3 ways to Cut Down on Stress


By David Joel Miller, MS, Licensed Therapist & Licensed Counselor.

Stressed

Feeling stressed out?
Photo courtesy of Pixabay.com

Trim away the worries and live a healthier life.

Want a reduced stress diet? Try trimming out some of the stress. Just as weight loss programs tell you to trim the fat out of your diet there are three ways to trim excess stress out of your life.

1. Cut off the future

Learn to be mindful and stay in the present. Yes, of course, you should make plans for the future and take the steps needed to get there, but stressing over things that may or may not happen adds a lot of stress to your diet for events you haven’t even tasted yet.

Worrying that you may not get what you want can add a lot of stress to your life today when what you should really be doing is the required work to get where you are going. Stressing over the uncertainty of the future can keep you from enjoying the taste of the present.

2. Cut down on the past

A steady diet of regrets and recriminations about the past can keep you stressed out and unable to live in the present.

The work of grieving over losses and letting go of guilt and shame may require seeing a therapist or counselor. Make the effort to process those old hurts and let them go.

Many of us have resentments towards people who have harmed or wronged us in the past. Holding onto those old wounds keeps us living in the stress of events that have long since ended.

Let the past live in the past and spend your time having the best possible present to enjoy your low-stress diet.

3. Stop trying to eat other people’s dinner – worrying about problems others need to solve

That you care about others is wonderful, but if you are finding your life overrun by stressors then you need to send some of them back where they came from.

You can’t solve problems for others and the more you stress yourself out over their issues the fewer resources you have for your life in the here and now.

If you chose to worry and stress there will always be negative news from around the globe twenty-four-seven. Some people believe that worrying and stressing over what might happen somehow keeps the safe from an unwanted future. It doesn’t work that way.

Prepare for the worst but live in the now. Limit your worrying to the things that you really may be able to influence and practice your acceptance of those things that are out of your control.

Is a reduced stress diet for you?

Try one for a while and see if you are not healthier and happier. If reduced stress does not work for you then you can always go back to worrying about the problems that are out of your control.

Staying connected with David Joel Miller

Seven David Joel Miller Books are available now!

My newest book is now available. It was my opportunity to try on a new genre. I’ve been working on this book for several years, but now seem like the right time to publish it.

Story Bureau.

Story Bureau is a thrilling Dystopian Post-Apocalyptic adventure in the Surviving the Apocalypse series.

Baldwin struggles to survive life in a post-apocalyptic world where the government controls everything.

As society collapses and his family gets plunged into poverty, Baldwin takes a job in the capital city, working for a government agency called the Story Bureau. He discovers the Story Bureau is not a benign news outlet but a sinister government plot to manipulate society.

Bumps on the Road of Life. Whether you struggle with anxiety, depression, low motivation, or addiction, you can recover. Bumps on the Road of Life is the story of how people get off track and how to get your life out of the ditch.

Dark Family Secrets: Doris wants to get her life back, but small-town prejudice could shatter her dreams.

Casino Robbery Arthur Mitchell escapes the trauma of watching his girlfriend die. But the killers know he’s a witness and want him dead.

Planned Accidents  The second Arthur Mitchell and Plutus mystery.

Letters from the Dead: The third in the Arthur Mitchell mystery series.

What would you do if you found a letter to a detective describing a crime and you knew the writer and detective were dead, and you could be next?

Sasquatch. Three things about us, you should know. One, we have seen the past. Two, we’re trapped there. Three, I don’t know if we’ll ever get back to our own time.

For these and my upcoming books; please visit my Author Page – David Joel Miller

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2 thoughts on “3 ways to Cut Down on Stress

  1. Pingback: Have another helping of stress. Stress can be good for you. | counselorssoapbox

  2. I was notorious for wanting to fix everyone’s problems! Thankfully through therapy I’ve learned to stop that. Letting go with the past I still struggle with! Thankfully I have a good psychiatrist.
    Paula x

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