A psychology teacher’s advice on the many ways you can reduce your stress levels is going viral this week, after one of his students shared it online.
Brett Phillips, who teaches at a high school in California, apparently hands out the list in one of the first classes of the year to help students, but it’s ended up being reshared almost 30,000 times.
Featuring everything from setting your alarm clock 15 minutes early, to saying no more often, this is an ingenious list of simple ways to improve daily life and ensure you don’t get stressed out.
Scroll down for the list in full.
Get up 15 minutes earlier
Prepare for the morning the night before
Avoid tight-fitting clothes
Avoid relying on chemical aids
Set appointments ahead
Don’t rely on your memory – write it down
Practice preventative maintenance
Make duplicate keys
Say no more often
Set priorities in your life
Avoid negative people
Use time wisely
Simplify meal times
Always make copies of important papers
Anticipate your needs
Repair anything that doesn’t work properly
Ask for help with the jobs you dislike
Break large tasks into bite size portions
Look at problems as challenges
Look at challenges differently
Unclutter your life
Smile
Be prepared for rain
Tickle a baby
Pet a friendly dog/cat
Don’t know all the answers
Look for a silver lining
Say something nice to someone
Teach a kid to fly a kite
Walk in the rain
Schedule play time into every day
Take a bubble bath
Be aware of the decisions you make
Believe in yourself
Stop saying negative things to yourself
Visualize yourself winning
Develop your sense of humor
Stop thinking tomorrow will be a better day
Have goals for yourself
Dance a jig
Say “hello” to a stranger
Ask a friend for a hug
Look up at the stars
Practice breathing slowly
Learn to whistle a tune
Read a poem
Listen to a symphony
Watch a ballet
Read a story curled up in bed
Do a brand new thing
Stop a bad habit
Buy yourself a flower
Take time to smell the flowers
Find support from others
Ask someone to be your “vent-partner”
Do it today
Work at being cheerful and optimistic
Put safety first
Do everything in moderation
Pay attention to your appearance
Strive for excellence NOT perfection
Stretch your limits a little each day
Look at a work of art
Hum a jingle
Maintain your weight
Plant a tree
Feed the birds
Practice grace under pressure
Strand up and stretch
Always have a plan “B”
Learn a new doodle
Memorize a joke
Be responsible for your feelings
Learn to meet your own needs
Become a better listener
Know our own limitations and let others know them, too
Tell someone to have a good day in pig Latin
Throw a paper airplane
Exercise every day
Learn the words to a new song
Get to work early
Clean out one closet
Play patty cake with a toddler
Go on a picnic
Take a different route to work
Leave work early (with permission)
Put air freshener in your car
Watch a move and eat popcorn
Write a note to a faraway friend
Go to a ball game and scream
Cook a meal and eat it by candlelight
Recognize the importance of unconditional love
Remember that stress is an attitude
Keep a journal
Practice a monster smile
Remember you always have options
Have a support network of people, places and things
Quit trying to fix other people
Get enough sleep
Talk less and listen more
Freely praise other people
And as a bonus, the teacher recommends taking each day at a time, “you have the rest of your life to live.”
