Reduce Stress Before It Starts
“No other species lives with regret over past events, or makes deliberate plans for future ones.” –Daniel Levitin
We’ve all been there. Just at the worst time, when you have no margin for error, something happens that throws off your schedule or pushes you over the emotional edge. Renowned neuroscientist, Daniel Levitin shares strategies for how to plan for the stressful events in advance and stay calm under pressure.
Ever lose your keys? Can’t find your wallet? (Yes, I am speaking from experience!) The gradual process of an organized home and mind begins by thinking ahead and putting in to practice certain behaviors that eventually turn to habits. Losing keys or reading glasses can be prevented by continuously forming the habit of designating a special spot for each of these items. Having a hook by the door for the keys or a basket on a side table for the glasses will prevent future frustration. Otherwise, under stress, your body produces the stress hormone cortisol, clouding your thinking.
“Are there things that I can put in place that will prevent bad things from happening?”
Put Systems in Place to Think Ahead
Under stress our brains do not think rationally. By training yourself to think ahead, systems can be put in to place to altogether prevent or at least limit damage. Big decisions, like end of life wishes, can be made years in advance so to avoid decisions made in the heat of the moment. Questions like, do you wish to have a long life and live in pain or a shorter life with better quality, can be planned out with loved ones long before an illness is imminent.
“Multitasking has been found to increase the production of the stress hormone cortisol.” –Daniel Levitin
Listen to this talk, filled with practical tips for organization from a neuroscientist, Daniel Levitin. He also wrote a book expanding on his Ted Talk: The Organized Mind: Thinking Straight in the Age of Information Overload.
“Email, Facebook, and Twitter checking constitute a neural addiction.” -Daniel Levitin