1. That extra cup of coffee. Try switching to tea or hot water with lemon if you need a hot drink in your hand, but to reduce stress, make it a point to keep your caffeine intake to a minimum, and avoid that extra cup in the afternoon.
2. Those 8 hours you spend on your phone. http://psychcentral.com/news/2014/08/31/new-study-finds-cell-phone-addiction-increasingly-realistic-possibility/74312.html
3. That bedtime Netflix binge. Just like staring at your phone before sleeping, staring at your laptop or any other screen before bed can have numerous negative consequences to your well-being and stress levels; not only are you losing valuable brain-time and concentration/focus-hours during your nightly binge, but staring at screens before bed can actually turn into a real addiction, and has been proven to contribute to vision problems, antisocial behavior, and other little problems you don't need, not to mention the huge disruption in your sleep schedule and fewer hours of deep sleep.
4. Avoiding those unread emails from last week. I know I can't be the only one guilty of doing this. You spot one or two subject lines that you just don't want to address at the moment, you go a few days without checking your inbox, a few days turn into a few more days, and a week later you find yourself even more reluctant to mark those as read, and the little bold-face number of unread messages that keeps getting higher and higher only adds to your stress. Procrastination is a well-known contributor to unnecessary stress in your life. Better and more consistent communication skills are key for leading a low-anxiety life, and you can practice this by making sure not to let those emails or group messages regarding work or school pile up. Keep your correspondences in check, and keep your appointments written in paper on a calendar or somewhere you will see them.
5. Your bi-hourly social-media scroll. Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, whatever. Try to pick only one or two times a day that you check your timeline, and practice resisting the urge to pick up your phone and check those sites every time you're alone or bored or wanting to look busy.
6. Skipping breakfast. It's 2016, everyone knows skipping breakfast is bad, you're trying to get your life together, just do yourself a favor and eat your damn eggs in the morning instead of waiting til noon when youre starving.
7. Those three extra shots on Saturday night. Sundays can be scary enough for a college student-- you've got the coming Monday-Friday week staring you in the face, you probably have some homework or studying or assignment to turn in before 11:59pm, and you likely have a couple hours of sleep to catch up on before beginning the weekly grind again. Do yourself a favor on Friday and Saturday night and know your limits. Just save yourself the headache and the hangovers. You are an adult, and you know how to drink without blacking out or overdoing it. Practice self control and remember that all things in moderation, although cliche, really is a good rule to live by if you're trying to decrease overall stress.
8. Going to bed with your makeup on. Waking up the next morning after doing this has got to be one of the grossest feelings. Buy a pack of makeup wipes, keep them on your night table at all times, and you'll have no excuse to commit this crime. Don't start your day off with clogged pores
9. Clutter. Your pile of dirty clothes on the floor, your dirty dishes sitting next to the sink, your messy car-- whatever it may be, you don't need to be staring at it every day, and you can take 5-15 minutes right now to tidy it up. Load up the dishwasher, load up the laundry machine, take a garbage bag with you and throw away all the trash in your car, do something. You will reap benefits, rack up relaxation points, and experience instant gratification from this small amount of time that you devote to decluttering an area of your life.
10. The pressure you put on yourself to be perfect. Sticking to a healthy regimen and maintaining balance in life is important, but also remember that life is change, and you are changing every day, and constantly having to learn how to adapt to those changes. Accept that change and obstacles are part of life, and your responses to those things make you who you are, but also remember that not everything needs to run smoothly for you to be stress-free.
