According to a recent study, 70% of U.S. adults deal with stress every day.
While stress may be unavoidable, there are ways we can minimize its impact on our lives.
For example, lots of people travel to get away from the stress in their daily lives. After week after week of grinding away in the office, kicking back on a beach with a fruity cocktail in hand is often just what the doctor ordered.
But traveling can be expensive—especially when you’re the kind of person who’s accurately described as a globetrotter (like us!).
That’s exactly why we created Dollar Flight Club, by the way. If there’s anything we love more than exploring every corner of the world, it’s doing so in an affordable way.
But what if your everyday routine wasn’t full of so much anxiety and stress? Maybe you wouldn’t need to kick back on a beach to unwind.
Instead, maybe you could even get to the point where you’re in a calm and relaxed state of mind every day. That way, when you travel, the new places you explore are more changes of scenery and less much-needed getaways to preserve sanity.
To help people like you adopt the vacation mindset every day of the year, we’ve teamed up with our friends over at Moon Pod to come up with a list of five must-have items you need to have nearby to live a stress-free life and experience every day as if you were exploring a wonderful new part of the world.
1. Exercise gear
When’s the last time you worked up a sweat?
Exercise is one of the best ways to reduce stress. It helps us clear out our minds, speed up our metabolism, and improve overall health—all of which lessen the impact of stress on our lives.
And the best part? By and large, exercise is free.
Sure, you could join a gym, and you might have to buy a pair of running shoes and some Underarmour workout gear. But odds are you probably have some gym clothes tucked away somewhere in your closet. And there are countless exercises you can do without opening your wallet: push-ups, sit-ups, and going for a run outside, to name a few.
2. Meditation apps
Meditation also has been proven to decrease stress while improving our self-awareness and emotional health. It can also help reduce depression, improve focus, and enlighten our moods.
Worried that you might not have what it takes to meditate on your own? Don’t sweat it.
You can use an app like Headspace to guide you through meditation and help you figure out what you need to do to unwind and empty your mind. Headspace works like any other app: It’ll prompt you when it’s time to zone out and it’ll help you track your progress to keep you moving toward your goals.
3. Moon Pod
Another easy way to de-stress is by relaxing at home. You don’t want to become a couch potato, to be sure. But watching a movie or even binge-watching your favorite show on Netflix every now and again won’t kill you.
To make sure you actually do relax, you need to make sure you have somewhere comfortable to sit and unwind. Good news: Our friends at Moon Pod have you covered.
Moon Pod is a zero-gravity beanbag designed to deliver a full-body weightless sensation for all-day stress relief and relaxation.
The stress-relieving furniture comes in five glorious colors: space gray, rose quartz, neptune blue, charcoal, and deep navy. So whether you’re looking for a Moon Pod that matches decorations in a certain room or you’re looking for one in your favorite color, you should be in luck.
4. Cookbooks and supplements
Your diet can also have a significant impact on how stressed out you feel. Consuming too much caffeine, alcohol, and refined sugar can have an adverse impact on your health, causing you to feel more stress in your everyday life, for example.
If you want to de-stress, it may be time to buy some healthy cookbooks. You’ll also want to consider supplements, too. Research has found that supplements like omega-3 fatty acids, green tea, valerian root, and kava kava can help reduce stress and anxiety.
If you have a pre-existing health condition and take medications for it, consult your doctor before trying any new supplements to make sure that they won’t interact poorly. (You’d probably end up with more stress if that happened.)
5. A creative outlet
Do you have a creative outlet? If not—and you’ve been stressed out lately—it might be time to pick up a guitar or channel your inner painter.
One recent study found that adults had a significant decrease in cortisol levels (the hormone that combats stress) after engaging in a 45-minute artistic exercise where they were told to create whatever they wanted.
So, if you want to destress, pick up a pad and pen or head over to the local arts-and-crafts store and get cracking on your creativity.
If your natural setting is “stressed out,” you’re doing it wrong. Moonpod is in the business of relaxation, and by incorporating a few of these items (or better yet, all of them!) into your life, you should be able to notice a significant decrease in your natural stress levels. Plus, DFC readers get a little something off the price. Use the code DFC150 to receive $150 dollars off your Moonpod purchase. *This code is only valid until 12/2*
That way, you can bring your vacation state of mind with you everywhere you go, day in and day out.
