Stress seems to be a more relevant problem by the day. There are so many things happening right now that can be hard to process. Stress makes us anxious, irritable and affects sleep. Too much stress over time can cause illness.

One of my goals for this year is to give less fucks. I am guilty of letting myself get stressed out over little things. I am working on letting some of those worries go. Part of staying successful in that process is not letting myself get stressed out.

Here are some low cost or free things I use to de-stress:

1.     Exercise- Making time for yourself is always a good way to de-stress. If you have trouble with this make a schedule the week ahead or the day ahead for exercise. Put it on your calendar and stick to it.

2.     Lavender essential oil- Lavender is my favorite. If I am stressed smelling some lavender, diffusing or putting some on my wrists or temples brings me back to center and calms my nerves.

3.     Meditation- The world is a noisy worrying place. Taking time to quiet the mind helps to let go of stress even if you only do it for five minutes. If meditation is a struggle to do on your own there are some fantastic guided mediation apps in the world. My favorite is Headspace.

4.     Time limits- I use time limits on social media and sometimes when I am watching the news so I do not get sucked into a hole and forget about important things that I need to do. In terms of news I try to stick to topics I want to stay informed on. If I start to feel stressed out I don’t continue. If you want to read more, save the article and go back to it. Try to process as you go rather than just overwhelming yourself with lots of information.

5.     Tennis ball massage- Tennis balls are cheap and don’t take up a lot of room. There are plenty of tutorials on the Internet on how to use tennis balls for myofascial release. My favorite is to put them on the points on the head that stick out a little where the spine attaches to the head. If you take your finger to the bottom of your ears and slide them around to the back of your head you will find them. They can get congested and releasing that congestion feels great. If you lay on the ground with the balls behind your head on those two spots (you might need a washcloth to keep them from sliding around on your hair) it feels amazing.

6.     Go to bed on time. I need to do better with this one. When I am well rested, everything works better and I have less stress.

7.     Prepare ahead of time- when I put together my clothes for work for the week or even just the next day I have a less stressful morning.

What are your favorite ways to de-stress?