Gardening As A Natural Stress Reliever

by guest blogger Mark Carol

Work, family, bills, and other obligations and responsibilities can make stress a part of your daily life. Stress can help you get motivated, but too much stress can increase your risk for illnesses such as stroke, heart attack, and high blood pressure. Natural stress reducing activities, like gardening, can be an ideal solution to finding a peaceful balance in your life.

The Benefits

Gardening has been shown to have many health benefits. In fact, the activity is recommended by the JAMA, or the Journal of the American Medical Association, to lower the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease by nearly fifty percent. According to Capital District Community Gardens, tending a garden alleviates stress by immersing you in nature. Gardening requires dedication, care and patience to be successful. When tending your flowers, fruits and vegetables, you are spending time on something that redirects for attention away from daily stress. Gardening also provides you with real results that you can share with family, friends and neighbors.

How To Make Meditation A Habit

by guest blogger Brandon Mercury

Meditation is a wonderful practice to help the body and the mind relax and re-center. Those who participate in daily meditation find that their minds are clearer and their muscles more relaxed. The benefits of meditation are many, including reduced mental clutter that often occupies our minds in a world of stress. Daily meditation has physical, spiritual and emotional benefits that help us to live happy, productive lives.

Meditation is a process used to bring clarity to the mind.  Regular everyday stimuli are unhealthy for us if we don't learn how to silence the noise from time to time. By using meditation to concentrate and clear your mind of distractions, you will find yourself being more focused and productive.

It’s important to experience daily meditation, but how do you get in the habit of meditation every day? You know there are important benefits to your health, but making the time for meditation isn’t always easy. Make meditation a part of your life with these tips.

Five Tips For De-Stressing While Working Toward A Degree

You can feel it happening. You’re starting to get so worried about tomorrow’s exam that you can’t focus on preparing for your meeting at work. That’s giving you writer’s block for the paper that’s due next week, and the thought of failing has just made you yell at your daughter for no good reason. Relax. Stressing out isn’t going to help anything, and it’s going to make a lot of things worse than they need to be. Sure, going to school while working full-time and being a good spouse and parent can be hectic, but you can get the better of your stress. The following tips can help you de-stress during intense moments as well as help you prevent too much daily stress.

Work Out

This one’s pretty common because it works. A daily exercise routine in the morning or evening can give you more energy throughout the day, help you think more clearly for better learning and keep you calmer at work and home. Everyone can find some physical activity to love. You may discover that you’re a swimmer, a runner or a weight lifter. Some people find that using a punching bag is an excellent way to get rid of excess stress. When you’re at work and you feel stressed, try walking briskly for a few minutes.

Set a Schedule

A common source of stress is the fear that you won’t get everything done in time. A schedule plays the role of timekeeper and security blanket. Write out your schedule, including your work hours, study time, family time and fun time. During your fun time, have fun. Don’t think about work, school or anything else that is troublesome. During your study time, focus on your studies. You’ll be able to relax more when you know at each moment that you’re on track for achieving your goals.