Stress isn’t always as useful as it’s meant to be since it goes on too long. Felt occasionally, in extreme circumstances, it is helpful. You wouldn’t be able to run away from a tiger at full speed without being in a state of fight or flight. However, you don’t meet many dangerous big cats. The pressure you face stems from everyday challenges, like deadlines and traffic jams. Your system still creates cortisol, the chemical aiding attacking or fleeing from predators. As a result, you remain in a mild state of readiness for action. Reducing stress will help you feel calm, boost your immunity, and make you happier.

 

Don’t take things personally

 

Do people get on your nerves or mistreat you? The chances are, if you think they often do, you’re taking what they do and say to heart. Much of the time, the actions of others, even when thoughtless, aren’t about you. No one intends to upset you. Even if they do mean to cause offense, the best way to defend yourself is by ignoring them.

 

Choose not to take the thoughtless words or behaviors of others personally. Don’t analyze conversations, going over slights. You have the power to shift your mental energy away from thoughts that build stress.

 

Remember most things aren’t important

 

What worries you today soon won’t be a problem. Indeed, you’ll look back and wonder why you were concerned. Most of the problems in your head are small matters, blown out of proportion. Occasionally, there is cause for concern, but when nothing much is going on, you focus on little challenges. You might worry about whose turn it is to wash the dishes. Or you may fret about the price of stamps. These things aren’t worthy of your distress, so let them go for greater peace of mind.

 

Learn to switch off

 

Whether your mind’s filled with worries or not, it buzzes. You think about what you’ve done and what you’ve got to do next. You run through chores in your head as though doing them. When you carry them out, you feel like they’ve been done several times already. It’s time to learn how to zone-out, switching off the voice in your head.

 

Spend at least ten minutes a day focusing on nothing but your surroundings. Choose to walk among nature, soaking up the atmosphere. Listen to birds singing and the sound of the breeze through leaves on the trees. Study the petals of flowers and insects going about their day. You will look forward to your ritual and be calmer.

 

You can have less stress in your life if you don’t take things to heart. At the same time, remember most things aren’t important, and learn to switch off. These simple tweaks to the way you think and behave will make you happy.