5 Things To Do When You’re Stressed

Hope you’ve had a great Monday! Ever felt like there just aren’t enough hours in the day to accomplish everything you need to do? Yeah, same. Some days it feel like no matter how early I get up or how “quickly” I work, there’s still so much left unaccomplished at the end of the day! When that happens, stress creeps in and just exaggerates any issues. Hitting that point is no fun!

Throughout my college years (when sometimes stress seemed at it’s maximum), I started to create a little checklist for myself of things to do to help relieve that feeling. Without further ado, here’s my list of 5 things to do when you’re stressed (so that you can be more productive and get on with your day!)

1. Make a List

I don’t just mean any list! I mean a total “brain dump” of everything that’s going through your head at this very moment. It doesn’t matter how small or silly it may seem, write it down so that it can get out of your head! Are you trying to remember things you need from the store? Is there an appointment you need to make? Are there a million tasks  you need to accomplish? Write them DOWN! (A cute notebook doesn’t hut, either.)

2. Make a Timeline

Now that you know what you need to do, be realistic about when you accomplish things and what you’re deadlines are. Most importantly, don’t beat yourself up if you can’t get everything done in one day! I love my Day Designer because on each daily page, it has a space to fill in “today’s top three.” You can do this on your own, too! All that means is that you need to prioritize your tasks. Is there something that needs to be done by tomorrow? Put that at the top. Is there a long-term goal or task that needs to be completed months from now? Try to break that task down into smaller weekly or monthly goals to help you complete the big picture.

3. Go Outside

Sometimes everything seems overwhelming until you take a break to clear your head. Taking a break might seem counter-productive at first, but I promise it can make such a difference! Take 15-30 minutes to go for a brisk walk outside, or get your body moving in some other way! Letting yourself reconnect is so important and will help you get your mind in the right place and be more productive in the long run.

4. Take Mini-Breaks

One of the greatest productiveness rules I’ve learned is the idea of taking mini-breaks while you are working on a long or big task. Tell yourself that you’re going to work for 50 minutes then time yourself for a 10 minute break, and repeat. (Or do whatever time-frame works for you!) Our brains work well with “reward” based systems, so tell yourself you can have a little break if you focus on your task for a chunk of time. (This works really well with studying too!)

5. Be Nice to Yourself

No one is capable of doing it all, having it all, or being at all because no one is perfect! If you’re feeling overwhelmed or stressed, try to figure out what the root of the problem is. Have you committed yourself to too many things? Try saying “no” to the less important ones. Feeling unorganized in general? Make an attack plan to work on that over time. Be nice to yourself – stress is inevitable sometimes, but we can do a lot by just cutting ourselves a break!