What Baby Boomers wouldn’t give for a nutritionist, massage therapist, and life coach, all assigned to follow us around 24-7, helping us live stress-free.
Unless your last name is Hilton, you probably can’t have a team that caters to your every whim, to calm you down on your worst days. Still, you can decompress from your daily grind—and not spend a lot of money to do so.
Here are a few ways to live stress-free without breaking the bank:
Make sleep a priority
One of the most important ways to de-stress is something we all overlook: proper sleep. Everything gets in the way of you and those eight hours: a sick child, deadlines, piles of laundry. But getting enough sleep allows the body to heal each day and regulate levels of cortizol, the hormone associated with stress control. So it’s crucial to get the rest you need to stay in the driver’s seat when stress inevitably strikes.
Look for opportunities to exercise
Being full throttle at your job and at home doesn’t excuse you from getting a good amount of exercise. Working out will accelerate your metabolism, making your body run more efficiently. Also, it’s a great way to blow off steam when your day takes a turn (as it does so often!).
There’s no need to spend your cash on an expensive gym or class. It really doesn’t matter what you do—just try to get your heart rate when exercising into the target zone for your age.
De-stress your environment
Transform your personal space into a place that’s more relaxing. Having a clean room or workspace—having less clutter to distract your eyes—is key. Unlike other more commonly recognized sources of stress (e.g., our jobs, our relationships), clutter is one of the easiest life stressors to fix. Why Mess Causes Stress, an article from Psychology Today, tells us how to declutter our lives.
Human brains like symmetry. Straight lines and order from chaos is the name of the game if you want your office or home (or home office) to be conducive for stress-free living. Less is more, so try monotone organizers to hide collectibles, DVDs and other clutter. Bring in some natural elements and colors, too: Think wicker baskets, wood, and river rocks. Those patterns, along with shades of blue and green, instinctively relax the mind.
It costs nothing to clean (well, in most cases) and you can snag well-priced organizers and much more at any retailer.
Get outside
While you’re bringing the outside into your home, don’t forget to go outside yourself! Boomers need more interaction than social media sites and texts. Get out with your family and friends; whether it’s to a local event, or to a park for a few hours on a nice day.
And remind yourself why you go through all that stress everyday: It will make room in your world for less stress, and more living.
How do you relieve stress from your life?
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