Stress Relievers

July 7th, 2010 No Comments

There are a few things that every small business owner needs to know. Whether you’re opening a day spa or a skin care company, you need to know how to deal with stress. As a professional in the field of massage therapy, I see first hand every day how mental stress can affect our physical bodies. Stress can cause problems such as trouble sleeping, headaches, stomach aches, high blood pressure, heart problems and weight gain. In the U.S. today, more than $7,500 per employee, is spent annually on stress-related compensation claims and that number is rising every day.

Talk to agencies about starting a stress management program. Many companies consider this a beneficial part of their wellness program. Wellness programs, along with stress management, can save companies thousands of dollars a year in sick time and health benefit costs. The benefits these programs have on employees are endless.

Reducing stress can greatly diminish our chances of becoming ill and sometimes is as simple as taking some time each day to just sit down, breathe and relax. Meditation has long been a popular stress reduction agent. Sitting down in a quiet comfortable place and focusing on your breathing for as little as 10 minutes per day can remarkably reduce stress levels and help to calm your psyche.

Anything you do for pleasure can also be something you can do to relieve stress. Biking, taking a long walk, drawing, painting, going for a long drive and listening to music are just a few of the things you can do to reduce your stress levels. Do these types of things for around 30 minutes per day and you will feel more relaxed and you will realize that the negative things in your life are not the only things that are happening in your life.

Make a list of the things that are keeping you stressed. Take some time to write down exactly what you would have to do to be able to cross each thing off of your list and begin to make a plan. Planning ways to cut out the problems in your life is a wonderful way to begin to make your life less stressful. If one of your main stress ares is money, make a list of ways that you can save more money, or think of ways that you could go back to school for a job that will earn more money. Just sitting around and worrying about your problems causes an unbelievable amount of stress, while making a feasible plan to reduce your problems can be relaxing and enjoyable.

Be grateful for the good things in your life. Spend some time writing down all the things in your life that make you happy and look at that list every day. These things may be anything from enjoying a hot shower to appreciating the fact that your son took out the garbage without being asked. Being able to be content with the good things in your life will make your problems seem less important and help you to realize that there are other things to meditate on besides the things that are making you stressed.

Keep your eyes on the good things, maintain a positive attitude and actively manage your problem areas. Doing these things every day will help you reduce your stress and live a happier, healthier life.