Perhaps you are now at a point in our life, when you feel the importance of finding a way to handle stress. Maybe your health is already suffering because of your inability to handle stressful situations properly. Whatever the reason may be, it is imperative that you develop a stress management plan that is easy to execute and that will provide visible results fast.
Here’s a simple stress management plan that maybe able to help you:
1. Get a piece of paper and divide it into three columns.
2. On column 1, write down the label “activities I enjoy doing”. Write down at least 5 activities which you enjoy doing. This can include sports, your hobbies, or even spending quality time with your family.
3. On the next column, write the label, “things I can live without”. Now write down at least 3 things which, if you remove from your life, or you stop doing will not adversely affect your life or your relationships. This may include activities like staying up late doing computer work, doing home chores by yourself and not delegating responsibilities, accepting too much tasks in the office, with no commensurate pay.
4. On the last column, write down the label, “things I need to do, but kept postponing”. On this column, write down things which have been on your list for years now, but you never got around to doing them. Perhaps you had always wanted to travel on your own, or maybe you had been planning to see an old friend for coffee, but never found the time to do so.
Now that you have created your 3 column list, you can now make a short term plan (perhaps for 3-6 months) which will include items from your list. You can then categorize, analyze and prioritize.
Then make a vow to yourself that this week, you will try to spend a few minutes a day towards the completion of one or two of the things that you have always wanted to do. Perhaps you had always wanted to lose weight. A good goal for the week then, will to spend some time at the gym, or to jog for 15 minutes. Take baby steps into completing your goals, and then congratulate yourself every time you are able to accomplish one of your goals.
The next thing to plan on will be eliminating this week at least 2 from your list of unimportant things that are taking too much of your time. This could mean talking less on the phone and instead, spending your time on something more productive.
Then finally, this week, vow also to do at least two of the tasks or activities that you have been putting off for a long time. Perhaps you wanted to update your checkbooks, or get a flu shot, but never got around to doing them. Find the time, and tackle at least 2 doable activities this week.
We can sometimes feel stressed because we are overwhelmed by the things that are on our do lists. By focusing only on the high priority lists, and stopping from procrastinating, we can minimize that feeling of not being in control of our time.
By creating a stress management plan, you will see some order in your life, and there will be less areas in your life that will cause you tension on a daily basis. Evaluate how you can improve on your plan regularly and you will soon be able to manage stress in your daily life.