Everyone has a certain amount of stress in their life; however, when stress starts to become a major factor in your everyday life then you should try to find ways to reduce the amount of stress you are experiencing. We have listed some low-cost ways to reduce stress in order to restore your calmness and happiness in your life.
Go Outdoors
If you work inside all day, then just taking a small walk outside on your break or lunch hour can help relieve tension from your job. Try going to a place that has pretty scenery such as a nearby park if you can.
Take the Long Way Home
After a long day at work, you just want to unwind before going home. Taking the long way home on a scenic route while listening to soft music can help you relax before heading home to your family. You will find that your mood will improve and you may even have a smile on your face when you go through your door.
Muscle Stretching
Yoga and Pilates are great ways to relieve stress as they involve the practice of stretching the muscles which in turn supplies oxygen to them and helps relieve tightness and inflammation. Once you have flexible muscles you can feel less tension. You can find free videos online of how to get started with either of these exercises in order to improve your muscle tension and strength even in your own home!
Deep Breathing
The art of deep breathing has long been practiced as a way of relaxing and relieving stress. You will need to find some time to yourself, whether that means you wake up in the morning before the rest of the household or you wait until everyone else is in bed before you begin. Deep cleansing breaths starting from your diaphragm up into your chest and let out slowly can do wonders for your stress levels. Making this a habit can ensure that you are able to handle whatever stress you are dealt with during your day.
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Water Therapy
Relaxing in a hot bubble bath surrounded by candlelight can help reduce the amount of stress from your long day as water is therapeutic to your body and the warmth helps your muscle relax. Playing some soft music can enhance this experience and leave you feeling refreshed. Make sure this is done at a time where others are quiet in the home also.
Cardio or a Punching Bag
Sometimes relieving stress requires sweating and punching things. You may have a gym membership you can take advantage of or even an area in your home where you can work out. Burning calories and releasing endorphins is a great way to relieve stress in this way. Endorphins release positive feelings and can improve your overall mood. Again, you can find exercise videos online or DVDs at thrift markets and even the library that you exercise to.
Aromatherapy
There are so many options for different scents in candles, melts, incense, and more that you can find many scents that actually promote stress relief. The power of scents can be realized once you start paying attention to how they make you feel. These certain aromas can be spread throughout your home and added to your lotions and bathing scents so that your stress can be reduced just by a simple scent.
Music Therapy
The right music can set the tone for your mood. Listening to soft music while performing any of the relaxing techniques above can help fight off stress and leave you feeling relaxed and calm. When working out to relieve stress through vigorous exercise then loud and upbeat music is best as it gets you pumped up for the exercise.
As you can see, there are many techniques that can help you fight off stress with little to no cost and improve your quality of life in the process.
About the Author: Stephanie resides in Gilbert, Arizona, with her two children. She is from the cost-helping database Howmuchisit.org and writes in her free time.
