Refocus
In a world where we pay the price of living with our time, it can begin to feel like you are barely surviving, let alone thriving. We go to work, school, and other time consuming operations so that we can give ourselves a life, when all that does sometimes is take away energy to focus on the things we really love.
Step one of cutting out stress is learning to refocus your thoughts. If you struggle with anxiety like I do, you know how easy it is to fall into a cycle of repeatedly thinking of the same things that keep worrying you. Make a list of everything you can think of that is causing you stress or overthinking. Next, go through it and figure out which thoughts are actually important, and which are things that can wait until another day. Cross out the unnecessary worries and continue to see which other worries you can actually do something about at the moment. Being planned out and organized is a HUGE way to cut out worry. In fact, buying or making a calendar is a great way to make a plan for how to eliminate those tasks that are giving you stress.
Relax
After refocusing your mind and completing tasks that kept you from relaxing, take time to treat yourself. Set aside a time period every day or week to take a bubble bath, go on a hike, or read a book on your porch just for fun. Give your body time to recover from work, school, or other daily activities. This is not the same as procrastinating, because in step one that was taken care of. Now you can spend time with your friends or family without constantly thinking about that one thing you still haven’t done. Take some quiet time away from all the harsh noise of life and go somewhere beautiful. Go to the beach or the nearest nature trail and take some time to observe the quiet stillness of it.
Remind
Remember to take time for refocusing and relaxing every day. Many people do this through meditation, prayer, or therapy. Don’t let yourself get carried away in a destructive cycle of constant worry and anxiety. Plan out each day to give yourself a moment to stop and breathe. Don’t let the difficult things ruin the happy moments of life all because you were too wrapped up in your own anxious thoughts. Remind yourself how to enjoy life.
Stopology 