Months later, after the few posts, this blog has been waning. But I haven’t forgotten about it. It will have a rebirth of posts as I regain my footing and start brainstorming again. I find I miss writing, but the world is full of craziness that I have not had the opportunity to slow down and relax a little bit more. So hopefully, with our 0 followers, eventually we will write something more in the coming months.
Still here.
May 6
The Art of Gift Giving
Oct 24
It’s almost that time of the year – you know the time, the Winter holidays, where people gather around and exchange gifts. I tend to dread this time of the year, as I don’t like being pressured to give gifts, and I have never really enjoyed the idea of having to give someone a gift just because it’s a certain day – whether it’s their birthday, a holiday, an anniversary, or other reasons. That’s not to say I don’t enjoy gift giving – I do – when I come up with a good idea. So over the past couple years I have changed my approach to gift giving, and it has relieved much of the stress and made it much more enjoyable for me. These are the things I have done:
1. Know your recipient: Get Ideas and write them down — immediately.
The most important part of buying a gift is the idea. Nowadays, there are many ways to stalk friends and family. Whether it be through Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, e-mail, chat and old fashioned get togethers, you can get a good idea of what sort of things would be of interest to them. I keep a small moleskine notebook that I carry around for various reasons, and when an idea comes to me, I write it down in a section that I have dedicated for “Gift Ideas”. Instead of scrambling around last minute, stressing out about what to purchase, I can just refer to the list and familiarize myself with what are some of the “likes” of that person. This is especially useful when it may be someone you don’t see very often. It can contain various subjects – ie, a certain list could be like this:
The list has items that are broad yet specific enough to help one gather ideas for a gift. For example, it might give you ideas if they are not too expensive. One example I think is great are photobooks, especially if the recipient enjoys taking photos. Putting a collage of photos together from their vacation, or a selection of their best photos (if you can find a way to access their photos, by way of a friend, etc.) and use a service such as Shutterfly it would make a great gift. Of if you have a penchant for art, try drawing something, or creating something that might be useful. For example, if you can’t afford anything, but have a few art skills, perhaps painting “The Cure” might be something John might value from the list above. Or if you have some fancy knitting or sewing skills, make a shirt, or a nice scarf (not the ones your granny might make!)
2. Set out an agreement on a price limit and exchange a wish list
Though this isn’t very fun, setting an agreement on the max limit of a price also helps minimize the pressures of “how much to spend on so and so”. This doesn’t always work, but for example, one of my best friends and I have been exchanging gifts for years, in exactly this manner. Both our birthdays are in the Fall, so we usually combine the birthday gift and the Christmas gift together. We also live in different states, so this makes the process much easier, instead of having to mail presents two times within two months. Every year, prior to the holidays, we also exchange wish lists of items that we’re either wishing or hoping for, so I rarely ever worry about what to buy her.
3. Keep a gift budget by saving throughout the year
Find that you go over budget often when picking out presents? I used to have that problem. In the last five or so years, I found that spending a little bit more on an item on something I knew the receiver would like was worth more to me than spending under budget for a gift that I knew would just sit in their garage or gather dust. For example, I bought my best friend a digital camera one year, knowing she wanted and needed one. She and I agreed that would be her gift that would cover the next two years. In another blog I read a year ago, someone suggested budgeting for a “Gift Fund”. I thought that was a terrific idea, and I went ahead and started putting $25 every two weeks into this fund (an ING savings sub-account). Whether or not this was too much, I could always tweak the numbers as I saw fit. As a result, anytime I needed to purchase a gift – whether it be for a wedding, a birthday, a holiday, it would be out of that fund. I could get smaller or larger gifts as long as I had the money in my sub account to fund it. It has made it much easier, and does not hurt as much (though I have difficulty watching any of my money being moved out of my accounts, but that’s for another post…)
4. Wait for deals, a sale, a price drop, or a coupon
Once you have an ideas list for those on your gift giving list, you can start shopping at ANY time for a gift. I’ve bought Christmas gifts this year during the summer. Being that you already have ideas, you can determine what the normal price for something may be, and you can monitor the prices and wait until a good deal comes around or a coupon is available before purchasing.
