Everyone experiences stress sometimes. Things at work or at school aren’t going that smooth and even at home you have trouble finishing small tasks. Everything seems to pile up, which also strengthens the way you experience stress. You lose track of what you need to do and this will make you feel even more lost. It’s a vicious circle that you find difficult to break because where and how do you start?

Four practical tips

1. Writing helps!
   You have a lot of different thoughts throughout your day, between forty and sixty thousand a day! In addition, you also have a whole list of tasks you need to finish each day. To create more space in your mind and thus reduce your stress level, it helps to write things down. It can be difficult to start, try to let go of the idea that you need to write down a story and just start with the first thing that comes to mind. Continue with thought number two, three and so on. You will see that you feel calm(er) and you will have clear overview of the things that need to be done.
2. Clean up your bedroom, living room, or desk
   Yes, really, clean up. There is a Dutch saying: ”A mess in your house, equals a mess in your head”. This might sound cliché, but think back to when you cleared your entire closet or cleaned your entire house thoroughly. Most people felt calmer!
3. Stop procrastinating
   Everyone procrastinates sometimes. You set up a nice to-do list for yourself, but you keep postponing these tasks. And that is okey. However, when procrastinating causes stress it’s time to do something about it.
4. Enjoy the little things
   We are often thinking about 100 things at once. Try to be here and now. When you are cycling, focus on the sun on your face or the wind through your hair. Do not try to live too much in your mind, but pay close attention to what you are doing at the moment.

Mindfulness

Do you feel stressed out regularly? Perhaps mindfulness is something that fits you . It is a way to focus attention on the here and now. We’re happy to help you! You can find a good practice to get started here.