Do you feel that your brain is ready to explode from the never-ending problems that require you immediate attention? Are you afraid to open your email and see 20 new emails from unhappy clients and a demanding manager in your inbox? Are you constantly forgetting about important tasks, because there is simply too much on your mind?

Life does it to us sometimes… It promises us attractive rewards, like a handsome paycheck, a big promotion, or Christmas bonuses and then it sucks us into the whirlpool of after-work hours, sleepless nights, days spent under the fluorescent office lights and stress-filled weekends.

Fortunately, there is a way out of this crazy whirlpool of work-work-work and no fun!

If you are tired of, seeing the sun light only out of your office window, not being able to spend enough time with your children or worrying too much about upcoming deadlines, here are 5 major steps to relieving stress, un-boiling your mind:

1. Accept the problem

While workaholism is almost encouraged in our society, because it is often linked to success and the ability to work hard, on the larger scale it is not much better than alcoholism or any other dependence problem.
On a physical level it can increase the risk of heart-disease, diabetes, and stroke, lead to weight gain and even provoke cancer. On an emotional and mindset level it can cause anxiety, depression, sleeping problems, and impede your ability to think straight and solve problems. The worst thing is that most of us do not even notice when our desire to work harder and become more productive turns into a workaholism problem.

Lately, I have meet a lot of people, who are overworked, stressed out, emotional and plain exhausted. Yet, when you try to tell them about the importance of ‘slowing down’, they immediately start naming all the reasons why they can not do this: ‘there is a deadline’, ‘everyone is waiting for this project’, ‘while the company is facing so many challenges, there is simply no way to work less’.

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I sit in my apartment in Milan, looking out of the window on a street, light with sunlight and cannot stop smiling! A long, cold winter is officially over! And everything looks and feels different. The air is fresher. The snow has melted  and beautiful greens of every hue begin to shine in the sun. People look happier.

Everywhere you look, you see a transformation: days are getting longer, flowers are blooming and trees are getting new tiny leaves.

No wonder spring is considered the season of growth, renewal and love!
Spring is also the perfect time of the year to revitalize your senses and refresh your mind.

Here are tips that will help you to do just that:

1. Get rid of clutter. During the winter our homes tend to become filled with lots of bulk and piles of different things. It is both physically and emotionally healthy to simplify and de-clutter your work and living space once in a while. Right now is the perfect time to do that! Organize your desk, sort out old photos, make room in your closets by throwing or giving away anything that is unwanted, outdated, unused for 2 years or no longer fits. Let the energy flow freely.

2. Captivate your senses with aromatherapy. For thousands of years essential oils have been used by different cultures because of their health-promoting benefits. Use chamomile, bergamot, cedarwood, lavender, rose, or sandalwood to calm down your mind, ease anxiety and stress and soothe tensed muscles. Or choose citrus, peppermint, rosemary and thyme scents to energize your body and uplift your mood.

3. Take a few moments to meditate. Meditation is a great way to calm your mind, increase concentration, release negative feelings and regain your emotional strength.

4. Do nothing for a half an hour. As it turns out there are many physical benefits of doing nothing and just being lazy. Research shows that people who would rather relax in a hammock and read a book instead of working on their laptop or doing their house chores have a better chance of living into old age. Give yourself some rest!

5. Take mini-vacations during the day. You do not have to wait for a two-week vacation to feel rejuvenated and energetic. Instead you can take 15-minute mini-vacations every hour or so to regain your strengths and put some space between you and your hectic work schedule.

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