Hormones 2016

Stress management
Making Environmental Changes
Clean up a bit
Even the most steadfast of souls will waver in an ever-messy environment.
If your home, office, car, or work space is overly messy or dirty, it is certainly
having an effect on your mental well-being. Take a few minutes to clean up
your most unorganised areas, and your mind will breathe a sigh of relief.
Tips for reducing clutter are as follows (psychologytoday, 2012b) -
• Throw away items that are rarely used and have no value rather than
stockpiling them.
• Gather as a team (i.e. spouses, families, or roommates) and take on
cleaning together. Group effort makes the process go by quicker and
with more fun.
• Sort through papers and mail and toss or file as needed. Develop a
regular schedule of doing this to prevent papers from piling up.
• Designate places to store frequently used items so they can be easily
retrieved when you need them.
• Clean your work space after each work session to prevent clutter from
getting out of hand (wikihow, 2016).
Take a few minutes to get ready
It’s hard to feel prepared for the day when you haven’t taken time to
get yourself ready. Spend a few extra minutes in the morning to prepare
yourself for the day’s events. Take an extra long shower, put on your
favorite outfit, and go into the day ready to take on anything (wikihow,
2016).
Listen to some music
Music has shown to have a very strong effect on mood and mental state.
Calm yourself down by listening to your favorite soothing music. Although
you may prefer heavy metal or rap, try listening to something a bit softer
and slower for the best effects. Keeping music playing in the background
while you work, study, or just go about your daily activities is a great way
to subconsciously alter your stress levels.
• Researchers have found that music can change brain functioning in
similar ways as medication. So, regular music really can help to "cure"
stress and anxiety (unr, 2016).
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