How to Relieve Stress at Home

A list of ways to reduce your stress.

1. Massage – of course you expected that one, but you don't have to go get one to feel some relief. You can give one, and you can obtain some of the same benefits of relaxation. Even if it is giving a massage to your pet. Even a few minutes can help!
2. Exercise – in any form, blowing off steam by exercising is great to relieve some stress in you life. And an added plus – it is healthy for you!  Have little ones at home, have them join in!
3. Laugh – There is a new therapy out there that I have recently heard of called Laughing Therapy. You force yourself to laugh until you are actually laughing. Try it out.
4. Listen to Music – Calming music, raging music, a song that brings you back to a pleasant memory.
5. Clear the Clutter – Clean! I always felt better after cleaning a room. Bonus, you can multitask this one by listening to music while you clean. You can get it done faster, and you will be exercising while you do it! Feels great doesn't it?
6. Eat – Now I don't mean gorge yourself with ice cream and cake, or salty chips. I'm talking about getting a bowl of your favorite fruits or veggies and chowing down on them. You will feel better about what you ate, and in turn your body will feel better for you.
7. Time Out – Just give yourself a second to clear your mind, and not think. Give yourself a break from everything.
8. Stretch – While you are giving yourself a timeout, stretch your arms alternately reaching into the air. Right arm reach up, then left arm reach up. As if there were a money tree above you and you were reaching for those dollars! Breath in as you reach up, breath out as you bring those arms down. Focus on your breath and feel the stretch down your back.
9. Make a List – Write down what you need to take care of today. Not tomorrow, not next week, just today. Now number them in order of importance. Now that you see your list, start with something easy so you can cross it off. Then go down the list in order.
10. Journal – Write down when you feel stressed. Write something when you don't. This can help you figure out what is going on, and can help you combat it for the future.

What do you do to relieve stress?

Giving and Getting

I have always been involved with helping charities all of my life. I knew that I would make charitable giving a part of my massage business. I have found that it is also a great way to do some of my marketing - since the best way to get a new client is to get your hands on them. Here are some of the things we do at Melrose Muscle Therapy:

1. We give gift certificates for raffles (30 min treatment for free and the client is able to upgrade to one hour for a small fee).
   
2. We volunteer our time to give free massages at charity events such as Relay for Life (each person that gets a massage, is given a promotional item with a coupon)
   
3. We also get hired to help raise money for charities. We have a program where we give chair massage at a charitable event, and 70% of what we are given goes straight to the non-profit. The 30% that we keep usually is just enough to cover any costs associated with being at the event, paying my employees, and other materials. (each person that gets a massage, is given a promotional item with a coupon).
   
4. Every year on our anniversary, we hold a fundraiser. Our first year we did a fundraiser for the National MS Society - Greater Illinois Chapter complete with raffle, chair massage, and bake sale. All raffle prizes and baked goods were donated. This helped get the word out on other businesses as well as our own. Creating a community.
   
5. Just joined Hands for Heroes. We give Veterans free bodywork as a thank you for their service. I have Gift Certificates available for 30 minutes of our Signature Therapy which Veterans can use one every 6 months. I limited it so that we can give as many Vets a chance for free bodywork as possible. During the rest of the time, they are given 10% off all treatments.
   

I also limit what we support as a business. I listen to my clients as to what non-profits they support and see how I can support them, and also any fundraisers that may be happening in my community.
By doing this, we are not only doing good in our community, but we are also getting our name out there to people, creating a brand awareness that advertising dollars won't achieve. You feel good about giving back, and people will feel good about spending their hard earned dollars with you. Win – win.