Here are a few sites that I use to monitor deals:
If you’re monitoring a specific web site for a specific product to drop in price, ShoppingNotes will notify you when the price has changed (either higher or lower.)
If you shop on Ebay, this will also make you less desperate (assuming that the item you’re looking for is being listed more than once), and give you time to bid for what you’re looking for at the price you’re willing to pay and not the other way around. You’re far from your deadline, so there will be less stress. Of course, this doesn’t always apply, as some events are time sensitive (like a concert, a musical, play, etc.), but for the most part, they will work.
For the most part, I tend to shop online more than in the retail stores. That’s not to say there aren’t some fantastic deals to be had at the Brick & Mortar (that can be evident by browsing the deal sites), but many times online, I feel I can do research via the reviews on Amazon, Newegg, and do a price comparison via Google, without feeling a bit blind at the store, not knowing what is available. Also, in addition to getting better prices by purchasing online, there are places that give cashback for buying online, just for using their service. I tend to use places like Ebates and MrRebates, Bing cashback though there are plenty more who provide this service. At the same time, these sites also show you what coupons are available from a certain retailer.
5. Wrap your gift – wrapping paper
This is, oddly, my most difficult task – finding affordable gift wrap paper. I find most wrapping paper to be over priced, unless I rush in the day after December 25 and grab whatever discounted wrapping paper is left from either Target, Macy’s Home and Furnishings, or some similar store. That is great for Christmas, but what about all the other special occasions? You could always make your own wrapping paper (out of tin-foil, paper with your own drawings), or you could always buy it wholesale. One example - Mr Gift Wrap – but they do provide obscene amounts of wrapping paper. Another would be Superior Gift Wrap.
If you follow all the above tips, especially the very first suggestion, Gift Giving should be at the very least, no longer a stressful event. It’s not perfect, as some people are just difficult to purchase, but perhaps this might minimize the scary task to a more manageable one, making your life simpler.
What is your system for gift giving? And I need help – where is the best place to buy wrapping paper?
Old is the new new
Sep 12
My parents are tightwads, and I love them for that. When I grew up, I continuously witnessed my mom and dad fixing things that went bad. Hole in the sock? Mended. False contact in my walkman (I date myself here)? Soldered back on. Bad haircut? Well, sometimes they went too far.
It took me a while to realize that even though I grew up that way, I diverged greatly from my parent’s guiding principle about things: buy good quality items and make them last. When I started my adult life, I did not fix anything. When something got bad, I would hide behind the lack of time and get a replacement.
One day, my dad paid me a visit and found my all dismembered trash bin. He asked me what I was going to do about it. I told him “don’t worry, the trash company will replace it”. But he couldn’t “not worry” about it. One hour later, he had the trash bin as good as new by reinforcing it with a metal cloth hanger woven into its hinges. That put me to shame.
From then on, I decided to try to fix things. I got to test my resolve when my dryer died last year. Instead of getting a new one, I took it all apart (to my wife’s dismay), identified the issue, got a $10 part from the net and put it right back to work. I was pretty proud.
Starting to fix things got me to think differently about purchases. I no longer focus on price only but on quality and maintainability. And even though I do spend more in the short term, I save quite a bit in the long run. Since my drier fix already added one year to my drier’s 5 years life, it saved me the equivalent of 20% of the cost of the dryer.
It is interesting to me how most we naturally emphasize quality during our car purchases (cf. Toyota annihilation of GM) but not when making smaller ones. I guess the high price of cars forces us to think our purchase. At least, it shows that we can do it.
Some will say that our economy is consumption-driven and that some short-term adverse effects could be felt if we all decided to consume less but better quality products. I agree to to a certain point but in the long run, I think a change in the consumption mindset could also have positive repercussions:
- It would allow US companies to focus on quality instead of cost cutting, therefore slowing the import of low quality goods and keeping valuable jobs in the US.
- It would create a new industry to serve the people that need their things fixed but don’t have the time to do it. This would definitely create jobs. Think of all the cobblers that went out of business in the last 20 years.
