The stress of living in today’s modern world is making our hair go gray sooner. People have a tendency to over-complicate life, but there are several things you can be doing right now to simplify it. Apart from the obvious things you should be doing anyway, (get enough sleep, eat right, exercise, and don’t smoke), here are five tips to avoid early gray hairs and reduce stress:
Laugh!
Laughing releases endorphins and reduces the levels of stress hormones in your body. Keep the company of funny people in your life. Watch some comedy YouTube videos such as this one.
If you still need more laughter in your life, you can try a health craze from India— Laughter Yoga. Laughter clubs all around the world exercise the body and soul with a combination of hysterical laughter and traditional yoga practices. Laughter Yoga enthusiasts swear by the technique that helps them cope with stress and save them from depression.
Disconnect
Are you a tech addict? If you spend all day every day in front of a computer screen, you should consider enrolling in Technoholics Anonymous (if that doesn’t exist then maybe it should). Computers are essential in our daily lives—especially if you’re a Smiley360 member— but technology shouldn’t get in the way of living a healthy lifestyle or cultivating relationships with loved ones.
I advise that once a week you undergo a Digital Detox—spend a few hours away from you laptop, tablet and smartphone. You’ll be amazed at how much you can accomplish.
If you need some help, Coffee Break for Mac will remind you to take a break from your computer by darkening your screen at scheduled times.
Make your own stress ball
Fill a plastic bottle with a half-cup of flour. Take a small round balloon and fit it around the top of the open plastic bottle. Turn the bottle upside-down and fill the balloon with flour and air until the balloon is about 5 inches in diameter. Remove the balloon, tie it tight and decorate the ball how you wish.
Now squeeze your stress ball to relieve all your physical and emotional tension!
Live frugally
Living frugally means saving money, and money problems are a big source of stress for most people. Here are several things you can do now to lead a more frugal life:
•Own only one car
•Carpool
•If you can, commute by bike
•Look for used goods first on freecycle.org and craigslist.org
•Sell your clutter on eBay
•Bring your lunch to work
•Borrow books instead of buying them. You can even borrow Kindle books using an online service called lendle.
Don’t Worry, Be Happy
Why worry? It’s the most unproductive, unhelpful thing you can do in a problem situation. If you find yourself worrying, just stop and listen to this.
What are some of your tips to reduce stress? Tell us on Facebook or tweet us @MySmiley360.
Thanks for the terrific tips! I know I will put some of these to good use!
Thanks for the terrific tips! I know I could use some of these, and will put them to good use!
smiley360 agent moo77hb
LOVE this!! Laughter is definitely THE best medicine!
Thanks ffor the aritcle – I def need to rethink my life when it comes to stress! Two kids and a lay off – coupons and money stress are our new topics of conversation at the dinner table.
Laughing yoga sounds AMAZING. Sign me up!
Check out the laughing yoga online: http://www.laughteryoga.org/
I’m so glad you all enjoyed the article!
i love this article. Ive been so stressed out after having my first kid and getting married all within 6 months of each other. Also my husband would agree about the techonology getting in the way of things part. He took away my phone last night like i was a little kid.
@AbigailPinter Wow Abigail, thanks for sharing. I can’t believe he took your phone away! Congratulations on starting a family 🙂
LOVE This article!! Ive been under a great deal of stress for a while now!! I need all the help i can get!!
@metalchick1 Thank you very much 🙂
definitely need to laugh more and take it easy.. stress is not good!!
definitely need to laugh more and take it easy.. stress is not good!! I stress way too much too easy.. @smiley360
@YadiraIVonnePelkey @smiley360 Laughing feels good!
I need to try disconnect, I’m on the computer all day
@syytta I definitely recommend it. I always try and spend a few hours a week away from technology. It makes me more productive when I get back to it.
