Try These 5 Things to Reduce the Stress of Running Errands
Going to the grocery store. CVS. The dry cleaners. Running errands. It’s a part of life. Some find it relaxing. I, like most people, find it stressful, owing mostly to the irritations inherent in being out and about with humanity — lines, traffic, crowds, noise (Yikes, I sound like The Grinch)…Here are five things I do to keep calm and ensure that my inner Vesuvius doesn’t erupt.
1. Slow down, don’t rush
Slow down, meaning literally walk slower. This dawned on me one day as I got out of my car and walked through the parking lot toward the grocery store. I was speeding along and feeling really uptight and tense. And it hit me: Why am I walking so fast? If I slow down to a saunter it’ll take me maybe ten seconds longer to get to the entrance. So what? So I slowed down. And immediately I felt the tension melt away.
I can hear many of you right now saying, “But I’m always in a hurry! I’ll get behind schedule if I just stroll around.” Sorry, but I’m going to call bullshit on that. Sure, sometimes you may have to get in and out of a store or two in five minutes because you have to pick up your kids at school or whatever. But MOST of the time, if you added five minutes to the total time of your errand excursion because you chilled out on your walking pace, it would make absolutely zero difference. And…