When we fix things, we reduce waste, save money, have better quality stuff and gather valuable skills. So, I believe that if we were all a bit less Walmart and a bit more Wall-E, we would make our world a better place. Don’t hesitate to disagree with me. Looking forward to hear from you.
Once upon a time, as I was taking out the trash, a whole new world opened to me right there, under the lid… About 100 maggots were happily chomping on the previous day’s bits. The revelation was immediate: trash can sustain life!
We throw out a lot of stuff that could be of great use in the circle of life (yes, maggots are part of it). That gave me the idea of setting up a vermicomposting bin (aka. worms composting). The instructions looked simple : first, a bed of brown stuff, then green stuff, a couple hundreds worms to loosen up the guests and lots of organic trash. White trash (as in Cauliflower) and green trash preferably. Organic meat does not qualify. Add water. This is pretty simple indeed.
So, let’s meet the actors:
- The container: anything that breathes and has a lid is fine. It should be placed in a semi-shaded location and in in a well drained spot. The container can be as small as 12 inches tall (for a two layers bin). I am not sure if it is wise but some people even set this up right in their kitchen. Mine will be outside.
- The brown stuff: egg containers, toilet paper middles, dry leaves, wood clippings and chips, paper or manure. It should be moistened before being laid in the bottom of the bin.
- The green stuff: kitchen scraps, plant clippings, grass, coffee grounds, tea bags, fruits skins…
- The worms: choose them wisely, liberally and squiggly. Red worms are best. One pound worth is a good start. They can even be bought online. European nightcrawlers can also be used but tend to not do as well as the red worms because of the composting bin’s moisture and temperature. Worms cost about $30 per pound. The red worms can eat their weight every day and reproduce happily, leaving you with plenty of their nutrient-rich castings.
- The undesirables: meats, very cooked foodstuff, bones. They rot and attract flies.
The layers of green stuff and brown stuff should be alternated every 6 to 12 inches. It is a good idea to add some garden soil throughout.
From there, the microorganisms and the worms will take over. A heap that is not remixed regularly -or cool heap- can take up to one year to compost. But if you took it upon yourself to replenish the brown layer regularly and kept the heap moist -and therefore hot-, the composting would happen in about 4 months. Note that your heap should not stink.
Harvesting can be tricky as you may not want live worms in you house plants. Shining a light on the heap makes the worms go deeper in the pile therefore letting you harvest the top layer of compost.
Your new pet worms will love you for this and you will prevent that much waste from ending in the landfill. And the best thing is: you will never buy another $10 bag of soil again.
Let me know how yours works out!
Resources:
http://lancaster.unl.edu/pest/resources/Vermicompost107.shtml
Project Un-Clutter!
Sep 9
It’s been almost a year since we’ve been offline, but I am still continually battling with clutter. I think it’s almost sort of a .. syndrome, which is why I’ve started up Project Un-Clutter! My friends automatically assume that I am cleaning whenever they ask what I’ve been busy doing at home. Sadly, usually, they are right. So in starting this Project Un-Clutter, perhaps I will be more responsible to myself if I have to document my travels navigating through my stuff on AimSimple. I will focus on my problem areas one by one (which many of you may also encounter) that seem to crop up again and again, as well as focus on areas that I seem to be making some headway.
I only have a small room to deal with, but it seems as though the “stuff” seems to build up, and build up. My last public battles helped during the time, but I find that I have difficulty sticking with a plan. I devote a weekend, and things seem to be okay, but I then fall back into the traps of papers, books, junk mail just thrown around, in hopes that I will one day “look at it again”.
For inspiration, I usually visit Unclutterer’s Workspace of the Week to get at my clutter, not only to be neat, but dust-ball free. I also look to A&E’s Television show Hoarders sometimes to get myself moving. These people do not describe the general population, but have a sickness of hoarding and being unable to detach themselves from any of the objects they own, including garbage. It’s eye-opening, sad, yet strangely motivating at the same time.
So join me in my goal to a start of a clean free, dust free, clutter free area!
We Are Back!
