Tiny Changes That Make Your Day Less Stressful (and More Fun)
Stress Happens, Fun Should Too
The day can really sneak up on you, can’t it? You wake up in a great mood, roll out of bed, and suddenly, one thing after another - stress starts to pile up, quietly eclipsing the good mood you started with. As your cortisol rises throughout the day, it can feel harder and harder to stay present, calm, and even a little bit joyful.
I remember when I had a 45-minute commute to work and made it to a gym class before the day started. On the mornings I actually got myself out of bed for my 5am wake up, I felt unstoppable. Accomplished, energized, ready to take on anything! But by the time I walked through the door twelve hours later, that mountain of stress had me collapsing on the couch, exhausted and barely able to enjoy time with friends or family.
If only I had known some small tweaks to sprinkle positive moments and self-care throughout my busy day. I could have saved myself some exhaustion and carved out more space for the activities and people I love. Luckily tiny, intentional changes like these exist, and they can make your day not just less stressful, but genuinely more fun. If you’re looking for some small changes you can make to feel less stressed and overwhelmed, without quitting your job or overhauling your life, here are some ideas to get you started.
Start Your Morning with a Micro Win
You have a chance to reduce your stress from the beginning of the day, although I know it does take a tiny bit of planning and intention. Give yourself a micro-win first thing in the morning by making your bed, doing a two-minute stretch, or indulging in a favorite coffee ritual.
Seriously, making your bed in the morning only takes a minute or two, but it’s a game changer when you get back to your bedroom after a long day. Nothing makes you feel like you have it together than a fresh, tidy bed to fall into.
One of my personal favorite activities in the morning, that I made time for even in my newborn early-morning hours-era, was a favorite coffee ritual. I blend a favorite chocolate collagen powder into a hot cup of coffee (don’t knock it until you try it! It’s delicious and makes me feel healthy too.). Sipping that homemade mocha-style beverage for a few minutes feels indulgent, calming, and self-caring.
The key to these micro-wins is to celebrate them! You may not always get to your stretch or save some time to enjoy your coffee, but when you do, give yourself a moment to smile and be proud of yourself for starting your day by thinking of yourself.
Gratitude Journal
Focusing on gratitude has been shown to reduce stress and other mental health challenges. Intentionally shifting your focus on the positive aspects of life, even the small ones that often that go unnoticed, can actually reduce stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline in your body. Over time it actually helps you feel less stressed and more relaxed.
A gratitude practice helps you focus on the positive that is already happening your life. When you’re living a busy and often stressful life, those things can often go unnoticed or appreciated. Taking time to appreciate them can rewire your brain to focus on them more over time, promote positivity and positive energy, and even increase self-esteem. So consider getting a cute little journal and starting a habit of jotting down 1-3 things you’re grateful for each day. They don’t need to be big, in fact small, everyday things work best!
Here’s an example of three things I’m grateful for today:
Having food to eat
The ability to move my body
A strong support system.
Sneak in Little Joys Throughout the Day
The great thing about sneaking in little joys throughout the day is it can build intention and anticipation. Keep a little treat (a fancy gum or special chocolate) in your bag for a small pick-me-up when you need it throughout the day. Listen to your favorite song on your commute home or when you’re transitioning out of work-mode if you work from home. Make a reminder in your calendar to take a little joy-break at some point in the day, so you don’t forget!
It might be as simple and unplanned as stopping to pet a cute dog on your walk or smiling at a stranger. It may be more intentionally planned for something to look forward to, like listening to your favorite podcast while you cook dinner or reading a chapter of your favorite book at the end of the day. Micro-wins like these are small and powerful. They bring a side of joy and positivity to your day, which can help offset stress and the never-ending to do list.
Change Your Scenery
Sometimes we can get so bogged down in your daily monotony or tasks that we don’t even notice time passing, how slumped our shoulders are, or how disconnected we’re starting to feel.. Even a quick, five-minute break to walk outside or move to a different room can reduce stress and help you refocus.
Talk Back to Your Inner Critic… Playfully
Your inner critic only makes stress worse. Negative self-talk that your inner critic spews at you fuels worry, perfectionism, and self-berating, but rarely lead to helpful solutions.
If you are well acquainted with your inner critic, try externalizing them to make their nasty messages feel less serious. Try imagining them as a caricature, cartoon, or silly person. When that inner critic lashes out at you, telling you you’ll always be behind where you want to be or everyone hates you, imagine this silly version spouting these words to you. Respond playfully, shut them down, or respond as if they were saying it to your best friend. Doing this can externalize your inner critic, which can reduce the intensity and perceived reality of their messages.
Take Advantage of Transitions
All day long you may be going from one task to the next to the next, knocking things off that to do list until you collapse into that (nicely made!?) bed at the end of the day. Not many things steal joy and increase stress more than living off a to do list that grows faster than you can cross things off.
Try incorporating mini-breaks between tasks. Of course, a big break would be amazing for stress reduction, but probably isn’t realistic. Even two minutes counts! Stretch, take a deep breath, or do a quick, silly dance to get your blood flowing. Anything that signals a transition and gives you a moment to focus on you instead of what you need to do.
When I was in college, I loved finishing as assignment because it meant I could go for my allotted cigarette break. Don’t smoke! That’s terrible for you and not a good way to reduce stress, but the idea was a good one: give yourself a brief pause, take some time to focus on yourself and let the transition actually feel like one.
End Your Day With a Micro Celebration
You have the chance to start your day off on a positive note, and ending your day with a micro-celebration is also a powerful way to practice mindfulness and gratitude.
So whether your small win is I finished all my emails or I was able to reflect on that one big email, give yourself credit for what you accomplished today. It can be incredibly helpful to write these down in a little notebook so you can look back at all your small wins over the weeks and months, to give yourself credit for all that you are doing on those days when life feels like a human-sized hamster wheel.
Tiny, intentional changes and shifts in perspective add up. Even picking just one of these ideas and incorporating it as regularly as you can will make a powerful difference over time. Tiny stress relief moments can be fun and don’t have to take up all your time. You can find some balance between the stressful day to day that you can’t get away from and feeling less burnt out and exhausted all the time. So pick one tiny change and give it a try today. See how it makes you feel!
If you’re in Colorado and want to work through stress and burnout, reach out for a free consultation. We can discuss your unique needs and help you reduce stress without overhauling up your life.