Science has shown stress to factor in to many serious diseases (heart attacks, strokes, etc), so it’s a good idea to know how you can relax. There are lots of products sold to aid people in relaxing/stress relief. Luckily, there are many great ways to reduce stress without having to spend money. Here are 5 easy ways you can curb the stress in your life.
1. Breathing Exercises
Probably the easiest way to reduce stress is with various breathing exercises repeated several times a day. This can be as easy as taking deep, diaphram breaths for a few minutes before meals or as complex as prana breathing techniques.
Breathing is our most basic and most important body function because it brings in oxygen. Using it to reduce stress is a process that whittles down stress over time. Successful use of breathing techniques is built around long term and consistent usage.
For our purpose of doing this on the cheap, here are a few free breathing techniques:
www.drweil.com/drw/u/ART00521/three-breathing-exercises.html
www.amsa.org/healingthehealer/breathing.cfm
2. Stretching
You’ve heard of the benefits of yoga, right? Well as it turns out you can get many of the same benefits through stretching.
And unlike yoga in America, stretching doesn’t require fancy clothes, mats, or expensive classes. All you need is yourself and a bit of open space.
Here are some sites to get you started:
mayoclinic.com/health/stretching/HQ01447
www.halhigdon.com/15Ktraining/Stretch.htm
www.cmcrossroads.com/bradapp/docs/rec/stretching/
Does that seem too easy? Spend some time working on it and you can really enhance your health… without spending money.
3. Exercise
You saw this one coming, right? But wait, you say, don’t you need expensive equipment and professional training to exercise well? Well, no. Because exercise can be as simple as walking or jogging, neither of which requires professional assistance. Walking a mile a day is awesome for your body.
Now, if you want to get buff or fit, you might need more than mere walking. Luckily, we come pre-equiped with our own gym. It’s called bodyweight exercises, and it’s pretty awesome. Now, this is the only time I’m going to suggest bringing a bit of professional help in. Bodyweight exercises, like any exercise done improperly, cause both short and long term damage. Consult your doctor and all that.
koreantaekwondo.tripod.com/articles/exercises.htm
www.liveawesome.com/public/department58.cfm
sportsmedicine.about.com/od/tipsandtricks/a/basictraining.htm
If you’re going to do bodyweight stuff, I’d recommend hiring a personal trainer to meet once a week or month just to make sure your form is solid. That way you can get the benefits of expertise without having to pay every time you work out.
4. Short Naps
The benefits of short 20-30 minute naps are becoming more obvious. Don’t believe me? Check out www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp
Napping when your body feels a bit tired can make you much more alert than just trying to push through it. I vouch for this one quite a bit, with napping how I survived working 60-70 hour weeks during spring break season at Disney World.
You have to spend some time learning how long to sleep (which means lots of experimenting), but a bit of research can point you in the right direction. Example: If I sleep longer than 30 minutes I’m likely to sleep for 2-3 hours. Luckily, I find I only really need 15-20 minutes to refresh myself and get back to work.
5. Meditation
And so we get to the last cheap way on this list. Meditation is probably the best of these to use long-term to minimize stress. With its biggest benefit being the state of relaxation, it builds on itself and becoming more familar with how your mind works, meditation is an awesome addition to any life. One thing meditation does that other techniques don’t is build your "shock absorption" so the little things in life won’t seem as big.
Here are some places to get you started with meditation.
www.meditationsociety.com/108meds.html <- This is an awesome list of a ton of different meditation techniques
And there you go. With these tips, you can reduce stress without worrying if you’re harming your budget.
I’ve personally used, and do use all of these methods to keep my life stress-free and flowing, just how I like it. Give them a try.
