Close
Several habits canincrease our resilienceto stress, including meditation, exercise, focusing on the positive, and surrounding ourselves with positive and supportive people, But truly effective stress management involves creating a mix of habits and thought patterns that minimize the stressors encountered in life and increase the ability to cope with the stressors that must be faced.Cutting out stress whenever possible is always a good idea. Letting go of self-defeating habits, such asengaging in self-sabotage, is another important strategy. Here we explore how to get rid of negativity and stress with proven strategies for reducing both.Releasing grudges, negative perspectives, toxic relationships, and other vessels of negativity may feel difficult at first, but once we’ve started to release our grip, letting go becomes increasingly easier.26 Quotes About Letting Go
Several habits canincrease our resilienceto stress, including meditation, exercise, focusing on the positive, and surrounding ourselves with positive and supportive people, But truly effective stress management involves creating a mix of habits and thought patterns that minimize the stressors encountered in life and increase the ability to cope with the stressors that must be faced.
Cutting out stress whenever possible is always a good idea. Letting go of self-defeating habits, such asengaging in self-sabotage, is another important strategy. Here we explore how to get rid of negativity and stress with proven strategies for reducing both.
Releasing grudges, negative perspectives, toxic relationships, and other vessels of negativity may feel difficult at first, but once we’ve started to release our grip, letting go becomes increasingly easier.
26 Quotes About Letting Go
1
Let Go of Grudges
Tara Moore / Getty Images
There are manybenefits of forgiveness, such as reducing heart attack risk, improving sleep, and even lowering levels of anxiety and depression.But some people may not realize how much they are holding onto, or they may not know how to let go of the grudge.
When wondering if we might benefit fromletting go of negative emotionsor resentment toward someone else, it can help to ask ourselves:
If we answer “yes” to either of these questions, finding forgiveness for ourselves or others can help us get rid of the negativity or stress we feel.
How to Forgive: 5 Tips for Letting Go and Moving On
2Get Rid of ClutterNiklas Skur / EyeEm / Getty ImagesEver walked into a messy room (or a messy house) and just felt tired? Clutter can also act as an energy drain that creates stress, even if we don’t consciously realize it. Otherhidden costs of clutterinclude stifling the creation of one’s inner self and reducing mental well-being.If clutter is causing higher levels of stress and poorer psychological well-being, it may be time to prioritize simplification and streamlining—both in our spaces and our lives. Get rid of things that aren’t needed and find a place for everything else.Sometimes the clutter in our homes can’t be cleaned up easily, such as when living with others and it’s their things that are lying around. In this case, creating a clutter-free room we can go to where we feel truly relaxed is helpful.It’s beneficial to pay attention to how we feel when we walk into our own home at the end of a long day. If wefeel stressedinstead of at ease, it may be time to get rid of clutter, releasing negativity with it.How to Make a More Peaceful Home
2
Get Rid of ClutterNiklas Skur / EyeEm / Getty ImagesEver walked into a messy room (or a messy house) and just felt tired? Clutter can also act as an energy drain that creates stress, even if we don’t consciously realize it. Otherhidden costs of clutterinclude stifling the creation of one’s inner self and reducing mental well-being.If clutter is causing higher levels of stress and poorer psychological well-being, it may be time to prioritize simplification and streamlining—both in our spaces and our lives. Get rid of things that aren’t needed and find a place for everything else.Sometimes the clutter in our homes can’t be cleaned up easily, such as when living with others and it’s their things that are lying around. In this case, creating a clutter-free room we can go to where we feel truly relaxed is helpful.It’s beneficial to pay attention to how we feel when we walk into our own home at the end of a long day. If wefeel stressedinstead of at ease, it may be time to get rid of clutter, releasing negativity with it.How to Make a More Peaceful Home
Get Rid of Clutter
Niklas Skur / EyeEm / Getty Images
Ever walked into a messy room (or a messy house) and just felt tired? Clutter can also act as an energy drain that creates stress, even if we don’t consciously realize it. Otherhidden costs of clutterinclude stifling the creation of one’s inner self and reducing mental well-being.
If clutter is causing higher levels of stress and poorer psychological well-being, it may be time to prioritize simplification and streamlining—both in our spaces and our lives. Get rid of things that aren’t needed and find a place for everything else.
Sometimes the clutter in our homes can’t be cleaned up easily, such as when living with others and it’s their things that are lying around. In this case, creating a clutter-free room we can go to where we feel truly relaxed is helpful.
It’s beneficial to pay attention to how we feel when we walk into our own home at the end of a long day. If wefeel stressedinstead of at ease, it may be time to get rid of clutter, releasing negativity with it.
How to Make a More Peaceful Home
3
Drop Negative Attitudes About Ourselves or Others
ZenShui/Laurence Mouton / Getty Images
Like subtle grudges, we may not be aware oflimiting beliefswe have about ourselves or others. This includes negating our abilities, minimizing our successes, and thinking we can’t do something before we even try—even if it’s something we really want to do.
One way to turn this around is to learn to recognizenegative thinking patternsandcognitive distortions, and then change them. Changing the way we think can change the way we feel and help us have more positive attitudes toward ourselves and others.
