How to Reduce the Stress Level in Your Life

I confess. Sometimes I let the car run until the fuel gauge is empty. I arrive at the airport a few minutes before departure. Or I rush from meeting to meeting with no time in between. What does that do? A spike in my stress level.

And that stress is self-imposed! But in recent years, I'm addressing it by building more latitude into my family's life. Here are 6 ways to bring some freedom into your family life and thereby reduce your stress levels.

1. Prepare yourself.

You've heard that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and that's true when it comes to reducing morning madness. Take a little time tonight to prepare for tomorrow and you'll lower stress levels. Let the children lay out the clothes they will be wearing, or choose them if they are too young to do it themselves. When they go to school, make sure all school supplies are packed and ready. Put together as much breakfast and lunch as you can in advance and finish it in the morning.

2. Get up earlier.

It's really tempting to hit the snooze button, but an extra nine minutes won't make much of a difference, and you'll just start the day rushing. Conversely, getting up 10 or 15 minutes before you “have to” can pay off. You'll have time for a few quiet minutes with a cup of coffee and some prayer and Bible study—the calm before the storm! When everyone else is getting up, you can be the silent focus of their morning. Here are 14 ways to stop morning madness.

3. Get there early.

Screaming into the parking lot and jumping out of the vehicle at the last minute means you're approaching your next assignment with a high level of stress. Give yourself a few extra minutes to get to your destination and no need to worry if traffic is bad. Upon arrival, you can take a deep breath and gather yourself. You can gather yourself and anything you need, or spend a few minutes connecting and talking to everyone else in the car with you.

4. Take to-dos with you.

Getting things done now will save you time later. So look for ways to use the downtime of the day between errands, taking kids to various engagements, or showing up to your own appointments. Work on that business reading you need to get done or that letter you wanted to write while you wait for your doctor's appointment.

5. Control your commitments.

We all have "must" things to do - duties and responsibilities - but you may be surprised to discover how many you can let go of. One of the challenges is having your chalkboard full of good things, like sports, community or church activities, friends, and after-school programs. But load them on top of each other and they become too much. So set limits. When our kids were little, we limited them to one sport at a time. Bottom line: own your family calendar. Also, start a “stop doing” list. Make a list of everything you do. Then ask yourself, "What is one thing I can stop doing?"

6. Plan for downtime.

While you should cross some things off your calendar, you should also add something - family time. This is an evening or weekend afternoon when you reject all other options so you can be together. But keep it simple. This is an opportunity to detox from distractions. Maybe it's board games together or a reading session where everyone sits with a book. You can mute cell phones so there are no interruptions. In this hyper-connected modern world, it's really important for kids to learn that they don't have to be locked into technology. Here are 7 ways to fit downtime into your schedule and some more ideas for when to say no to good things.

In what ways have you learned to increase margin and reduce stress for your family? Share your ideas with others here.

By: How to Reduce the Stress Level in Your Life