Detress

Let's face it, we are all stressed out in one sense or another -- ever increasing demand from work and life is, by itself, is quite brutal. And the job security and career development concerns in this unprecedented economic downturn only make people more stressed.

Stress is a big killer of our health, and I believe handling stress is probably more important than your workouts(In a pecking order, I tend to rank factors contributing to health as good nutrition, stress control, exercise and good night sleep.) So it makes sense to figure out ways of minimizing stress, here are a few things that work for me:

• Get organized. Our brain is at best handing a few things at a time, probably around 6, plus or minus one or two. If it's messy, we get stressed out. I use a free software called EssentialPIM Portable to manage all my notes. It works great.
• Purge and simplify. If you have not used something for a while, chances are that you won''t need it at all. Either archive it or junk it.
• Less is more. We really don't need a lot of "stuff" to be happy or productive. As long as you have a healthy body and mind, the rest is not that important. My essentials are healthy foods, books and decent exercise gears, all the rest is dispensable.
• Take small steps. Just try to get a tiny bit done, and you will feel a sense of accomplishment and the momentum will carry you forward.
• Habits are more important than will power. Don't over estimate your will power, most of us give in to temptations quite easily. Habits, however, are more effective in getting things accomplished.
• Last but not least, make it fun and interesting. After all life is all about having fun, is it not?