Your mind is an incredible tool, capable of doing many things all at once. But the more distracted it is, the more likely you are to become stressed. When you can remove as many distractions as possible, you will be able to succeed at stress management. Here are some easy stress management tips to clear your brain of anything it doesn’t need to hold onto or worry about at the present time.
Don’t Check Your Email Constantly
Email can become an addiction for many people which is slowly causing more and more stress. They always want to know what’s happening next and they want to access the new information immediately. But what this does is distract your brain and cause stress. In order to soothe your stress, you need to set up three times a day (at most) when you check your email. In doing so, you can keep your brain as clear as possible and stress management becomes easier. You don’t have to think about all of your emails all the time. These reserved times can be devoted only to email where you can begin to assess what needs to be done and what does not. Studies have shown that checking your email constantly can actually cause you to become distracted for an extra 15 minutes each time you check in with your account. Try to limit your distractions.
Wear Earplugs or Headphones to Silence the World
Since the world can be noisy, even when you’re at home, try wearing headphones or earplugs when you want to reduce your stress. This will help you to focus on what you’re doing and to forget about the outside world. Some people find music to be a stress management tool as well, but this is not always helpful. Find what works for you and see how much more productive and calm you are as a result of blocking out the outside world.
Don’t Answer the Phone During Work Hours
Unless you have to answer a phone for work, it’s best to avoid looking at your cell phone or answering it during work hours. Like email, the phone can become a source of stress, causing you to feel scattered. For stress management, it’s a good idea to make sure that you are only answering calls which are emergencies. And you should indicate to friends and family that you will only answer calls if they are emergencies, so they should limit their phone calls to those times.
The fewer distractions you have, the more productive you will be. As a result, stress management becomes easier as you can focus on one task at a time, not worrying about all of the problems or issues in your life at once.
