BEING PROACTIVE TO REDUCE STRESS.

One way that lead to reducing stress is being proactive. Being proactive in term of:

1) Let go (at least a little bit!).

Recognize that you can't control everything. There will always be stressful elements in your life, but you can minimize the stress in your life by eliminating what you can and learning to cope with the rest.

2) Address stressful situations head-on.

Instead of avoiding or putting off dealing with your stressors, why not face them directly? Though you may not be able to single-handedly eliminate all of the things that are stressing you out, you may be able to alleviate them to some degree and, most importantly, prevent them from worsening and having increasingly adverse effects on your mental and physical well-being.

3) Get organized.

Getting organized, planning ahead and being prepared can reduce stress levels. One of the first key steps is to keep a day planner that lists all of your appointments, meetings, and anything else you have scheduled, such as a yoga class or class trip. This will help you know what your days look like each week and month. In so doing, you'll have a better sense of what you need to do and how to plan for these things.

4) Take control of your commitments.

While there are a lot of commitments you cannot control, there are a lot that you can. All too often, people say "yes" to things that do not bring pleasure, or cause undue anxiety, or take away from more important commitments. One reason that many people feel stressed out is because they feel over-committed and like they don't have enough time to pursue their interests or spend time with their loved ones.