How To Live Without Stress: 10 Tips For A Stress-Free Life

This post dives into 10 realistic ideas to become stress-free in life and live each day without unnecessary worries weighing you down.

In my teen years, I believed stress to be a necessary evil to get things done.

I thought it was important to be under pressure to achieve your goals and be successful in life.

But it wasn’t until I’d had a massive mental breakdown and had to take a year off from college that I realized stress had never been a contributor to my achievements.

And once I started unloading my mind of all the stress that I’d been carrying, I knew I’d never want to tolerate its presence in my life anymore.

Now, you could argue against this, but stress is never positive in any situation, and you don’t have to normalize its presence.

It never does you any good, and your beautiful mind deserves to be treated better.

Stress-Free Is The Ultimate State Of Being

This picture is all you need to look at to differentiate between a life full of stress vs a life without stress.

You want to be happier, healthier, and more productive in life?

Then aim to be stress-free first, because it’s something that’ll liberate you from a lot of your problems.

That might be easier said than done, but I know it’s achievable because I live a stress-free life.

A few years back, this was not the case at all, but now, being stress-free has become almost second nature to me.

How did I do this? And is it possible for you to craft a stress-free life for yourself as well?

Read on to find out.

10 Realistic Ways To Be Stress-Free In Life

1. Create a “Worry Jar”

This is something I did once at my therapist’s suggestion, and I found it to be so helpful that I’ve kept up with this habit ever since.

You assign a jar or container as your “worry jar”, and use it as your worry-dumping bucket.

Whenever you find yourself dwelling on worries or anxieties, write them down on a slip of paper and throw them in the jar.

It’d be like pulling stress from your brain and releasing it from your system.

Once a week, take some time to review the worries you’ve collected.

You may find that many of them have resolved themselves or no longer seem as daunting as they once did, helping you gain perspective and reduce stress.

2. Try New Ways To Feel Gratitude

You should always be on a quest to magnify your feelings of gratitude because it’s a lovely antidote for stress.

A grateful heart finds it hard to worry about things that it can’t control as it is too busy taking in the beauty around to stress about small things.

People usually practice gratitude by listing down things they’re grateful for, and for the longest time, this was my default way of feeling gratitude before I moved on to different practices.

Instead of simply listing things you’re grateful for, take it a step further by expressing gratitude through actions.

Write a thank-you note to someone who has made a positive impact on your life, or perform random acts of kindness for others.

You can also put a tiny rock in your pocket and think of one thing you’re grateful for whenever you touch it.

3. Stop Expecting Others To Always Do The Right Thing

Stress can sometimes creep up on you from the most random of things.

I started noticing a few months back that I was stressing myself over other people’s actions a lot.

If I didn’t understand why someone was doing something or felt they were ‘wrong’, I’d worry about them and their actions affecting my relationship with them.

But the thing is that people are not perfect, and we shouldn’t expect them to be.

We have many flaws as well, and all we can do in this life is work on ourselves.

You can’t change people, and it’s not your job to even fix them. Everyone’s definition of ‘right’ is different and thinking that your way of life is better would be wrong.

So whenever you find yourself getting stressed because of someone else’s actions, choose to let them be and turn your attention inward instead.

The key to a happy and stress-free life ultimately lies within you and nobody else can find it for you.

Bookmark for later: How To Be More Secure In Yourself

4. Find Reasons To Smile And Laugh

Laughter is the best medicine when it comes to reducing stress.

I used to wait for happy moments to come my way but then realized I am very much capable of seeking them out myself.

Make time for joyful activities like watching funny movies, spending time with friends who have a good sense of humor, or finding joy in the simple pleasures in life.

Smile at a stranger in the park, laugh when you’re playing with your pet, and smile to yourself as you take the first sip of coffee.

Express your joy freely because every smile and laugh you let out will cancel out the stressful thoughts inside your brain and make you happier.

5. Seek More Alone Time

I feel like in today’s world, we are either surrounded by people or alone but not by choice.

But no matter what your everyday situation is like (noisy or quiet), you should actively seek alone time instead of waiting for quiet moments to come to you.

When you decide to spend time with yourself intentionally, your loneliness turns into a thing to cherish, a way for you to stop seeing yourself from the world’s eyes and adopt your perspective.

The more you do this, the more self-dependent you become.

You can use this time to read, take a beauty nap, soak in a bubble bath, sip your tea, journal your thoughts, or go out for a fun solo date.

When you get back into the world, you’ll have stronger mental boundaries and will know when to say no to someone and when to say yes.

With the habit of mindful me-time in your pocket, you’ll find yourself getting stressed less often and being more carefree in your day-to-day life.