5 Unbelievable Facts About Optimists
4Identify and Cut Out TolerationsPeter Cade / Getty ImagesTolerations are those things in our lives that drain our energy and create stress, but we live with them anyway. Examples include having a kitchen drawer that won’t stay closed, a vehicle that has become unreliable, or a closet full of clothes that no longer fit.Sometimes it isfamily and friends who are energy drains, reducing our emotional energy when we interact with them.In some cases, we may not realize that these tolerations are adding stress to us each day, causing us to feel worse mentally. So, the first step to reducing them is to become aware that they exist in the first place.This requires taking a moment to think about what (or who) drains our energy and patience. From there, we can create a plan to eliminate or reduce these tolerances in our lives, cutting out untold stress and releasing negativity in the process.Understanding and Managing Stressors
4
Identify and Cut Out TolerationsPeter Cade / Getty ImagesTolerations are those things in our lives that drain our energy and create stress, but we live with them anyway. Examples include having a kitchen drawer that won’t stay closed, a vehicle that has become unreliable, or a closet full of clothes that no longer fit.Sometimes it isfamily and friends who are energy drains, reducing our emotional energy when we interact with them.In some cases, we may not realize that these tolerations are adding stress to us each day, causing us to feel worse mentally. So, the first step to reducing them is to become aware that they exist in the first place.This requires taking a moment to think about what (or who) drains our energy and patience. From there, we can create a plan to eliminate or reduce these tolerances in our lives, cutting out untold stress and releasing negativity in the process.Understanding and Managing Stressors
Identify and Cut Out Tolerations
Peter Cade / Getty Images
Tolerations are those things in our lives that drain our energy and create stress, but we live with them anyway. Examples include having a kitchen drawer that won’t stay closed, a vehicle that has become unreliable, or a closet full of clothes that no longer fit.
Sometimes it isfamily and friends who are energy drains, reducing our emotional energy when we interact with them.
In some cases, we may not realize that these tolerations are adding stress to us each day, causing us to feel worse mentally. So, the first step to reducing them is to become aware that they exist in the first place.
This requires taking a moment to think about what (or who) drains our energy and patience. From there, we can create a plan to eliminate or reduce these tolerances in our lives, cutting out untold stress and releasing negativity in the process.
Understanding and Managing Stressors
5
Say No to Toxic Relationships
JGI/Jamie Grill / Getty Images
Relationships can act as powerful resources for coping with stress, or they can be prolific sources of particularly heavy levels of stress. ‘Friendships’ that are conflicted, negatively competitive, or otherwise lacking in trust can create more stress than relationships that are unfriendly but stable.
If that doesn’t work, learning when and how to let go may be necessary. Not all relationships can be improved, making it important to walk away toprotect one’s own mental health.
Letting Go of a Relationship That Is Stressing You Out
Press Play for Advice From The Verywell Mind Podcast
Take Small Steps to Release Negativity
Letting go of stress-inducing thoughts and lifestyle patterns isn’t easy, but it can be easier than one thinks. And it can be addictive—once we start letting go of some of the stressors in our lives, it becomes easier to let go of more.
When starting this process, it’s helpful to choose one thing at a time to focus on for a few weeks (once a month is a good place to start). Then we can move on to another stressor once we’ve let go enough of the first one to feel some relief.
It’s also important to recognize our progress along the way. We should congratulate ourselves on the progress we make as we make it, and remember that in the end, it will be worth the effort tohave greater peace.
Individuals who are struggling to let go of negativity may benefit from professional help. A therapist, counselor, or other mental health professional can provide strategies to get rid of negativity and decrease stress.
How to Cleanse Yourself
3 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Forgiveness: Your health depends on it.Roster CA, Ferrari JR, Jurkat MP.The dark side of home: Assessing possession ‘clutter’ on subjective well-being.J Environ Psych. 2016;46(6):32-41. doi:10.1016/j.jenvp.2016.03.003New York State.Teen dating abuse awareness and prevention: What does a healthy relationship look like?
3 Sources
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Forgiveness: Your health depends on it.Roster CA, Ferrari JR, Jurkat MP.The dark side of home: Assessing possession ‘clutter’ on subjective well-being.J Environ Psych. 2016;46(6):32-41. doi:10.1016/j.jenvp.2016.03.003New York State.Teen dating abuse awareness and prevention: What does a healthy relationship look like?
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Forgiveness: Your health depends on it.Roster CA, Ferrari JR, Jurkat MP.The dark side of home: Assessing possession ‘clutter’ on subjective well-being.J Environ Psych. 2016;46(6):32-41. doi:10.1016/j.jenvp.2016.03.003New York State.Teen dating abuse awareness and prevention: What does a healthy relationship look like?
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Forgiveness: Your health depends on it.
Roster CA, Ferrari JR, Jurkat MP.The dark side of home: Assessing possession ‘clutter’ on subjective well-being.J Environ Psych. 2016;46(6):32-41. doi:10.1016/j.jenvp.2016.03.003
New York State.Teen dating abuse awareness and prevention: What does a healthy relationship look like?
Meet Our Review Board
Share Feedback
Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!What is your feedback?HelpfulReport an ErrorOtherSubmit
Was this page helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
What is your feedback?HelpfulReport an ErrorOtherSubmit
What is your feedback?
