Seven Steps to Stress-Free Living – to make all the difference to your happiness

SEVEN steps to stress-free living sounds like an unattainable goal, but if you follow them you’ll see a huge life change.

Your life will probably never be totally stress-free and in all honesty, I don’t think that’s even desirable, even if it is possible, because stress challenges us and helps us grow. However, when stress gets too high, it causes us to be unhappy, and unhealthy, and that’s no good for anyone.

These Seven Steps to Stress-Free Living can make all the difference to your happiness.

Here’s the good news: to easily follow these seven steps to stress-free living you don’t have to start doing yoga every week, eat more kale, or know what a chakra is. You just need to do a little organising, a little loving and a little relaxing.

1. Exercise

First things first. You have to put exercise in your daily routine, no matter how busy you are. We’re not talking about hours in the gym, a simple 15-minute workout at home every day should start to make a difference if you do it daily.

Exercise is proven to reduce stress levels by helping to release the happy hormones called endorphins. Not only does exercise allow you to stay happy, but it also helps you reduce weight, stay active, and think more clearly; all of which are good for you.

2.  Self Love and Acceptance

Self-love is the food of the soul. Remember not to be hard on yourself. Love yourself for who you are and put yourself first. Remember that you are important. Do things that make you feel better and do not allow yourself to be in toxic environments.

Self-acceptance is learning to live with yourself, all your flaws and all the mistakes you’ve made and regret. It’s okay at the end of the day, if we are not perfect. Accept yourself for who you are and be proud of it. This step is probably the hardest but starting each day with a few positive affirmations to remind yourself how awesome you are, is really good for beginning the day with a positive mindset.

3.  Get some proper shut-eye

If you do not sleep well, you are more likely to end up stressed.

It’s extremely important to get somewhere around 8 hours of sleep each night. Try to avoid getting too little sleep or too much sleep, both can leave you feeling unproductive and stressed throughout your day. It is also really important to keep in tune with the same sleep cycle by going to sleep and waking up at the same time each day.

You are much more likely to remain energised, happy, and stress-free throughout the day if your sleep is synchronised and your body clock is working.

4.  Following A Timely Routine

On the subject of clocks, following a proper routine will help you think less, work more, and will provide you with a structured way of living. This way you will be much more productive and feel better about yourself. The little things make all the difference.

5. Organise what you can for the future

It may seem like a chore but getting things organised in advance will take a weight off your shoulders. This is one of the most important steps in our Seven Steps to Stress-Free Living guide. Things that we ignore linger around in the background and leave us with a lot of ‘what if’s’ when we try to sleep at night. Take time each week to tick off something you should have done.

The tasks we don’t want to do seem to cause us the most problems. So, get that funeral plan organised, update your family’s health insurance, check the electricity provider you are using is giving you the best deal. You’ll feel better knowing you’ve been productive, and you may end up saving some money, in the long run, to spend on things you enjoy.

Funeral Plan expert, Emma, from Golden Leaves International highlights “By erasing concerns about the arrangement and costs of your funeral, preplanning your funeral can deliver peace of mind for you and your family.”

So, not only are you reducing your own stress with this job ticked off the to-do list, you’re reducing stress for your loved ones in the future.

6.  YOU Time

You time; the time you carry out to do something for yourself and with yourself. It could be sitting on your balcony and having a cup of tea, it could be gardening or having an hour with a book by the pool or at the beach. It can also be, going to a spa, getting massages, or just good old shopping with the money you’ve saved from step 5. You’re totally in charge here do what makes you happy. Take an hour each day like you would a lunch break at work to enjoy your own company.

7.  Proper Diet

Not everyone may agree with this, and it can be the hardest change to make in life for many people, but if you maintain a healthy diet, you are more likely to live a stress-free life. Healthy food choices help you stay active and fit, but they also strengthen your immune system and cause you to be more energised.

When updating your health insurance why not speak to them about a consultation with a dietician if you are unsure where to start with changing your eating habits.

Finally, as a little bonus tip – Remind yourself daily or hourly if you need too… That everything is going to be okay!

Thank you for reading our “Seven Steps to Stress-Free Living”.

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