7 Simple Ways to Lower Stress While Increasing Productivity

7 Simple Ways to Lower Stress While Increasing Productivity

As a type A control freak, living with stress is a daily struggle! In my quest for productivity, I am always looking for new ways to to remove stress and stressors from my day so I can focus on the events and tasks that will bring me more happiness and gratification. The more I learn about stress and productivity, however, the more I find that the best solutions are often the simplest ones that are essentially common knowledge at this point. But, as we all know, and I can personally attest, common knowledge isn’t always common practice. Yep, I may know everything I need to know about control my stress and increasing my productivity but I don’t always execute. Learning to manage your stress is a life-long commitment. It’s not something you get the answer to and voila, your problems are solved. We actually have to spend time each day developing the positive habits and building the routines that will help us manage stress effectively. Of course, stress and productivity seem to go hand in hand. Whenever I am feeling stressed out, I also tend to lack drive to be productive. Likewise, when I am feeling very productive, I find that I’m not aware of stress presently affecting me, or at least, I don’t feel the pressure of bad stress! So, today I want to share with you 7 simple ways to lower stress while increasing productivity, because at the end of the day, we all want to feel good about our day, what we have achieved and know we put in our best effort!

Sleep: Sleep is the key to everything in life isn’t it? The more time we spend in bed, the less stressed we are (unless, of course, we are spending time in bed to procrastinate on our work which is never good) and the more productive we end up becoming. Try building the positive habit of going to bed earlier at night and waking up earlier in the morning after a full nights rest. The extra time in the morning will give you time for all your work and daily activities and after an action packed day you can turn in early and start the cycle again the next day!

Drink Water: Lack of hydration can be a major stressor in our bodies. It’s common knowledge that we are supposed to drink 8-10 glasses of water a day, but this doesn’t work for every body. In order to determine how much liquid your body needs, take your body weight in pounds and divide it in half and that is the number of ounces of liquid your body needs to remain properly hydrated. Make sure to drink a majority of this liquid in water during breaks between meals throughout the day so your body can clean itself out properly, which will result in increased energy and productivity for you!

Stretch: We all know that we should be exercising but most of us dread working out. If you have a hard time getting into the swing of exercise, start by just building the habit of stretching several times a day. Stretching in the morning and during breaks in your workday will help you alleviate tension in your muscles, reducing your stress and increasing energy! It may not be as powerful as a full workout, but it’s a good place to start and something we all need to do!

Listen to Music: The benefits of music for our stress levels and productivity are undeniable and in fact, earlier this week I even shared my latest Productivity Playlist. Take some time to check out the post and use one of my suggested soundtracks to help you concentrate on your work today!

Have a Healthy Snack: Snacking is a very productive habit to get into. After all, when we are stressed, many of us turn to food to relieve our tension, but if we choose healthy snacks like fruits and veggies, cheese or nuts, we can lower our stress while also providing energy to sustain us for the rest of our work day!

Take Mindful Breaths: Breathing is a very simple but powerful activity that can help us to simultaneously lower our stress and increase our productivity. Yes, I get it, we breath automatically everyday, so how is this helping? Well, if you take a moment to become aware of your breathing, especially in times of anxiety or stress, you have the power to control yourself. You can start practicing mindful breathing very quickly right now by sitting upright and still or laying down. Then close your eyes and inhale for 7 seconds, hold your breath for 7 seconds and then exhale for 7 seconds. If you have a hard time doing the full seven second round, start with 4 or 5 seconds and work your way up to 7. Once you can complete a few rounds of this mindful breathing, you will start to feel much calmer because of the rush of oxygen to your body, and then with your stress levels subdued you will be able to make progress on difficult tasks in your day! Make sure to practice this breathing regularly, whenever you feel the stress creep back up on you.

Practice Gratitude: Nothing has the ability to instantly change my mental state like gratitude. When I am just feeling stressed, down or in a sour mood, it’s so important to stop and acknowledge all the wonderful things in my life. Even by listing a simple 3 to 5 things I’m grateful for has the ability to turn my negative stress into positive and productive energy.

I hope these simple, everyday tips help remind you that controlling your stress and productivity are completely within your control. Stress is something we all live with, it will never go away, but we can learn to manage it so that we feel it’s pressure less and less in our lives and are able to achieve all our dreams and goals despite its ever looming presence. Let me know in the comments which of these strategies works best for you, or which strategy you need to keep in mind more often!

xoxo,