You could have put the keys on the table and be looking right at them, but they’re impossible to see when they are surrounded by or buried under clutter.
The extra time and energy it takes to search through the mess is not only frustrating but it often sets off a chain reaction of events for the day that continue to keep you in a heightened state of stress and overwhelm.
And, the University of Michigan found that there is a direct link between painful teeth grinding, gum disease and general poor oral health and stress.
So if I haven’t given you enough reasons to reduce the stress in your life and on your wallet then maybe the thought of going to the dentist will be stress inducing enough to cause you to look for ways to relieve some of the stress.
If you’re open to creating a stress free lifestyle you’ll need to start with a few basic but very effective techniques, first take the necessary time to breath, now breathing is automatic but the type of deliberate breathing that is essential to reducing stress takes focused effort.
Start your day by sitting up on the edge of the bed and deeply inhaling and exhaling at least 3 times before you allow yourself to rush into the usual morning routine, doing this will allow you to approach the day in a much more peaceful day which will in turn play an important role in the way you manage your day.
Repeat the process of focused breathing whenever you feel your anxiety level rising or when you need to clear your head.
And, when you feel yourself getting tense in the neck, shoulders and back, all areas of your body that are stress collectors roll your head clockwise slowly while releasing all of the air from your lungs, this will aid in giving your tightened muscles the range of motion they need to loosen and relax.
A book I recommend you read for more of the benefits of proper breathing is “Super Power Breathing for Super Health & High Energy” by Paul Bragg
Exercise is also another great stress reliever, now if you’re thinking, Sanyika I don’t have time to exercise, and that’s one of the things that’s causing me stress!
Then you might need to redefine exercise for yourself.
Of course a gym membership, aerobic class or a Pilate session is ideal but there are so many things that you already do that could be forms of exercise if you saw them in a slightly different light.
One perfect example is walking - it’s one of the easiest forms of exercise that will allow you to increase your circulation and heart rate while reducing your stress.
Body weight and past medical history, play a large role in the insurance premiums you’ll pay.
Since weight gain is directly related to stress, daily exercise is a great way to shed a few pounds while padding your wallet.
Another way to keep stress from stealing your hard earned cash is to chill on the caffeine and I don’t mean switching to iced coffee.
I’m suggesting a major cutback and eventually total elimination of caffeine since it aggravates the symptoms of chronic stress and it lingers in the body for up to four hours after the first cup.
Plus the obvious benefit is the money you’ll save from making daily donations to the local coffee house.
Another stress buster and bank booster is clearing out the clutter in your home, when you don’t have bank statements and other important financial papers organized, bills can get lost, causing you to get hit with late fees and other costly charges.
And replacing lost items, buying duplicates of things you forgot you had already or can’t find quickly can carry a cost that adds up quickly and is an expensive and bad habit that needs to be broken before it breaks you.
Clutter can be a chronic source of stress. The stress of being surrounded by clutter often isn’t realized until the clutter is removed and we feel the relief of being clutter- free.
Clutter bombards the brain with excessive visual stimuli, which causes stress. Clutter makes it more difficult to relax or to focus on anything because clutter is an irritating visual distraction. Even those who seem oblivious to their surroundings are aware of everything in their environment on a subconscious level. Your brain is constantly filtering messages from all your senses.
The more clutter, the more overwhelming the thought of removing it will be, but look on the bright side because you will experience a greater the sense of relief that will be felt when it is done. The thought of removing clutter may be so overwhelming that it may seem easier to ignore it. Trying to ignore clutter is stressful because you can’t really ignore it because it’s right in your face.
Not taking action to clear clutter actually causes you to feel helplessness. Taking action even if it’s only 10 minutes a day to organize your life is empowering and will relieve stress.
The truth is clutter didn’t appear overnight so it could take some time and effort to remove it. Find ways to break the task into smaller, bite sized chunks. Just start with one area of the house like a closet or your desk.
Getting rid of stuff you don’t need but have stored in closets and drawers or underneath your bed give you the room you want to hold on to the things that you do want to keep in your living space.
It makes no sense to store items that you don’t have easy access to and are going to forget because they’re shoved in the back of a corner. If you have things you want to keep, put them in boxes that are easy to identify and label them so they’re easy to find.
Don’t go crazy trying to store everything. It is better to get rid of stuff you don’t need so you can make room for the things that you want, both physically and mentally.
Because seeing clutter actually creates stress you should store things behind closed doors, now this could be a little tricky since you’ll have to be disciplined about putting things in the closet neatly so that when you open the doors it doesn’t all come crashing down on you.
Whenever you’re looking at something your brain needs a break, so when you are displaying things in groups its better to have them clustered than to spread everything out.
Your filing cabinet should have clearly labeled folders for each of the items that you’re storing, like bank statements, utility bills, receipts and other important papers. Shoving papers into unmarked folders is a disaster waiting to happen. Take the time to organize your documents properly because being able to find what you need quickly saves a lot of time and prevents a lot of stress.
Clearing clutter may seem like a waste of time with all of the things you have to do, but the benefits far exceed any discomfort that you’ll have to endure since reducing stress can not only save you time but money too.
Of course, there will be periods of time when things get a little messy, and you won’t always be able to maintain a clutter free environment. But committing to developing a system to deal with it makes it a whole lot easier to get back on track.
The fact is there are no benefits to being stressed only lots of downsides that rob you of enjoying a lifestyle that is fulfilling, focused on what you want to achieve and most of all fun.
I encourage you to identify one thing that you can do today and commit to doing it for the next 7 days at least once a day that will being you a higher level of fulfiment and a lower level of stress
You are the architect of your life, design one that’s free of unnecessary stress.
