Monday, July 20, 2020

Automatic Stress Relievers to Simplify Life

Automatic Stress Relievers to Simplify Life We all experience stress, and for some, the levels of stress in our lives can feel overwhelming. Fortunately, there are some easy ways to declutter and simplify your lifestyle and eliminate some of your stress before it even happens. If you’re ready for a less stressed existence, try taking some of these steps now to reduce ‘clutter’ in your lifestyle for months or years to come. Rid Yourself of Solicitations Many of us get stressed by paper clutter, the pile of papers that come into our homes in the form of bills, school papers, junk mail and more. Many people feel so overwhelmed by the massive influx of paper that they lose bills and other important papers in the sea of written material. The Cost of Clutter You can save trees and your sanity by writing to the appropriate organizations to eliminate junk mail and find an efficient system to organize the remaining papers that are relevant to your life, eliminating the need to ever again search through piles for what you need. Sign up for Classes If you’d like to get more fun into your life or find a regular form of exercise to relieve stress and get into better physical condition, it’s a great idea to sign yourself up for a class. This way, you have it in your schedule, and there will be people waiting for you to encourage you along each time. This can be great for your motivation. Adding something new to your schedule might make you busier, but it can also improve your quality of life and reduce stress. Pay Automatically If you find yourself paying bills late even when you have the money in your account, simply because you’re so busy you forget to pay them (or even if you pay your bills on time, but don’t like the hassle), you can save yourself time and postage money by signing up for automatic payments on many of your bills. Having the money withdrawn automatically from your account can virtually eliminate the need to sit down and write all the checks, and you’ll be guaranteed that your bills will be paid on time. It takes a few minutes to set up, and you save yourself significant amounts of hassle each month. Make a Financial Plan A large proportion of the population experiences financial stress on a regular basis. Many people are in deep debt and don’t know how to get in the black; others live paycheck to paycheck and have no savings in case of a disaster; others don’t know where they stand and are concerned about it. 4 Simple Ways to Relieve Money Stress If you’re one who is stressed about money, now is the time to change that. Making a budget, a plan to get out of debt and a plan to save for your future can help you sleep better at night from now on, and can put you in a much better place in the future. If you feel overwhelmed by the prospect of putting this together by yourself, go to a financial advisor; it will be well worth it in the long run. (To search among a directory of financial planners, visit the Financial Planning Associations PlannerSearch.) Make Appointments Now for the Rest of the Year One thing you can do to take care of yourself and your family now is to make all of your regular appointments for the next year now. Regular check-ups at the dentist, physicals at the doctor’s, and even tune-ups for your car need to be done once or twice a year. If you make all appointments of this type now, you won’t have to think about fitting them into your schedule for at least a year, and you can put it out of your mind. Automate Your Diet Some leading dietitians advise a new practice that can also save you stress in the morning: Eat the same thing every day for breakfast and lunch. If you stick with healthy foods that provide plenty of nutrients, youll simplify your grocery shopping and your morning routine. You might even lose weight while eliminating the need to even think about what you’re going to eat for any meal except dinner. Sticking to simple and healthy staples can eliminate even more stress from your lifestyle. How Decision Fatigue Contributes to Stress