5 Tips To Overcome Your Stress During Tax Season

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5 Tips To Overcome Your Stress During Tax Season

Tax Day is Wednesday!
If you haven’t already filed, you have until this Wednesday, April 15th, to get your tax return to the federal government.
To help out anyone making that last minute push to finish your taxes, (any anyone else going through a stressful situation), here are five tips to overcome stress:

1. Get Physical

You’ve heard of “fight or flight,” right? Back when humans were still hunting and gathering, we developed a fight or flight response to help keep us safe in dangerous situations, (like a bear attack or a fight with another tribe). When we encounter danger or stress, our brains trigger the release of extra stress hormones, like cortisol and adrenaline. In the past, they gave humans the extra energy they needed to deal with immediate danger (fight) or to run away from the danger (flight).
Today, we seldom encounter situations that require us to fight or flee, but our bodies are still programmed to respond the same way. Which means that whenever we encounter stress, our brain releases extra stress hormones. Since our bodies aren’t using up that extra hormone boost on their own, it’s important to engage in extra physical activity during stressful times.
Go for a quick walk around your neighborhood, take an extra trip to the gym, or head to the beach for a swim this week. The extra workout will help your body metabolism the extra stress hormones, helping you to overcome stress and relax.

2. Get Some Sleep

It can be much harder to get adequate sleep during stressful times, like tax season. We’ve all been there. You go to bed and try to relax but your mind just keeps going, leaving you to toss and turn all night. To combat this over-thinking, thoroughly prepare yourself for sleep before going to bed.
How To Prepare Yourself For Sleep

• Avoid caffeine at least 3-5 hours before going to bed.
• Stop doing anything that requires a lot of concentration at least 2 hours before bed.
• Read an undemanding magazine or book, or listen to soothing music to help your mind relax.
• Take a warm bath or shower before bed to relax and calm your body.

3. Eat Well

In addition to avoiding caffeine before bed, here are a few more dietary tips to overcome stress.

• Avoid refined sugars and processed carbs. After the initial “sugar high,” they can cause major energy crashes, leaving you irritable and tired.
• Don’t skip meals. To help your body cope with stress, eat well-balanced meals regularly.
• Keep it healthy. When you get the urge to snack, try healthy energy-boosting foods like nuts and fresh fruit.

4. Just Say “No”

Stressful situations can make us feel like we have too much to do and too little time to do it in. Not procrastinating and managing your time well can help but if you already find yourself in a time crunch, it’s ok to just say no.
Many people find it difficult to say no to requests and invites from others. It’s human nature to want to help people and be liked by people. Fear of not helping and not being liked can cause people to overextend themselves, which inevitably causes more stress.
Learning to say no is important for your sanity throughout the year but particularly in times of stress – like tax season. Focus on finishing your taxes and getting them in on time. Don’t feel bad about saying no to other requests until you finish what you need to do.

5. Talk About It

Finally, a terrific way to overcome stress is to just talk about it. Vent your frustrations to friends and family. Heck, vent on social media if you need to, (you won’t be the only one). Voicing your problems and just being heard can help reduce stress and help you re-focus on the task at hand.
Any tips for overcoming stress (and getting taxes done on time) that I’ve missed? Please share them in the comments below.