These days it’s hard not to get overwhelmed once in a while. Between managing work, family, and other responsibilities and commitments, we can become too stressed out and too busy to be productive. Sometimes, we even get stressed out just thinking of ways to not stress so much. Managing stress with these eight stress management tips can help you. It’s essential that we set time aside to unwind because if we don’t, our mental and physical health can suffer. The good news is that managing our stress can be easier than we think.

Quantity over Intensity

For example, did you know the frequency of our positive experiences is a better predictor of happiness than our intensity of positive experiences? Basically, when we think about what would make us happy, we often tend to think of extreme events-like winning the lottery or landing the perfect job. But research has shown that the intensity of our experiences isn’t as important as the number of good experiences we have. Think about it. Someone who has done or witnessed many beautiful things each day is likely to be happier than someone who has a single intense experience happen. Learning how to manage your stress takes practice, but you can — and need to — do it. Reminding yourself to be happy for the little things in life is the precursor for managing stress.

8 Stress Management Tips

Here are eight easy and manageable stress management tips:

1. Find happiness. Think about every blessing we have. Remember, it’s the quantity, not the quality of events that we need to feel happy.
2. Self-awareness. The very first step in taking control of stress is to recognize personal stress triggers. Self-awareness can help us to avoid a stress response altogether.
3. Be Grateful. Be grateful for a smile, laughter, and even the sun.
4. Take Care of You. Don’t miscalculate how much your physical state affects how well you handle stress. Develop healthy habits like regular exercise, proper nutrition, and adequate sleep.
5. Become Organized. Do you often find yourself searching for something you misplaced? Becoming organized will help you overcome these issues, allowing you to be more efficient and productive – and less stressed.
6. Don’t be a Perfectionist. Life isn’t perfect, so don’t try to be.
7. Ask for Help. Talk to someone you trust and let them know what’s bothering you. Sometimes just talking it out helps you feel better.
8. Breathe. Breathing and reflecting on a situation can help you feel calmer. Diaphragmatic breathing is one of the most straightforward yet most crucial stress management techniques available. Learn this method and every breath you take can reduce, rather than contribute to, stress.

How to Diaphragmatic Breathe

Diaphragmatic breathing technique:

• Sit or lie down. Then place one hand on your chest and one on your stomach.
• Slowly exhale through your mouth.
• Next, slowly inhale through your nose, concentrating on keeping your chest still while expanding your stomach.
• You should notice a fall and rise of your stomach, not your chest.

Most people think taking a ‘good deep breath’ is when they feel their chest and shoulders rise; however, it is the stomach area that you want to expand and release. The goal of diaphragmatic breathing is to increase oxygenation. By pushing out your stomach, you open the diaphragm and helps the flow of oxygen to the brain.

As John Kabat-Zinn stated, “The little things? The little moments? They aren’t little.” Since we all have stress, it is essential to focus on the things that bring us happiness, regardless of how little it is. Although stress comes in good and bad forms, we should learn to manage it. Many stress management techniques exist that can bring relief quickly and safely. Stress management techniques can be started now, and done anytime. Stress management techniques require little or no investment on your part other than a bit of time each day.