Sep 3
It’s been a long time coming back folks. Most of it would be my fault, since I accidentally forgot that aimsimple.com was on an old webhost of mine that was shared with another personal web site of mine, sparkling-grace.net. We are using the trusty asmallorange.com web host that another domain of mine resides on. I have a few things to fix (I just noticed), but otherwise, the content is there.
After a few bumps in the road, I’ve finally got this web site up and running, and I’ve got lots of things to say and share. I know delayedllama has asked me several times about it, and I almost forgot it, had we not had a discussion about goals this morning. Plus, I’ve missed writing about topics that truly matter to me.
So let’s hope this continues and there are no bumps in the future thanks to my forgetful brain!
It must be the water
Oct 17
Reducing our water consumption is one of the most daunting challenge we will face over the next ten years, specially where I live in southern CA. I believe that lifestyle-affecting changes will be forced upon us in the near future. That said, I also believe that
widespread conservation could be achieved through basic non-life-shattering habits changes. If enough of us made a difference, we might very well avoid more drastic limitations for everybody in the coming years.
- Use low flow toilets : these are cheap and pretty nice. They use 70% less water than the pre-1994 thrones. I have them everywhere in my house and although they do require elbow grease some days, they work great. We can all use a plunger, right? Even better are the dual flush low flow toilets. Imagine the toilet asking you “number one, sir?”.
- Install a hot water recirculator: this is a very cool invention in my opinion. The purpose of the recirculator is to circulate the water in the hot-water pipes when needed. So, instead of flushing all the cold pipe water to the drain when one takes a shower, the cooled-off water is returned to the hot water tank and the water in the pipes is kept warm. This can yield huge water savings.
- Fix leaky toilets: keep in mind that most toilets leaks are undetectable to the naked… eye. However, most cities provide leak test capsules for free. They basically color the water in the tank, so that you can see it leaking in the bowl.
- Use a shower timer: I sometimes take long showers just because I am lost in thoughts. The knowledge of the actual time lapsed prevents me from loosing track of time and from taking 15 minutes showers.
- Use low-flow shower heads: I know what you are thinking… “taking 2 minutes shower on a trickle sounds great”. But really, it is pretty hard to feel the difference between the normal shower heads and the low-flow ones. The latter just spread things better.
- Get a front-loading washer: these save 70% water over the top loading washers and they have a higher capacity.
- Eat your front yard: this could change our landscape a bit… I always wondered why there are so many useless ugly grassy front yards. We could do so much with that space. There are plenty of plants that could grow on a average front yard and provide a non-trivial amount of food while using less water and fertilizer. They can look great too.
- Reuse: I must admit that this one is tough. The easiest water to reuse is the produce rinsing water. It can be used for the plants irrigation. Don’t go too far with this, though. You got to let go sometimes…
- Don’t rinse the dishwasher dishes under running water: the dishwashers are pretty good these days at unsticking even the most encroached two days old pasta (don’t ask me how I know…). If it really, really sticks, just use a moist sponge to get it out.
- Don’t let the water run while brushing your teeth: it’s OK to take your time but turn off the tap!
- Say yes to “toilet-to-tap” : don’t try this at home but I believe that this will be a key to reducing our water usage in the future. It consists in purifying the waste water and reuse it. I know it sounds gross but this is not that different than what nature already does for us (we dump waste in the ocean, the ocean evaporates, it rains and we drink). So, when a toilet-to-tap proposal comes your way, give i
- Shave your hair: this can be lifestyle affecting but man, does it save time and water…
The bottom line is that most of these changes are not that hard to implement and if we all spent some effort, we could avoid some more intensely life affecting water usage limitations in the future.
This is obviously not a comprehensive list. I am open to all your ideas. Also, I’d be pretty curious to quantify how much water can be saved without feeling much pinch, so let me know your numbers. I will post a follow-up in a couple of months.
This past weekend I spent part of it conquering my incredibly messy room. To cleanse myself of all the piles of “stuff” surrounding me wherever I went, in the past few weeks I’ve put up some toys that were given to me a few years ago up on eBay, and put 9 of my books on Half.com. Christophe asked me to write up how to sell things on Craigslist, eBay, and Half.com – a 101 if you will, just for those people who have never used it before. So in one of my future entries, I will write a (hopefully short) blog post about just this.
