Getting stressed is unavoidable, but what if I told you I have four ways to prevent stress that have been saving me lately? Remember how I mentioned ways to overcome self-doubt? Well, those are in-the-moment problem solvers. These are ways to prevent it completely.

As the saying goes, ‘there are only two guarantees in life: death and taxes.’ That’s definitely true, but I’d also like to add a few that may not be guarantees but are definitely common threads for many people. For me, there is always change, my job, bills, family responsibilities, dreams, relationships and my health. These are things I believe most of us probably deal with and things that can cause stress and anxiety. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing. If I only had to tackle one thing individually, I’d be fine. It’s the overall goal of balance and trying to juggle all those things while enjoying life that can be stressful. And I don’t have a high-pressure job!

I hate to even say it, but adulting is hard. All those times my mom told us to stay young finally make sense. There are so many sides to having my own place and getting to wear cool clothes that weren’t explained and that I didn’t expect as a kid. But that shouldn’t stop anyone from going after their dreams!

It can be hard though, managing it all. There are times when between work, blogging, traveling, writing, social activities, and working out I find myself working for the weekend, too exhausted to do anything on a Saturday morning. There are many weeknights I can’t fall asleep from all the thoughts and worries running around in my head. Then I wake up the next day, tired and trying to do it all again. It comes to a point where all the coffee in the world can’t revive me, and I’m skipping workouts to get other things done. It’s a vicious cycle that seems like it won’t end.

After lots of reading and applying in my own life, I’ve come up with a simple list.

Here are my top four ways to prevent stress and anxiety from getting the best of you:

1. Stay Hydrated:

It seems simple enough, right? Just drink enough water. Pro tip: on days when I just need coffee, I make sure I have at least one glass of water in between mugs. Coffee is dehydrating so the water helps counteract that!

2. Sleep:

Yes. It’s almost counterintuitive, because we’d rather just keep churning out work and ideas than take breaks from them. Unfortunately, our minds and bodies aren’t very useful without having any rest. Sure, there are studies that say we need at least eight hours of sleep a night, while other people swear they only need four. There was a time when all I needed were 4-5 hours a night and I felt great. Not anymore. For me, a realistic goal is to get six hours of sleep a night, but I’m definitely at peak performance after eight. It’s something I work on constantly, but I’m a night owl so 6-6.5 hours is my reality.

3. Move:

This is one that helps to both prevent stress and relieve it in the moment. Movement. I wouldn’t say it has to be hardcore exercise, but daily (or at least regular) movement is key. On a good week, I’m doing 30 minutes of cardio plus some kind of weight training and yoga daily. The goal on an off week is to at least do 30 minutes of cardio and 10 minutes of stretching afterwards. Exercising like this helps the brain produce endorphins but also tires the body, making it easier to fall asleep and making the quality of sleep better.

4. Time – Blocking:

Ok, so this may not be for everyone, depending on your work and schedule. I’d heard of it before, but things clicked for me when I read about The Kitchen Timer method by Don Roos. Lauren Graham wrote about it in her book ‘Talking As Fast As I Can.’ She was struggling to be productive when it came to reading and writing, so she used this method.

There’s obviously more to it but the basic concept is this: decide on an amount of time you want to dedicate to a task and then block that much time however frequently. Set a timer for that amount of time and focus on that task, with no distractions, until the timer runs out. Then, no matter where you are in the task, stop when the timer runs out. It feels strange – and I’m continuing to type right now as my timer just went off – but it can be a really great way to focus and not allow yourself distractions. Plus, you’d be surprised how quickly 30 minutes go by when you’re actually being productive!

So there you have it. Four very easy ways to help prevent stress. Nothing earth-shattering or trendy, just tried and true tips we often forget. I’ll be the first to admit that the first three are the things I slack on when life gets busy, and my work, energy and attitude show it.

So next time you know you’ve got a crazy week or day ahead, make sure you start by remembering to prioritize these four steps and you’ll prevent plenty of unnecessary stress.

I hope these work for you as much as they worked for me!

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