To Your Health
November, 2017 (Vol. 11, Issue 11) |
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Don't Sweat the Small Stuff
By Editorial Staff
We're all too busy, and it only gets worse around the holidays. Whatever manic world you thought you lived in before Thanksgiving transitions rapidly into a stressful blur. The question is simple: How can you reduce stress at this time of year, much less year-round? Believe it or not, the answer is just as simple: Don't sweat the small stuff.
Here are three ways to keep stress in check as 2017 winds down and the new year kicks in:
1. Ignorance Is Bliss: It's true: We know too much these days. Instant access to information (every news and non-news event happening around the world, alerts for every task under the sun, an app that tracks everyone's location at every moment, etc.), we're constantly stressed by knowledge. Yes, it's said to empower us, but in some cases, it causes major oversweating. The solution: Simplify. Turn off some of those non-essential alerts. Don't check the news as often. Tune in to your own wellness by tuning out some of the noise that leads to stress.
2. Point A to Point B: When your To-Do List always goes to a second page, you're in sore need for a little structure, particularly if many of the items involve travel. This isn't the 15th century anymore, so don't act like it by roaming aimlessly around your "globe." The solution: Organize. Spend a little time plotting the right course so you get things done while limiting trips, time spent and the need to retrace your steps.
3. Give to Get: Yes, "You have to give a little to get a little" applies to stress reduction, too. In this case, we really mean, "give up a little." Remember, don't sweat the small stuff. It's usually not the big things that weigh us down; it's the minutia - the countless relatively minor things we just can't let go of. The solution: Minimize. Write down everything you stress over in a given day or week. How many of the items on your list qualify as "small stuff"? If it qualifies, you're probably giving it much more attention than it deserves. Boil your world down to the big things that matter - and then focus on dealing with them in stress-free fashion. The other stuff? Just let it go...
