Don’t allow recession blues to impact your quality of life and productivity. Use these strategies to lighten your lifestyle load.
“Training gives us an outlet for suppressed energies created by stress and thus tone the spirit just as exercise conditions the body.”
Arnold Schwarzenegger
The key to maintaining a positive outlook and regaining momentum for success lies in our ability to adapt and deflect the negative side-effects of stress.
ACTIONS THAT HELP COMBAT SRESS
When you catch yourself thinking about the bills, engage activities that offer immediate benefits to your mind and wallet.
Sleep: Keeping a level head and innovative outlook improves with quality sleep. During the REM cycle of sleep the area of the brain that supports neuron production and preservation is most active, creating synapses from protein synthesis to support the I-function which controls judgement, perception and creativity. Make sleep a priority (especially) during stressful times, to support your capacity for creative and critical thinking.
Exercise: Compliment sleep and recovery with exercise. Movement energizes the body and fortifies confidence through action over the things you can control—and when performed regularly, exercise conditions the body to better manage stress. As little as 5 minutes of movement can free up your joints, reinvigorate and remind you of the amazing gift that is your body.
Crunched for time try the Tabata Protocol: 20sec work followed by 10sec of recovery for a total of 8 rounds, this works great with squats and pushups. No Equipment try Bodyweight Combinations such as: Mt.Climbers, Star Jumps, One Leg Squats and Staggered Push-Ups.
Clear clutter: This will bring clarity and peace of mind to your living space and make it easy to be creative.
Learn something: Go online and pick-up a new skill or grab a book on the subject.
Create: We are happiest in a state of progress and creative expression, so work on a project that you enjoy. Make a card for someone special, reminding them how much they are valued. Write your own novel or movie script, creating a world that inspires with characters that reflect the values you want to have. Cook something comforting, perhaps a batch of freshly baked cookies.
Explore: Grab a pair of binoculars, a magnifying glass or smartphone, a field guide if you have one, and a sketchbook—then head to your garden or nearby park and let the wonders of nature delight.
Garden: Toiling away in the soil not only connects you with nature, it also exposes you to fresh air, sunlight and exercise.
CONDUCT AN INVENTORY ANALYSIS
Scan your cupboards and fridge to see what items are costing your wallet unnecessarily. Foods that are contained in excess packaging such as individually portioned snacks or pre-packed salads should be swopped for bulk buy items that can be served up in glass bowels or divided into a family set of tupperware. Check labels to identify foods sourced locally reducing the cost of buying overseas items.
Consider your menu, where are you sourcing your protein? Meat can be costly and eating more plant-based proteins is a effective way to support your health and budget. Decipher how much of your money is dolled out on drinks. Buying bottled water is not only expensive but impacts our planet, a better way is to invest in a water filter. Alcohol is another cash flow culprit that adds strain on your bank balance.
What you use to clean your home and yourself maybe washing money down the drain. Choose microfibre cloths and an old fashioned mop that doesn’t use disposable heads. Instead of buying several different cleaning products try dish soap, which can be used as a laundry stain remover, a window cleaner, a surface spray, a carpet stain remover, and to clean most surfaces in your home. You can also make your own cleaning products using inexpensive household staples: vinegar is a great all-purpose cleaner, baking soda is gentle enough to use as a mild abrasive in many areas of your home and lemons have a natural bleaching ability.
MAKE A PLAN FOR PROSPERITY
List the things you deem worth saving for and post it somewhere prominent. A visual anchor that will remind you of something more important when temptation or the impulse to spend on something frivolous arises.
CULTIVATE AN ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE
Focus on what you have instead of what you don’t—more than a mindset of prosperity, this encourages ingenuity with your resources. Encouraging you to look at alternative uses and inventive repurposing, identifying the value of ordinary things and your ability to be resourceful and creative.