Feeling Financial Stress? Go Take a Walk

peoplewalkingBy Patricia Zelkovsky

You must have heard the old saying, ‘money is the root of all evil’ although it is not necessarily always the case but yes, in today’s world it is commonly the root of several personal, business and relationship stresses. It has been often noted that couples divorce over it, societies disintegrate due to its poor distribution and businesses collapse because of its mismanagement.

But here we are not talking about societies or businesses, we talking about you. I understand that money is a very important part of every individual’s life, but remember, your health comes first and then comes money and stressing yourself is not going to help you in anyway other than give you sleepless nights and high blood pressure.

I know it is almost impossible to eliminate stress from your life especially when you are faced with major financial crises and you have an entire family to take care of. However, this article should help you deal with stress without making any major changes to your schedule. Read on as a stress braking tips are covered.

The first step to counteract your tension is to try to relax. It is our nature to worry over everything but worrying itself will not solve the problem, only action will. You should never let any situation get the better of you, because if you do, it is only then when you lose control over the situation and make things difficult for yourself.

Okay, to deal with your situation, we will divide the process into two halves, in the first half we will work on stress and in the second half, we will take care of your finances. Remember, this article is just a guide to make things easier for you, but it is you who will ultimately make it happen.

  • Forget about your finances for a few days. Take some time off to get back to your normal self. Indulge yourself in different physical activities like playing different kinds of sports that you like, workout to an exercise tape or go for a few brisk walks.

According to many researchers, walking is one of the most efficient ways to release stress. You can get yourself a treadmill so that you don’t have to go out for walking if your exercise time is short or you can consider going out in the morning or evening for a 20-30 minute walk before or after school or work. If you find your job particularly stressful, try to do your walk after work so that you can work out some of your tension.

When you are getting ready for your walk remember to think positive thoughts. Think about how the exercise will relieve some of your tension, how it helps your circulatory system, and how it uses your lungs. Feel the air as it goes into your lungs, and in your mind follow it around your to all parts of your body. As the oxygen moves through your body it picks up tension and replaces it with relaxation. Then as you exhale, feel the anxiety leave your body. With each breath you will be replacing unnecessary agitation with cleaner, clearer thoughts. Do this with the first few breaths every time that you walk. Follow this advice at least for a few days and you will be able feel and see the difference in the way that you feel and think.

Next, let us look into your finances. There may be several reasons, like credit card debts, loans, the recession or higher grocery prices that may lead to financial tension. But whatever the reason may be, the bottom line is you are facing a financial crunch. In order to overcome the crunch there are a few things that you need to do, like:

  • Track your daily expenditures and see where you can save a bit here and there. Sometimes just cutting back on how much you eat out or spend at the local coffee shop can add up. I know that for my husband and I together were spending almost $9-12 a day on coffee and a danish in the morning. That’s about $300 a month! Since I was making coffee for us in the morning any way, I just made a bit more and we take our coffee from home.
  • What about bringing your lunch from home instead of purchasing it at work? Again the saving will add up fairly quickly.
  • Reduce the amount of fabric softener and laundry detergent that you use. Most of us don’t measure properly and over use on both. For fabric softener, I have cut back to using it only when it’s really needed and not by habit
  • Do you drink bottled water? Using tap water with a filter can save you money and the environment. If you like the convenience of bottled water, then only use it when you leave the house and use the filter tap water while you are at home.
  • Design a saving strategy if possible. You may not have enough to save now, but plan any way, then as soon as you are able you’ll have a plan of action.
  • Take advantage of sales. You might want those new sheets and bedding in December, but these items goes on sale in January. Can you wait 2-3 weeks in order to save 50%? Probably, so why don’t you?

Once you have worked on these aspects well enough, you know you are well on your way to put an end to your financial issues. You may be starting by saving nickels and dimes but these will add up. No, its not silly and they will indeed add up. When interviewing the top financial minds, it has been found that the richest of the rich are often what many of us would consider penny pinchers. They would often reuse items that most of us would throw away and make do with what they had. They did not need to have the latest and greatest in electronics and are often behind the public when it comes to technology.

The daily habits of many of the wealthy made them wealthy.

Remember, your aim should be to make the best use of the money you have, and how you can save where possible. But you can only think clearly which is only possible when your mind is fresh and not overstressed, like during your walk. So, feel free to follow what we have discussed and you will soon find your finances and your life back on track.

It’s a fact that walking is excellent for your health. If your short on time use a treadmill. Then you can have dinner cooking or watch your favorite show while you burn fat and release stress. There is no better time than now to purchase a treadmill as prices have never been lower and the selection has never been this large. Purchase direct from the manufacturers and save big at Discount Home Fitness.

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