Biofriendly Ways to Lower Stress Levels and Improve Health

Most people try to take steps on a daily basis to improve their health and overall well-being. Getting daily exercise, eating well, and doing what you can to alleviate stress will all help. Fortunately, in this day and age, you can easily find ways to lower stress levels and improve your health. Some of these ways don’t require much, or any, money at all. I put some biofriendly ways to combat stress to the test recently and found out they work GREAT! Here are a few of my top choices:

Image by Tara McFatridge

Unplug

The first step you need to take is to unplug. Trust me when I say I know how hard you may think it is to do this, but it is worth it! So many of us depend on our computers, phones, and the internet for our livelihood. While that may be fine, it can also take a toll on our health. Working all the time can be extremely stressful too. Taking a little time every hour, every day or even for a few days to unplug and go do something else can be so beneficial. Play checkers, maybe a board game, or even read a good book.

Unplugging can give you a fresh view on life. It can help you come up with solutions to problems you may be facing. It can lower stress levels and even make you feel a little more optimistic about accomplishing your goals. It’s just one little step…with the potential for BIG results.

Image by Tara McFatridge

Grow Your Own

What could be more biofriendly than growing your own food? Growing your own means you won’t have to worry about ingesting pesticides and other toxins. Organic is pretty much guaranteed. When you grow your own herbs, vegetables and/or fruits, you tend to eat more naturally. Less processed foods and less hormone-imbalanced meats.

In addition, to grow your own food, you’ve got to spend some time getting your hands dirty. Planting takes work. It alleviates stress too. When you work with your hands (and I don’t mean just typing on a keyboard), or do some physical work, you often feel better. Whether you plant indoors or outdoors, spending some time digging holes, planting seeds, and tending to your garden can give you a sense of peace most other activities cannot. So get down and dirty!

Image by Tara McFatridge

Eat In

Processed, pre-packaged, and fast foods are not necessarily good for your health. While a few exceptions may exist, it’s always better to eat in. Make your own food. My family and I recently took a vacation and luckily we stayed in a place where we could make our own breakfast and lunch. Not only did it save us money, but it meant we could eat the way we wanted to eat. We had control of what we ate, or didn’t eat, and when.

You want to be healthy? You want to lower your stress levels? Spend a little time in the kitchen. Create your own recipes or try someone else’s. Either way, eating in is one of the simplest ways to stay healthy.

 

Image by Tara McFatridge

Get Out in Nature

Getting out in nature is one of my most favorite ways to alleviate stress. I got the opportunity recently to not only spend quite a bit of time outdoors, but I got to visit one of the most awe-inspiring places I’ve ever been. My family and I got to go to the Grand Canyon. To say it’s amazing is putting it mildly. It’s hard to imagine such beauty until you see it in person. Photos do not do it justice. Seeing the Grand Canyon, in all its splendor, was simply breathtaking. At the same time, being there helped me breathe. I got to take a break from my work. We were all able to relax and breathe in the fresh air. Each of us spent time soaking in the beauty all around. On top of it all, experiencing this natural beauty as a family made it all worth it.

Even if you can’t go somewhere like the Grand Canyon, do yourself a favor and get out in nature more often. Go for a walk among the trees. Watch the leaves change colors and fall to the ground. Take a few deep, cleansing breaths. Get yourself away from your day-to-day problems or stressors in life and simply look outward. It is one of the best, most biofriendly ways to combat stress….look outward into the wonder of nature.

Living Life the Biofriendly Way

None of the ideas I’ve mentioned above are costly. None of them are hard to do. Each of them can be done on a daily or weekly basis. In fact, you’d be surprised how easy it is to live life the biofriendly way once you start doing it. The benefits abound. So, if you’re looking for ways to lower your stress levels and improve your health, I recommend trying these simple steps. It’s worth it!

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