How to Reduce Stress

Stress is a nasty burden that can come into your life uninvited and wreak havoc. Stress has been tied to any number of conditions including hypertension and obesity from stress related eating. If you’re dealing with stress and would like to reduce it, here’s how.

Find Stressors

The first step to reduce stress is to find the items that are actually causing the problem. What makes you stress – your in-laws? A dirty house? Bills? Only when you understand what is causing the problem can you work on resolving it. Spend time charting your stress. Every time you feel tension and stress, make a note on a running list as to what caused it. Even when you begin dealing with stressors, keep track as this will help you reduce stress in the future as well.

Resolve Issues

If you have unresolved issues causing you stress such as credit card debt, broken relationships or a list of things you need to do that you can’t seem to start, take a day off work and make a list of things to actually accomplish. Call your banker to get started on a debt consolidation loan or set up payments so that you can pay off the debt on your own.

Make some phone calls to help mend broken fences or have a picture burning ceremony to finalize a break-up. Pull out that list of things to do and make a goal to accomplish at least three of them. Then, once you get rolling, you’ll likely feel so good, you’ll just keep going until your life is back in shape again.

Organize and Simplify

One of the best ways to reduce stress is to eliminate chaos. Organize and simplify your life. If you hate climbing out of bed to turn off the lights, a simple device such as the Clapper Plus can eliminate that annoyance. Desk organizers can help you find stamps, batteries and rubber bands when you need them. A coat and key rack can eliminate the five minutes of stress every morning while you search for your keys.

Beat Stress the Natural Way

Finally, when you have your life back under control and you’ve simplified your surroundings, you can work to actively reduce the remaining stress. You may find that just cleaning out cabinets is enough to help you relax again, but you should set up a regular fitness and nutrition program.

Exercise, even walking, has been shown time and time again to help reduce stress. Take your pet or child on a walk in the evenings to get some fresh air, exercise and time together. All three of those things will help to eliminate crippling stress.

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How To Consolidate Debt

When you realize that your bills are overwhelming you and your minimum payments are getting to be too much to bear, many immediately think of declaring bankruptcy. This may seem like an easy out, but in actuality is a decision that can affect your life in a far more negative way than by simply paying off what you owe.

But if paying off what you own is virtually impossible in your current situation and you can’t find another source of income to bridge the gap, consider debt settlement or credit card debt consolidation help. To consolidate debt you need to follow these steps.

Find Your Debt

Before you can do anything else, you must find all of the debt you owe to others. Make a list of the credit cards you have, the balances, the minimum payments and the interest rates. Be sure to find all of the credit cards including gas cards and department store credit cards.

Add It All Up

When you’ve assembled everything, your next step is to see exactly how much you owe and how much you’re currently paying every month. The number will most likely be shocking, but that’s okay – this is exactly what you’re trying to fix. When you know how much you’re currently paying and who you’re paying it to, you can move on to the next step.

Create a Budget

Paying the minimum payments on credit card debt isn’t enough to ever really clear the debt completely, but you should know if it’s even possible for you. Create a budget of all of your monthly bills. Be sure to include:

• mortgage or rent
• car payment
• insurance (life, car, home, renters, etc..)
• maintenance costs for your home and car
• utilities
• student loans
• cable
• phones
• clothing
• recreation
• savings
• groceries
• other spending

Then add in all the minimum credit card payments you’re making every month. Subtract the total from your paycheck – is there anything left? That money goes immediately to paying more on your debt. But if you are currently spending more than you’re making, and there isn’t anything you can cut such as cable, spending or clothing, you need the help of a professional.

Work with a Professional

Much of what a professional does you can do yourself. A professional debt counselor will help you understand how your payments are currently affecting your debt and look for ways to make a bigger dent in the debt without hurting your credit score. If there is no other choice, that professional will negotiate on your behalf with the credit card companies to reduce what you owe or lower the interest rates so that your payment has a bigger impact.

He may also help you find ways to consolidate your debt. Consolidating your debt means you find a single instrument to pay off all your loans and credit cards and then you simply pay on the single loan. This can actually improve your credit if you qualify for a good loan program.

A debt consolidation loan can be a secured loan such as a home equity loan or an unsecured personal line of credit or other type of loan. Be sure to understand the details of the loan and work only with a lender and professional you trust. A quality professional can help you reduce your debt amount, then find a suitable loan to cover all of the outstanding amounts.

Once your debt is consolidated, each payment will make a large impact on the bottom line and before you know it, you’ll be living debt free.
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