Have you ever had a stressful day? Often we can become very consumed with problems, circumstances, and people who stress us out. Today I want to give you a tip on how to reduce your stress. It’s very simple: Reduce stress in someone else’s life. When you put the focus on helping someone else or helping someone else smile or laugh, it will do wonders for reducing your own stress level. Your brain will release feel-good endorphins when you get the satisfaction of doing something for someone else. Case in point:
When I had a speaking engagement in Ketchikan, Alaska, I met up with my friend, Katherine Tatsuda, who is the CEO of Tatsuda Grocery Stores. I wanted to buy someone’s groceries. Now wouldn’t that kick-start your day if you went through the check-out lane and someone paid for your cart of food? We were scouting out the place, looking for someone who we thought would appreciate the gesture. I had credit card in hand and was prepared to pay, whatever it would cost. Ironically, the couple we decided to buy groceries for had only a small amount, but the return on satisfaction was HUGE!
When you watch the video clip, the couple didn’t realize at first what was happening. Then to see their reaction was priceless! Before I knew it, I got hugs from both of them. You talk about an endorphin rush! I felt so good after doing it.
I promise you, if you buy someone’s groceries today, pay for someone’s gas at the pump, or the person’s food bill in the fast-food lane, your stress level will take a nosedive. So next time you’re going down the bread or milk aisle, be on the lookout for someone to bless!
I would love to see something like that without using money. Often money is the source of someone's stress. Got any ideas?