3 simple tips to reduce stress

These might be some super simple tips, but they can cause great impact!

Tip 1: Take a BREAK! Are you the type of person who works through lunch, or has a bank of vacation days carried over from last year? Breaks exist so that you can re-energize yourself. You may not think this is true, but you WILL be even more productive if you take advantage of some time to breathe. Go out and have a non-work conversation with a friend during lunch. Book that trip to Puerto Rico. Use those vacation days that your employer has GIVEN you to use. It is your absolute right to unplug every once in awhile!!!

Tip 2: Listen to upbeat music! Okay, I know I can’t be the only one out there jamming out on commutes and belting it out in the shower. Opt for those upbeat tempo songs over the depressing ballads, and sing your heart out. Dance a little if you can. For sure you’ll not be thinking of stress. And for those of you don’t like to sing, imagine me sitting in my car next to you on the highway shouting, “whoa, we’re halfway there…whoa… livin’ on a prayer!!!” or, imagine me doing the Carlton dance with “Happy” by Pharrell playing in the background. 

Tip 3: Smile! When someone smiles at you, what happens? Do you smile back? Smiles are infectious. Try to share at least three a day with people you encounter and see what impact it makes on them and you.