I’ve read countless posts and an excellent book by How To conquer the clutter. One of my favorite sources for organization is “Organizing From the Inside Out
The following tips I found to be incredibly useful:
1) Ask yourself: Do you need it? Do you love it? When was the last time you looked at it?
If your answer is a yes, no and don’t remember, it might be about time the item was either thrown away, sold, or donated. Many of the books on my shelf have not been touched in many years. They’ve taken up lots of space and dust. Perhaps some of you are in the same boat as well. Lots of items might have meaning, but did you really remember you had it until you actually saw it? This is not to say that one should throw out their great grandma’s family heirloom, but realistically, if you haven’t seen the darn thing in years and only remember it when you look at it, perhaps it’s high time you got rid of it. This applies to not only books, but magazines, pamphlets, dvds, cds, and a whole slew of small little objects that might be hiding in your closet. What’s stocked up in my closet is .. .believe it or not: letters. I still have not been able to part with them.
I have so many souvenirs – the playbills from theatres, small little pamphlets from the vacations I’ve been on, all in hopes that I will one day scrapbook my memories. Honestly, they should all go in the trash, because that trip from Europe was one and a half years ago, and there are other things in the same bag from 7 years ago. It takes up not only the space, but it constantly occupies the back of my mind as “one more thing I have to do”. Either I do something with it, or throw it out.
2. Conquer one area at a time.
It’s easy to get distracted by certain things in the home. You take one piece of paper and take it to another to recycle. But you see another mess to deal with and start dealing with that mess. You walk from that mess to another mess. Sit down and just deal with one area. Sort the clutter by “keep, sell, donate, throw, recycle.” Other systems may have different labeling schemes, but the idea is fairly simple. Label it however you want, but stick to the labels. One you have cleared out one area, move to the next. One doesn’t have to do the entire home in one day, and wouldn’t even be suggested. It’s easy to get discouraged.
3. Set Goals.
Make realistic, attainable goals. Judging by the amount of clutter or excess material a room may have, you have to make realistic goals in order to reach the main objective. If a room is filled with piles of clutter, you can’t really expect for it to be clean in one day. Instead, make more specific goals. “Today, I will look at this pile of paper and decide what to do about it. If I finish that, I will organize all the outstanding mail that I have yet to open.” Start small and work your way up.
4. Organize a bit everyday.
People tend to wait for some big “spring cleaning” event before they tackle the piles of clutter occupying their room. However, if they spent just 15-30 minutes a day to clean a different portion of their home once they’ve got everything cleared out, it’s possible to maintain the same level of cleanliness.
5. Containers are your friend.
Buy filing cabinets to store your important papers – whether it be bills, your paychecks, information about your healthcare, registration information. These kinds of information deserve to be in its own secure place and it really helps if you keep this organized. A file box such as this one
6. Buy less.
It doesn’t help if you your area is clean and organized if you keep on buying new things that you don’t need that will adds to the mess.
7. Cut down on the credit card mailings and advertisements and paper in general.
I don’t know about you, but I used to receive plenty of credit card mailings. Not only was it an annoyance it was a pile up of wasted paper. I mentioned earlier on how to Opt Out of Credit Card Offers, and the same link applies to retail mailings.
8. Clear out and pack up your clothes depending on the season
Wardrobe Oxygen wrote up an excellent article on choosing the right clothes for you, and only purchasing clothes that you love and looks good on you. Typically this applies mostly to females, but may apply to males as well. Before packing up your clothes into a container for the season, evaluate whether you really like that piece of clothing you are putting away. It’s better to have a group of great fitting clothes that you love and will last for years to come than pieces that are maybe “a bit too itchy”, “a bit uncomfortable”, “sits a bit off”. Instead of occupying so much space, it might be better off just being donated.
Not only do physical places have the problem of clutter, but virtual places as well. At the workplace, I’ve found many computers to be just cluttered beyond recognition. In addition to how to list and sell things on Craigslist, eBay, Half.com, look for a post on de-cluttering your computer hard drive.
