Tips for Stress-Free Living and Working in the New Year
Written by: Shaquanta “Shelley” Shelley, M.S.
With the new year coming in and things starting to settle down from the holidays, this may be a great time to start applying coping ideas to help relieve stress in life and at work.
- Write down your purpose in life and/or at your job: Try to simplify. This helps you to have a clear focus on your objective for the day to avoid doing any more or any less. For this reason, it may also help with addressing your feelings. For example, despite feeling like you did not do enough, being able to remind yourself whether you accomplished your purpose for the day and talking back to your feelings with supporting evidence can ease stress in this area.
- Identify what you want your goals to be for the day: You can start small with something like: I will encourage myself throughout the day, I will take 2-minute breaks every hour, or I will organize my workspace.
- Reading/Reciting Bible verses that empower you: Psalm 57:2 “I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me.”
- When you notice a negative thought, tell yourself something positive: Negative thoughts are bound to happen. The key is to not allow them to have the last say or to take over.
- Identify something that brings you peace. Examples: looking at a picture, listening to a song, having a trinket, etc.
- Create a morning routine that prepares/puts your mind at ease before your workday. Examples: mediating, journaling.
- Decompress when getting off work or at the end of the day: (walking, singing, dancing, or doing a hobby you may like)
- Give yourself permission to not carry the load to be perfect.
- Identify how amazing you are: You are the only You there is!
- Give yourself credit! You were Chosen to be in your position at work. Be proud of it!
Feel free to try as many as you like or combine some together or alter them in a way that fits you.
Happy New Year!