Might help: How To Enjoy Being Alone: 9 Tips To Love Your Own Company

6. Read And Meditate Everyday

There are many daily habits you can adopt to improve your mental health and keep your stress at bay, though sticking to too many habits at once isn’t realistic.

That’s why at the start of this year, I decided to be consistent with just two habits for my mental health – reading and meditation.

These habits don’t take a lot of my time but they’re powerful enough to ward off stressful thoughts.

Whenever you find a few minutes to spare during your day, pick up a self-help book, even if you can read only a single page.

You’ll be feeding yourself positivity through words, giving your mind something thoughtful to chew on rather than fretting about pointless things.

Tune into a guided meditation every morning or before going to bed. Pick a meditation from YouTube depending on whatever your mind needs help with.

For example, I’ve been sick for the past few days, so I’ve been tuning into 10-minute healing meditations at night.

This way, you’ll target whatever is troubling you the most, and gently untangle your worries with the power of meditation.

Sticking to these two simple habits will also strengthen your habit of consistency. Show yourself that you can and will show up for yourself.

7. Stick To A Physical Activity That Makes You Happy

I harp about the benefits of exercise for mental health often on my blog, but I know not a lot of readers take me seriously.

I know this because I used to be the same, not because I was lazy or unaware, but because I hated the idea of working out.

If you feel the same, it might be because you’re not choosing workouts that make you happy.

Everyone has different preferences when it comes to food, clothes, and even people, so why should working out be any different?

To manage your stress every day, you need to find that one physical activity that makes you truly happy. For me, it is going out for walks and hikes in nature.

For you, it could be jogging, lifting weights, trying new YouTube workouts, cycling, or skating.

Once you find what you love, be consistent with it, and help your body reduce the stress hormones.

8. Practice Body Neutrality

It’s insane how many times I’ve lost my mind to worries regarding my body.

When you are having a bad body image day, nothing feels good, and it can trigger a cycle of bad relationships with food and hating your mirror.

This is the worst kind of stress as it messes up your equation with your mind and makes it hard to streamline your thoughts.

There are many ways to manage it, but the practice I’ve found most helpful is that of body neutrality.

As lovely as it is to be in love with your body, we all know it’s not possible to be in this mindset 24/7.

And when a bad day comes, body positivity can turn negative in the blink of an eye, making you feel like you’ve gone from 180 to 0.

But when you have a neutral mindset regarding your body, you see it as a vessel that carries all of your being. You’d want to care for yourself not for beauty, but for the sake of longevity.

You don’t fixate on the shape of your arms or your thighs because they do not matter.

This is the state of mind that I’ve been in in the past few months, and I don’t have words to describe how amazing and stress-free I feel regarding my body.

I am in the middle of the 75-day hard challenge and still going strong, all without worrying about how I look because I am too busy focusing on how I feel.

A mantra that I always tell myself is ‘My body is the least interesting thing about me.’ I love this energy and want to keep it up for the rest of my life.

9. Distance Yourself From Toxic Relations

When it comes to holding onto toxic relationships or caring for your mental health, you need to make a clear-cut choice.

You can’t have a healthy mind while constantly exposing yourself to people who don’t make you feel good.

These don’t necessarily have to be bad people. It’s just that your bond with them might not be so good.

I know how hard it can be to cut ties with someone you’ve known for ages, but if their friendship is hurting your heart, the pain is just not worth it.

If you truly want to build a stress-free life, then you will need to distance yourself from all your toxic relations to whatever extent possible.

I’ve done this myself, and it sure isn’t an easy feat, but once you’re on the other side of the door, life becomes simpler and easier, I promise.

You might like: 8 Things That I Gave Up To Simplify My Life

10. Have A Personal Retreat Day Every Month

Set aside a day each month for a personal retreat dedicated to self-care and reflection.

Use this time to disconnect from your usual routine, indulge in activities that nourish your mind, body, and soul, and reflect on your goals and priorities.

You can choose to spend the day at a spa, go for a nature hike, or just stay home and enjoy some quiet time alone.

This is the smartest way to prioritize self-care and hit reset on life.

Let this feel-good monthly ritual be your way to release all the stress you’ve been holding on to and cleanse yourself of all the negativities.

Aim To Be Stress-Free Without Any Guilt

Often, we don’t allow ourselves to dream of a stress-free life because we’re scared to get to that good place.

We think we don’t deserve it or since everybody around us is comfortable with being stressed, we should do the same.

But it’s high time to change the story in your head and tell yourself that you are worthy of being happy.

Try the 10 tips from this post to create a stress-free life for yourself and make way for a healthier and happier you.

Got anything you’d like to add or share? The comment box is all yours. Share your story, thoughts, and ideas, and I’ll get back to you asap. Thank you!