Have any other tips to de-cluttering? How do you approach the clutter in your life?
The aims of this blog and me
Sep 22
When I first started this blog, it was because I did not find any other blogs that specifically addressed the effects of affluenza and the problem of consumption in this country. Perhaps I didn’t search hard enough, but I came away with a sense of determination of wanting to start a blog and share research, stories of affluenza, and wanting to work together to help each other move away from the epidemic to a happier, more satisfying time in our lives.
I am not free of affluenza. I feel the strong daily pulls of the media and the people around me trying to suck me in. But, having grown up with traditional Chinese parents and in recent years, volunteering with an incredible group Tzu Chi, my desires of consumption and burying myself away from the community constantly fight the other more happier, conscious side of myself. A few years ago, I read an excellent book that my wonderful brother shared with me, titled “Affluenza” that really got me thinking about consumption and the direction that this country was heading. Recently, the author David Wann wrote an even better book “Simple Prosperity”, discussing the ways to get rid of affluenza, a book of which I have just started reading, but will definitely share with the rest of you.
Let me make a few points clear. Before any one decides to label me, I am not Buddhist. Though Tzu Chi is a Buddhist organization, any one of any race, ethnicity, and religion can join. It was brought about because the leader, Master Cheng-Yen wanted to pursue to get rid of pain and suffering in the world while also educating the more fortunate. Part of this was by saving and living an extremely simple life. Her belief has caused many people to join her in her mission, and many result in living much simpler but happier lives. What I say is revelant because it is in part of my discovery of Tzu Chi that helped me to truly understand what the world could be like if people let go of their desire to consume, put their differences aside, open their hearts and connect with their community. I always thought it was a pipe dream, but I have seen it happen. Because of the strong affinity I have with this organization, I may share a few very basic teachings and principles in future entries that apply to the idea of living simpler.
Upon reading this, readers may pigeonhole me to be either left or right, or however you like to see it. I constantly encounter this at the place of my work. I choose to believe that I am neither left or right. I’d rather say I am a compassionate and sometimes too passionate of a person who wants to believe that there is a better way of life than the life so many people in this world is blindly leading with dollar signs and profit margins in their eyes. I am often surrounded by blatant selfishness, and by this, I can start to feel the poison seep into my mind and I have to catch myself.
I hope that with this blog, with all of you, we can together bravely walk into a world where we can live a happier, simpler life. I don’t want this to be a site only about personal finances, de-cluttering, or organizing one’s life. These are all components of the resulting bigger picture: personal growth and self-empowerment, of self-discovery, of becoming more compassionate, of understanding and most of all, choosing happiness – for yourself and every one around you.
Free your mind of stress
Sep 21
Life’s many stresses and worries often get in the way of action. Does it sometimes stagnate you, suffocate you the amount worry that occupies your mind that you feel that you can’t actually do anything? Freeing your mind from worry and stress requires a commitment to detach yourself from material matters. to In this day and age, this is a very difficult mindset to have. How does one achieve this?
1. Pay off your debt and immediately start saving. Money is a huge factor that cause the stress in people’s lives. Get your finances in order. Especially now, with our weak economy, it is important to get all your ducks in a row. Though this is said plenty of times in other web sites, the key really is to spend less than you make. The less you spend, the more you will have. Create a budget if you need some way to control your finances.
2. Remove external influences as much as possible. Stay away from advertisements. Avoid commercials if you can. Change the channel when a commercial is on. Get rid of those magazines that will tempt you to even start thinking about wanting to buy. (This is a weakness I have, due to perusing SlickDeals all the time.) This helps not only your wallet, but there will not be the latest “wants” rolling around in your head of things you want to buy. Subconsciously, commercials and advertisements may be telling you that you’re not spending enough, that you’re not keeping up with the Joneses unless you have product A or B, therefore causing you more stress. Brave advertisements only if you have enough strong discipline to stay away from what the message of the clever marketers, but it’s strongly cautioned against from this lady. If you have friends that you go shopping with that are bad influences, find other activities you guys can do together without spending money.
3. Educate yourself. Many times the unknown causes undue stress and worry. Sometimes, a little research, asking friends and family for information, and finding all about what is causing your stress can really set your mind at ease.
