The Secrets of Eliminating Daily Stress: Being Late
Photo by spierzchala
Stress doesn’t always come from huge events in our lives. It can be caused in little amounts by small events, and build up to the point where it has the same impact as a major catastrophe. Over the next few Fridays, I’m going to examine some of the causes of daily stress and give some suggestions on what can be done to alleviate them.
Being Late
We all know people who are habitually late. You might even be one yourself. However, being late all the time can cause all sorts of stress that could be avoided.
Results of Being Habitually Late
Rushing
People who are always late rush around because they know they are late. This leads to increased adrenaline in the body. Elevated levels of this hormone are not good for the long term. In the worst case, we can get addicted to the “high”, or our bodies lose the ability to produce sufficient adrenaline when we actually need it.
Distracted
In the midst of rushing around, people are so focused on getting where they need to be that they stop paying attention to the here-and-now. Distractions can cause us to miss out on enjoying the moment, or have even worse consequences…
Tickets/accidents
Distractions can cause traffic accidents. The NTSA has done many studies on distractions and driving. The distractions don’t have to be external, either. Not having your mind focused on driving is enough to qualify.
Speeding tickets are also common when we drive fast, rushing to get somewhere because we are late.
Three Ways To Get Out of the Habit of Being Late
Allow enough time for travel
It is amazing to me that when people schedule appointments, they don’t realize that there will be time to travel. For example, a friend of mine booked two job interviews back-to-back…in two different cities. Needless to say she was late for the second one, by almost a half hour. By estimating how long it will take you to get somewhere (and leaving a little extra time), you can know you will not be late for lack of planning.
Don’t overbook
Think about how much you can actually accomplish in a given time frame. A friend, so habitually late that I started telling her to be somewhere 45 minutes before she actually needed to be there, was always late because she was struggling to keep up with her schedule. She would plan her Saturday of grocery shopping, nail salon, library, movie rentals, housework, gardening and schoolwork. (I get exhausted just looking at the list) Sandwiched in the list would be appointments with friends. However, she never took into account how much time each task would take, or her energy level. So by noon on Saturday she was already behind schedule because she truly expected she could leave the house at nine, get her nails done, go to the library and go grocery shopping and be home by 10:30.
Prepare as much as possible ahead of time
If you are ready to go, you won’t delay yourself at the time you need to leave. Preparing ahead of time, making sure you have all things you need for an appointment, will save time in getting out the door. If you are ready to leave for work, and you realize you don’t have a lunch packed, your work papers are still all over the dining room table and you have no idea where your car keys are, you are going to be delayed while you take care of these things.
Summary
It is possible to break yourself of being late. Next week we’ll tackle a big cause of daily stress: Controlling
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