Stress Relieving Tips for Tax Preparers

 

It’s Tax season! It’s the most wonderful time of the year, right?

While it’s great to catch up with clients during tax season, we don’t have to tell you how hectic it can be. Deadlines, back to back meetings, taxes to file, the IRS to deal with… it’s the busy season! If and when you find yourself overwhelmed or overworked, use these tips to take the stress away.

Meditate

It only takes a few minutes and it can have a huge impact. Research shows that mediation can reduce anxiety, have a calming effect, and improve your mental health. Meditation requires that you sit quietly, clear your thoughts, and focus on your breathing. If thoughts enter your head that have to do with your day, let them pass. Focus on the now rather than what you need to do in the future or what happened to you in the past.

Why does it work? It clears out the overload of information and anxiety you’re feeling and helps you focus only on your breath.

Listen to music

Listening to soothing music can lower your blood pressure, heart rate, anxiety, and stress hormone levels. You can also rock out to your favorite tunes and sing the stress away (just don’t try this tactic in the office).

Exercise 

Get up early and go for a run, schedule a once a week yoga session, hit the gym after work, or just take a walk on your lunch break. Exercise pumps up your endorphins (your feel-good hormones), helps clear your head, increases self-confidence, and lowers anxiety.

Practice Gratefulness

You have a great job where you get to help people. You have clients. You have [fill in the blank]. Gratitude has been proven to reduce stress because it forces you to focus on the positive.

Take Breaks

We know you have a lot to do but studies show that taking breaks can help you be more productive and can reduce your stress. Breaks keep you from getting bored. When you get bored you become unproductive. Short periods of intense focus are way better than long sprints where you become easily distracted and lose focus. When you force yourself to take a break, your brain has time to rest and it actually retains more information. You also allow yourself time to let your mind wander and daydream, which can lead to breakthroughs and also relaxation.

Connect with friends and family

Spending time with the people who are important to you can be a huge release. Schedule some friend/family time to hang out, relax, laugh (also a stress reducer) and connect.

We hope you’re having a great tax season so far! Let us know if you try any of these tips out!

source http://www.theincometaxschool.com/blog/stress-relieving-tips-tax-preparers/