Being stressed out is the answer we hear most often when asked why someone may rely on drugs to feel better.

Millennials have been taught to fix their stress by relying on drugs to fix their problems. A good example of this would be ADHD. Hyper? Just take these drugs and everything will be better.

Over time our body needs more and more of these feel better drugs, resulting in more and more people depending on drugs just to function normally—soon, that dependency becomes a need. This is happening so much that rehab centers, some especially in Washington, New York, and California, have started to focus on programs just for millennials.

Now, you can focus on just quitting drugs and alcohol and just stay away from bad influences to prevent that from happening, but none of this gets to the root of the problem: life. We all wish we had the manual, but it just doesn’t work that way.

It may not seem like it, but the answer to this stressful situation is pretty simple. You have to take ownership and leave the excuses behind. Take responsibility for your actions and take your life back.

Here are some proven ways to reduce stress, and to take control of your life without the use of drugs or alcohol.

Organizing Your Life

One of the benefits of being organized is the ability to reduce stress. Being organized can help minimize stress influenced conditions such as depression, ulcers, and heart disease. Not to mention making you a happier person without the use of drugs by:

• Saving time by not constantly looking for things.
• Saving money by not buying items you already have.
• Reduce stress related to lost items or lost information.
• Manage many activities and deadlines more efficiently.
• Gain valuable storage space within your existing quarters
• Have more time to do things you really want to do.
• Feel healthier and more alive.

Take Action

So how do you organize your life?  One such way is by giving yourself 100 days to conquer personal, decluttering goals. This doesn’t even have to include just cleaning your house and workspace; it can include ways to declutter your eating habits or time management. A few suggestions to get you started are:

Declutter DVD’s

Gifting DVD’s to friends can bring a smile to their face. It also gives you a conversation starter when both of you have seen the same movie. Donating your films to a local library can also greatly help others enjoy the things you do.

Declutter Books

Donating an old book to your local charity or library, not only helps you feel good about giving back to your community but it also gives the opportunity for someone to read a book for free without having to go buy it.

Declutter Kitchen Appliances

We all fell in love with that convent appliance we just had to have to make curly fries, but it’s still sitting on the counter, six months later, collecting dust. It’s taking up space you could use for other things.

Reduce Your Commitments

Often times, our lives are too cluttered with all of the things that we need to do at home, work, school, religious lives, hobbies or other social aspects of life. By writing down all of your commitments you can see how thin you spread yourself. Find which commitments are absolutely necessary and ones you may not actually need to do. Simply erasing away the ones you don’t need can help you begin to relax.

Reducing Your Friendships

Yes, it sounds harsh, but as you grow as a person, you’ll realize some people are meant to stay in your life a bit longer than others. People who help you grow and make you feel happy are the ones you want to hang on to. We all have those toxic people in our lives we can do without. They can do more harm than good, and it’s about time to let them go.

Admit Your Wrongdoings

Feeling guilty about things we’ve done in the past is normal, but when we hold onto that guilt, we clutter our own mind and thought process as we focus solely on that mistake we made. Admitting that you were wrong and making amends (if need be) can provide closure for you and anyone you ever wronged.

Ask for Help

Admitting you need help with building that new shed, or cleaning out the basement not only will help you get your work done in half the time, allowing you to free up time for other things but it will also help declutter your brain of another task.

Stress and Addiction

Currently, in this country, we are going through a crisis regarding addiction, and more and more millennials are becoming affected by it every day. Addiction not only clouds your judgment, but it can consume your mind all day every day. Luckily, many states are beginning to act.

For example, in the state of Washington, many facilities are beginning to gear some of their services to millennials as it’s become apparent that this isn’t something that can just be ignored; addiction kills and it doesn’t discriminate.

Many facilities, both in and out of the state, are finding that Washington holds some of the best results in treatment, as their programs focus on taking back control of your life by finding out the root of the stress that many of us, millennials and non-millennials alike, may be suffering from.

The first step to getting help, after admitting you need help, will be looking for a treatment facility. Talk to your therapist or medical provider as they can help you find a Washington rehab facility, where they have started making massive strides in recovery for everyone.

Taking a step each day to help declutter your life is less overwhelming than trying to accomplish everything all at once; all that does is add more stress to everything. Taking the time to do things right, whether it be simply cleaning up your house or getting help for an addiction will help you feel better prepared to find the answers to life without screaming for a manual.