How to Reduce Stress by Just Saying “No”
Saying one little word, namely “no”, is an ideal way of how to reduce stress in your life. It is easy to take on too much today with daily life being so hectic. However, many times you will find that you need to lessen your anxiety so that you can have some relaxation to recoup your energy!
Today, life just seems to be whizzing by us at an amazing pace. However, there are numerous ways how to reduce stress and to get through this hectic pace without losing your mind and that is by just saying “no”! I adore the manner in which many Italians speak the word “no”.
They do it with a high-pitched, drawn out “nnnnnnnn” with a short, deeper-pitched “o” similar to the o sound in the word “knot”. This a tad comical, unapologetic, and blunt “nnnnnnnn-o”. We all need to follow this example at times.
We should all feel that we can say, “yes”, when it is important and to know when the word “no” is the best answer for us. This is not that complicated to do, but it may not be easy to do all the time. How, though, can you distinguish in your life when it is important to say “yes”? Below we offer you some tips on this.
How To Reduce Stress
You should say “yes” when:
1. You feel passionate about the activity, event, task
2. If this is a way to your desired goal
3. It is something that fits in with your values
You should say “no” when:
1. You are overly tired
2. It is something you dread doing
3. You are not certain about your feelings on it (just say you need to say “no” until you know your schedule better)
You will always have those things that you have to participate in on a regular basis. Even though you are weary, you have certain functions that you have to attend for work or to please family members or friends. In addition, when you have kids, you will need to take them places to take care of their needs.
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The main thing to remember in how to reduce stress is that it also important to take time for your needs to make sure your life has the right balance. Be sure to provide yourself enough rest and fun time to recoup you energy, along with your transporting your children and spending time with all other necessary tasks you must perform. Your time does not have to come in large chunks, but you do need to do some things that are important to you.
You need analyze your schedule at the beginning of each week. When you see that you have three or four things in a row to do, or the two to three nights straight you have things, you need to immediately pencil in some time just for your needs! Schedule your time as you would a doctor’s appointment.
When you really want to know how to reduce stress you will need to inform certain people that you need help because you have certain limitations to how much you can cram into a week. Your spouse may need to watch the children so you can go workout or take a bath. In addition, you may need to ask you friends not to call late at night because you need your sleep. You also may need to tell the boss which days you can and cannot work overtime.
Whatever you say “yes” to participating in just be certain you do it with a light heart. Do not dread doing something and saying, “I really do not want to go to this party tonight, but I will and make the best of it.”, as this will add stress instead of reducing it.
When you are completely overwhelmed with your schedule and want to know how to reduce stress, but are uncertain if you should participate in an activity ask yourself, “Is this something I will regret not doing five years from now?” Telling people “no” is normally the safer thing to do because you can always change your answer to “yes” after saying it. You will have a harder time saying “no”, though, once you have already said “yes”.
However, for those times you do say “yes”, you are still entitled to change your answer to “no” when necessary. However, you will need courage to do so as you may disappoint someone in the process.
Instead of disappointing ourselves and compromising our values remember the thoughts of Jack Canfield. He thought there are two words that you need to use to succeed in life. You need to master saying “yes” and practice telling people “no”. Your personal goals depend on this fact. (This is an accurate recount of his actual statement.)
Remember all this the next time you need to know how to reduce your stress.
