You can be on Entrepreneur’s cover!

6 Simple Solutions for Getting Rid of Stress Quick tips for easing stress in your day-to-day interactions.

By Monica Wofford

entrepreneur daily

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Getting rid of stress may be easier than you think. Try one of the following solutions or employ all six to enjoy stress-free, or at least less-stressed, living.

1. Don't take things so personally. Part of what creates stress is thinking that what other people do is something that is being done to us, or is a reflection of us or our actions.

2. Change your expectations. If you expect a co-worker to always be nice and they continue to be cranky, you'll be disappointed. You are choosing to be disappointed when you expect others to do something even when you have evidence to suggest that the behavior is highly unlikely.

3. Express your needs. Deciding to take responsibility for meeting your own needs is liberating. Without this decision, you lose time and energy waiting for others to figure out what you need and how, expecting them to deliver. If you need to hear compliments, say so. If you need to have more explanation, say so. It's up to you to get your own needs met and no one will know what they are better than you.

4. Don't make assumptions. Often we make assumptions about what others are thinking. Catch your assumptions before they become beliefs. Catch them before you take action on something you've assumed, but not verified. You'll be better off learning you were wrong than fixing the wrong action you took as a result of your assumption.

Related: How to Eat Your Way to a Less Stressful Day

5. Face your feelings. A favorite workplace mantra is "check your emotions at the door." The problem it creates is many never open the door to face their emotions even when they get home. Feelings that are stuffed create a ticking time bomb of emotions likely to come out at the most inopportune moment. Find a steam valve for early expression so you don't have to find time off to recover from a later explosion.

6. Use restraint. If you respond to a customer's rude comment with a defensive attitude, you'll escalate the stress of the situation for both of you. Try to use restraint in your response to difficult clients and customers.

You can't control the actions of others, but by keeping your cool, you avoid contributing to continued stressful conversations. It takes two to argue and if you're not the one who starts it and you refuse to finish it, you'll likely have much less of it to experience. Remove your part in what creates stressful situations and those who have stress to share will have to go elsewhere.

Related: 7 Simple Ways to Relieve Stress Now

Monica Wofford is a leadership development expert. She is the author of Contagious Leadership and Make Difficult People Disappear and works with managers and leaders worldwide, on the prevention of promotion without preparation.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Editor's Pick

Innovation

Up to 90% of Startups Fail — But Innovation Accelerators Can Help Yours Succeed. Here's How.

Learn how innovation accelerators are powering startups, shortening time to market and increasing the survival rate of fledgling businesses.

Business News

'Wildly Inappropriate': Woman Says She Was Denied a Job Because She Didn't Wear Makeup During the Interview

Melissa Weaver was applying for a VP of HR job at a tech company via video.

Making a Change

Learn Up to 14 Languages with $460 Savings on Lifetime Access to the Babbel App

Expand your professional reach with help from this popular language-learning app.

Starting a Business

Free Webinar | April 25: How to Launch a Business For Creative Minded People

You can monetize your creativity! Join our webinar on April 25th to ask globally recognized design executive Launi King anything you want to turn your passions into money. Register now!

Thought Leaders

How To Improve Your Soft Skills and Emotional Intelligence in 7 Easy Steps

Using these simple but effective approaches will help a person in their business, life and relationships.

Side Hustle

I Started a Semi-Passive Side Hustle That Earns $33,000 a Week on Amazon: 'Selling There Is a No-Brainer'

Dr. Jenny Woo wanted to create a product that would help people connect, and it turned out to be a lucrative one.