Stress is something that all of us have experienced at one time or another, and although it’s not physically tangible, its effects can be felt in many areas of life, including on the tennis court. If you’ve been feeling burdened down by excessive stress, below are four helpful things you can do to live a less stressful life.
1. Stay in the present moment.
So many of us waste valuable mental and emotional energy lamenting past mistakes or worrying about the future. Anytime your imagination starts to drift backwards or forwards in time, try to catch it quickly and remind yourself to stay in the “now.”
You can’t change the past and you can’t predict the future, so it’s better to concentrate all of your energy and effort on making the best of the present moment. If you make a habit of doing this, you can leverage your actions in the present moment to build a more positive future.
2. Reduce your commitments.
Overcommitting yourself is one of the easiest ways to slip into a world of stress before you even know it. Yes, it would be nice to volunteer at XYZ organization while also being on the board of the local Chamber of Commerce while also tutoring your neighbor’s kid part-time (all in addition to working a full-time job), but at some point you’re going to run out of hours in the day to fulfill all of your commitments.
If your calendar is always jam-packed with conference calls, meetings, appointments, and to-dos, it’s only a matter of time before you burn out and become completely stressed out. If you’re really pushing the limit in terms of personal commitments, you have to start discerning between what’s nice to do and what you need to do. This might mean saying “no” a little more and possibly disappointing a few people, but it can do wonders for lowering your stress levels.
3. Get more sleep.
Countless studies have shown a strong link between sleep deprivation and increased stress levels. When you’re not getting enough sleep at night, you can feel sluggish, irritable and absent-minded during the day, and this can really put a damper on your productivity. Aim to get at least seven to eight hours of shut-eye every night, and see how much of a difference it will make in how you feel and perform.
4. Get organized.
Let’s face it – for many of us, our lives would be a lot less stressful if we would just get a little more organized. If you’re the kind of person who chronically loses their car keys, misses important appointments or can’t find an important personal document if your life depended on it, you might want to think about how you can add some more structure to your life.
You can do this through creating files, keeping a calendar, always putting your car keys in the same spot every day, etc. Start decluttering and get more organized, and watch your stress levels drop as a result.
It’s virtually impossible to live a 100 percent stress-free life, but that doesn’t mean that you have to live under a debilitating amount of stress either. Put the above tips into practice to help you stress less and enjoy life more!