It seems that wherever you look – from Instagram posts to bookstores to your local coffee shop – you’ll find pithy quotes encouraging you to find peace of mind, and reminding you of the importance of relaxing and enjoying a great night’s sleep. None of which is all that comforting when you’re feeling busy, overwhelmed, anxious or stressed. The His & Hers team admits that we’d love to wake up one day feeling happy and relaxed without having to do any hard work to get there. However, experience has taught us that taking action (even if it’s a really tiny action) tends to lead to improving your situation, dealing with the source of your stress and ultimately feeling better. Admittedly, this doesn’t sound as exciting as waving a magic wand, but it works! Here are a few of our tips for taking action to feel less stressed…

Take practical steps to create a sense of security

No matter how zen you are, if you don’t feel safe in your own home or when walking home from work, you’re likely to spend a lot of time feeling stressed and anxious. The most tempting thing may be to put any security concerns to the back of your mind and to try not to think of them. However, we’d recommend doing the opposite: Why not write down the scenario that worries you and then write down one practical thing you could do to tackle it. Maybe it’s investing in more home security measures following burglaries in your area. Maybe it’s choosing a better-lit route home in the evening. Or perhaps, if you have a big event coming up and will be wearing very expensive jewellery, you need to take steps, such as  enlisting close protection in London, so that you don’t spend the entire evening worrying about being targeted by jewel thieves instead of enjoying your red carpet moment.

Remember that being prepared for a rainy day doesn’t mean being pessimistic

Whether it’s through building up an emergency savings fund, taking out insurance for your home, or making sure that you have the appropriate insurance in place for your travels, sometimes we’re reluctant to take practical steps to ensure that if anything goes wrong we’ll be covered because we don’t even want to contemplate anything going wrong. Ironically, though, the best way to stop worrying about what’ll happen if you lose your job, or your apartment floods, or you or your partner need medical attention on holiday, is to know that you’ve taken steps to ensure that even in the above scenarios you’ll be covered.

Prioritise doing things that make you feel good

The His & Hers team loves ticking items off our to do list! And we know how tempting it is to think that a successful day is one where you’ve done lots of work, or completed a challenging workout, or given your home a deep clean. However, building time into every day for rest and recuperation will make you feel better, both mentally and physically, and will also make you more effective. So try not to think of rest and recovery as not being productive. Sometimes, listening to your body and resting when you need to could be the most important thing you do all day.

We’re very proud to bring you this feature in association with T Class Security. They provide the security-related expertise, but the words are all our own.

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