4. Part with all that “stuff”. Sell it via eBay, Craigslist or donate it. I find the cleaner, more organized your home is, the more free and peaceful your mind becomes. Have you ever walked into a show home and felt so at peace and comfortable? Granted, it’s decorated nicely, but these homes have no clutter since they’re new. They have no objects or things or clutter from all the possessions But the thing is, I’ve walked into homes that are fairly clean and well organized. People have argued that they don’t like these kind of upkept homes because it looks like no one lives there, but I would argue that the people who live in that home probably has a mind that probably is much more free of stress. I find when my work and sleep areas become buried in stuff, I don’t sleep as well. Clear your closet, clear your mind.
5 Take action now. If you need to do something, or want to do something, do it. (Well, unless it’s finally caving for that gadget you “must must” have!) Don’t wait until tomorrow, or the next day. We’ve all become professional procrastinators. I know this is something I definitely lag on, especially in scheduling my dentist/doctor’s/eye doctor’s appointment. I hate going to the doctor.
6. Volunteer. I find that this has a strong influence on the amount of money I spend, and the toughness of my mind. I’ve volunteered all my life and now volunteer at a group that covers a wide area of charity (recycling, environment, education, medical outreach, international relief, clean-up, etc.) Volunteering allows one to perhaps open one’s eyes to the world around them, the living situation of the poor, and to be thankful for what you do have. One may start to realize that what they worried about just the day before, probably isn’t that important to worry about any more. Volunteering can cause one to be very busy, therefore not causing you to spend more money, keeps you on your toes, and actually makes you feel good. I realize not everyone likes to volunteer, but I think it really helps free your mind. This is a subject I’m fairly passionate about, though I do feel guilty for not volunteering more.
7. Exercise and Eat Better. Do yoga, pilates, meditate, increase endorphins. We know that exercise really helps induce endorphins and helps diminish one’s stress levels. Not only will exercise help you with your stress, but one will become healthier.The same applies with food. It is sad that certain foods may cause you to become moody, which may add to stress. With a better diet and a good exercise regimen and the affects of both on health, who can argue with this?
8. Balance yourself. This is probably one of the most difficult aspects of going worry-free. By “balancing” yourself, I mean not to disturb your chi. While talking to my friends, I find their complaints range all over the place – to their relationships, their workplace, their friends, their pockets, their job – the list goes on and on. One should either a) do something about it to change the situation or c) let it go. It’s human nature to complain. It’s even more female nature to complain because we want to vent. My male friends so often complain to me how females need to vent, and how it surprises them how they don’t want to fix the situation. I’m probably guilty of the situation too – by complaining or making excuses. (More the latter than the former). However, I truly believe that if you can’t control an undesirable situation — either try to change it, or let it go. Venting is all well and good – especially the first few times, but after that, it does nothing to help with your being. For example, for the longest time many of us were disgruntled by the actions of one of our closest friends – let’s say his name was Ben. For a period of time, a few of us would go on and on about how angry we were and couldn’t believe what our friend’s actions — and this would go on every night. One especially was letting it affect her to the point where she wanted to yell, scream and make a few drastic reactions. However, I reached the point where I knew I had to talk to Ben. Well, I spoke with him, and Ben just didn’t get why we were all feeling the way we did. At this point, I let it go, knowing it would not go anywhere and knowing I had done all that I possibly could. Not only would I be wasting my breath if I continued, I would be wasting my energy discussing about something Ben was doing when Ben himself wasn’t thinking too much about it at all. Bottom line – don’t let things bother you when you have no control over the situation. Accept it and then move on. You’ll be happier that you did.
9. Most importantly, change your attitude. This encompasses a great many things. Desire less. Want less. Be content with what you have. Open your heart. It can be surprising the amount of stress and worry can dissipate when you simply change your attitude. This is the single most important lesson we all can learn. This not only applies to stress but in so many other aspects of our lives.
This was extremely long winded, and the things I listed certainly are not the only things one can do to try to be free yourself from stress. What are some things you do to relieve yourself from stress?