10 Proven Stress Reducers
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Get up fifteen minutes earlier in the morning. The inevitable morning mishaps will be less stressful.
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Prepare for the morning the evening before. Set the breakfast table, make lunches, put out the clothes you plan to wear, etc.
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Don?t rely on your memory. Write down appointment times, when to pick up the laundry, when library books are due, etc. (“The palest ink is better than the most retentive memory.” - Old Chinese Proverb)
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Do nothing which, after being done, leads you to tell a lie.
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Make duplicates of all keys. Bury a house key in a secret spot in the garden and carry a duplicate car key in your wallet, apart from your key ring.
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Practice preventive maintenance. Your car, appliances, home, and relationships will be less likely to break down/fall apart “at the worst possible moment.”
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Be prepared to wait. A paperback can make a wait in a post office line almost pleasant.
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Procrastination is stressful. Whatever you want to do tomorrow, do today; whatever you want to do today, do it now.
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Plan ahead. Don?t let the gas tank get below one-quarter full; keep a well-stocked “emergency shelf” of home staples; don?t wait until you?re down to your last bus token or postage stamp to buy more; etc.
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Don?t put up with something that doesn?t work right. If your alarm clock, wallet, shoe laces, windshield wipers ? whatever ? are a constant aggravation, get them fixed or get new ones.