, even in the absence of conflict. Here are some ways to reduce stress with very little effort on your part.

1. Unplug your phone when you need that seclusion time. Allow yourself a nice, long bath or an uninterrupted nap.
2. Instead of remembering all your household and yard work chores, write them down on a calendar so that when the time comes you will have a clear picture of what is to be
   done and you will not feel stressed about forgetting anything.
3. Keep the top of your desk clean or at least organized. If you begin with a messy desktop, you will never feel complete about any aspect of your work. So organize that mess at least once a month. Any task then undertaken and focused on will seem less stressful.
4. When giving or receiving directions always repeat them to ensure accuracy. A single wrong turn or missed street sign can cost a lot of time.
5. Clear up any stressful confusion by talking it out with a close, trusted friend.
6. Strive to be honest in your dealings with others. There is nothing so stressful as having to cover a lie, or worse yet, being caught at it. For making life less stressful, honesty is the best policy.

TEN QUICK TIPS TO COMBAT STRESS AT WORK

1. Keep 15 minutes extra, when you have to reach for an appointment.
2. Always have a magazine or paperback to read while you are waiting.
3. Do not schedule appointments back-to-back. Be realistic and allow for transition time.
4. Do not allow yourself to be over-dependent on approval for everything you do. Rewards are gifts, not the main fare. Seeking praise on a constant basis sets you up for frustration and stress.
5. Do not agonize over negative job performance appraisals. Instead, learn from them. That is what they are for, and not to create stress.
6. Give up the notion of maintaining total control. Do not try to meet every deadline and fill every quota.
7. Learn how to say 'no' to extra projects that are clearly not essential.
8. Learn to delegate responsibility to persons who are capable of fulfilling it.
9. Allow for mistakes and judgment errors. Mistakes sometimes turn into creative solutions. Keep to black-and-white thinking by which you can distinguish between right and wrong or good and bad. There are many ways to skin a cat. Maybe your mistake will help you find a new one.
10. When problems do occur, focus on teamwork effectiveness rather than individual blame. Punishment leads to stress, even for the punisher. A teamwork approach focuses on what can be learned and how to avoid the problem in the future.