Let's face it, stress is a terrible thing. There are numerous medical studies today showing how stress negatively impacts our overall health. Reducing stress is crucial to leading a happy, healthy balanced life. Here are a few things that you can do every day to cut down your stress dramatically.

Arrive to Work Early

Have you ever been stuck in unexpected traffic on your way to work? Perhaps there was an accident up ahead that no one could plan for. Has traffic ever made you late for work?

Planning ahead to be early to work allows you time to get through any unexpected delays. Being late for work is extremely stressful and if you find yourself speeding or yelling at your fellow slower motorists, you should look into leaving your house a little earlier. Depending on how far from work you are, an extra 10-30min can save your driving record and your sanity.

Employers love an employee who comes to work early and punish those who are tardy. This stress is completely unnecessary and could be detrimental to your health and mood.

Don't Procrastinate Important Tasks

Procrastination can often be our worst enemy and a huge source of stress. Having undone tasks looming over your head for days on end can lead to last minute stress when it's time to get things done.

Getting a to-do list is a great idea. This allows you to prioritize your tasks and check them off without forgetting any. It also gives you visual motivation because at the end of the day you will want to see more checks than blank spaces.

Make Time For Yourself

Working hard is as important as playing hard.  You need to take time out to enjoy the life you have created and the people in it. Stop and read a good book, or take a stroll outside. If you can combine a leisure activity with a goal that you have that's even better. If you want to lose weight taking a walk is a good way to relax at the end of the day as well as get you closer to that goal.

Whatever it is that you enjoy take a little time each day to play.

Don't Sweat the Small Stuff

I the grand scheme of things a problem that seems catastrophic today will probably only be worth a small smile in the future. Stress is like a rocking chair, you can rock all you want but you are not going to go anywhere! So stop worrying about all the little things.

Get Plenty of Sleep

Sleep is important to your overall mood and tolerance of everyday stressful events. It is a lot easier to deal with the challenges of your day if you are well rested than if you stayed up all night watching television. The average recommended nightly amount of sleep is about seven hours.

If you find that your life still feels impossible, or riddled with stress and disorganization consider hiring a life coach. Learn more about life coaching here.