A little stress relief

I read the Happiness Blog in my RSS feed. I just caught up on some back articles today, and this one about relieving stress caught my eye. Basically, the author gave 9 great tips for relieving some day to day stress. I'll reprint them here, but I encourage everyone to go check out her blog.

1. Keep some cash in the house.
2. Never let your car’s gas level fall into the “empty” zone.
3. Have Advil (or whatever) at hand at all times.
4. Put your keys away in the same place every day.
5. Turn out the light as soon as you’re sleepy.
6. Walk around the block.
7. Take ten minutes before bed to tidy up.
8. If you have to pack a lunch for anyone, get it ready the night before.
9. Have at least one good friend who lives in the neighborhood.

#1 is one I have an issue with. I just don't keep a lot of cash around, as I don't want to spend a lot of cash. But my life would be less stressful if I had a spare $20 tucked away that I could use when needed. I sometimes skip the farmer's market because I don't have any cash, and making sure I have enough on hand would be helpful.

#4, #7, and #8 are particular favorites of mine. #6 is nice too (tho I prefer longer walks). #7 is my favorite because it's so simple but can go a long way toward producing a less stressful morning.

One tip of my own to add in: lay out your clothes the night before. For those of us who really aren't morning oriented, it's so nice to get up and be able to autopilot through the out-the-door routine.

Comments

[Palmer]

Obviously the turning off the lights thing doesn't work for me. By the time I get to bed at 10am, it's bright and sunny out. And the sun shines straight into my room.

I deal :)

[Leah]

dark curtains?

I love taking naps on sunny afternoons, but I can't sleep at night if there are any bright lights around. I'm unsure if I could sleep during the sunny day without having to cover my eyes. Naps obviously work, but I don't know if night sleeping is somehow different for me.

[Nadine]

I ALWAYS lay out the clothes I want to wear the next day. I think it's the best tip!

How does having cash around the house reduce stress?

[Leah]

Cash around the house is nice b/c you don't have to run to the ATM/bank if you happen to need a little extra something.

For example, the farmer's market is a block from my current house (and about four blocks from where I am moving soon). Most stands there just take cash. I'm kind of bad about spending cash when I have it in my wallet, so I don't always have cash for the farmer's market. If I had cash around the house, then I could use that to go to the farmer's market.

I think it's also nice in those circumstances where you just need some cash and just don't have time to get to the bank. It's not like you need to keep a lot, but a little money is convenient.

[Rebecca]

ok...my gas is way below empty...time to FILL up...and it definitely causes stress, especially when I'm late (another something to put on your list!)

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