Definitely needed the reminders! Great article 😀
Celebrities like actors or actresses are very much aware for their health. Because now a day they have to change their bodies as per the roles they are playing. That should be decides by the directors of the films. It might be possible that sometimes an actor decreases their weight to fit in exactly in the role in which he/she will play and sometimes they increase their weight. Sometimes they get drugs for coming out their daily stress able life but slowly they are addicted for the same which probably the cause of his/her death
The drug rehab centres are the one of the best way to come out for this poisonous addiction…
There are many good reasons that adults and teenagers enter drug rehab facilities and alcohol rehab centers…
For more details please visit this URL:http://www.articlesbase.com/alternative-medicine-articles/decrease-in-addiction-reduces-death-rate-within-months-5642821.html
I’m going to try a digital detox.
Good suggestions. I like to live frugally for the most part but I do splurge here and there because that’s a stress reducer for me as well. Digital detox?! That’s not possible for me. That causes me more stress.
@hongsc Really? I guess technology can be a way of relaxing too.
Really enjoyed this article–good tips for reducing stress that I hadn’t thought of!
Love the tip on how to make your own stress ball wish I had this years ago.
loved the article on stree. alotttt of usefull info thanks so much for sharing.
loved the article on stress! alotttt of usefull info. im sure alot of ppl will benefit from this. thank u so much for sharing :-))))
Thanks for your positive comments everybody 🙂
Some days when I get really stressed, I stop and think…it could be a lot worse! I could be stuck at the dead end job that et me go when I had my 13 month old but instead I think positive! I am home with my baby and I can get my 6 year old son on and off the bus. While they do drive me nutty I really wouldn’t change it for the world. It reallt isn’t worth stressing no matter what the situation, it’s very unhealthy!
@nanddwithnikki I love your positive attitude, Nikki 🙂
Thanks, I hadn’t heard of CoffeeBreak, but it’s a neat app!
@KatherineKimmel Cool! I’m so glad that you discovered it!
@ChiefBetsy Everyone needs to try to reduce stress. These are some great tips!
Very nicely and thoughtfully written article. I enjoyed reading it a lot normally I don’t read an article from start to finish but this one caught my attention even though I was very busy and I read it all.
I love the idea of stress Ball but my major concern is if the Balloon bursts and then there will be a mess every where and that in turn could create a stress for me then what do I do?
I chew my favorite Gum and if no one is near me or looking at me then I chew the gum really hard.
Awesome ideas on Living Frugally I do a couple of these on a regular basis.
I have to give a lot of greeting cards in a year so here is what I do to save money :I make my own greeting cards and buy stuff when craft stores have sales, I also get a lot of free stuff for crafts so a lot of needs for making greeting cards are met by these and total cost per greeting card never exceeds over .50 cents.
@SmitaArun Thanks for sharing, Smita! I love your tip about the gum. That must be a good stress reliever.
If you’re afraid that the balloon will burst, you could encase the ball in several balloons. This will ensure that the flour will stay inside!
All of these suggestions! They all work for reducing stress!
All of these suggestions do work! I can vouch for that being a Stress Queen myself! lol
There’s lots of good info in this article. I think I might have to try a few things I read.
mysmiley360@mysmiley360 Other great ways to live stress free include hitting the gym. Taking time for ourselves allows us to clear our minds, to start fresh and to SEE the solution. We tend to be stressed because we live outside our means, and this article indirectly supports living within our means. Great article, and great points.
@mgrugermysmiley360@mysmiley360 Exercise is a definite stress-reliever. Thanks for your wonderful feedback.
Another good stress reliever is deep breathing. From Dr. Andrew Weil: “Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound. Close your mouth and inhale quietly through your nose to a mental count of 4. Hold your breath to a count of 7. Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound to a count of 8. Repeat the cycle 3 times, for a total of 4 breaths.”
@juls404 Thanks for sharing this tip!
Thank you for this article. Sometimes I think we need to be reminded that there are things we can do ourselves to reduce stress. We get so busy we stress over our stress!
Great and necessary article, especially in this day and age. As a mother of 3 (2 boys with special needs and a toddler), stress seems to come at me from every angle. It is important for me to practice these simple stress-reducing techniques….for my overall health, and to model positive behaviors for my children. I have also tried to do something for myself at least once a week. Enjoy a quiet cup of coffee, go for a walk, or read a chapter of a book. Repeating positive statements and praying have also helped me put things into perspective.
Thanks for the article especially how to make your own stress ball. I’m sure it will come in handy.