Music & Sound

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Music and sounds can be used as tools for relaxation & stress reduction. They can be calming depending on the type of music & sounds you expose yourself to.

When you listen to music, listen to how it makes you feel. You may ask yourself: “Do I feel relaxed & invigorated? If it makes me feel tense or stressed, can I put on something that is more uplifting?”

Nature sounds can be very calming to the soul. Listening to the sound of waves lapping against the shore can take you on a mental vacation.

Not everyone has instant access to the ocean though. This is why I am recording nature sounds & videos and am posting them to this blog so you can access them anytime you want to go on a mental vacation.

Me and my wife will be traveling down the Oregon/California coastline in a few weeks. I will capture ocean waves on video & post them here for you to enjoy.

You are welcome to post comments & suggestions that help you relax & reduce stress. Thank you for reading. Have a wonderful day.

Your friend,

William :)

Practice Gratitude Daily

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When most of us were little, our parents taught us to say thank you for everything. Many of us were taught to be grateful for what we have.

Yet somewhere along the way, we may have forgot this simple yet powerfully profound practice. We may have slipped into more of a habit of complaining about the things we don’t like.

What we choose to focus on is what we tend to see more of in our life. Why not re-create the habit of practicing gratitude daily? What if you began to say ‘thank-you’ from the moment you wake to when you lay your head back down? Imagine what your day would look like if you were to only focus your mind on what you are thankful for?

If you decide to incorporate this one habit into your daily routine, you will begin to shift your perception to a more positive one. People will notice a change in you. You will feel better. You will begin to have a more positive impact on those you come into contact with.

Practicing gratitude daily can greatly reduce stress & help you remember what is important to you. Give thanks every day. Genuinely thank people for every little thing they do for you. You will begin to see more and more things appear in your life you can be thankful for.

“Gratitude is the great multiplier.” Rhonda Byrne

Thank you for reading my blog post’s. May you have an amazing day & an amazing life as you give thanks generously to everyone & for everything.

Your friend,

William :)

Stop the Drama

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As we awaken to a new day, we decide what our day is going to be like. Will we choose to view our day from a positive perspective or a negative one?

For most of my life I viewed my days from a negative perspective. This caused me to see things I didn’t like. As a result I created a lot of “drama” in my life.

Then one day I was listening to an audio called “How to Have a Good Day Everyday” and I realized that each day I wake up I have a choice how I will view my day. With every decision I make in my day today I can choose to view it positively or negatively.

This may be easier said than done, yet it is possible to choose to see every experience/situation as a positive or a negative. It may not appear positive at that moment, yet you can create the habit of asking yourself “what are 3 positives I can learn from this situation?”

Using this simple question can completely turn your day around. Why not create a daily habit of saying “This is going to be a great day!” out loud the moment you wake up? Do it once and you will have a great day. Do it 7 times and it’s been a great week. Do it 30 days in a row and you’ve had a great month. Do it 52 weeks in a row and you’ve had a great year.

Our life is a result of the thoughts we think habitually. Why not make it a habit to focus on the positive daily as much as possible? You can do it!

Your friend,

William :)

Self Awareness

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If you really desire to reduce stress in your life self awareness is a powerful place to begin.

So many of us are going through life on auto-pilot, reacting to seemingly uncontrollable circumstances in our life. The truth is that we cannot control circumstances.

The only thing you can effectively do is to shift your perception of the situations in your life. Learning to accept your life situation without judgment is a very empowering place to be.

You will gain a greater clarity & feel more relaxed as you learn to let go of judgment of situations. Your day will go smoother and you will see things with a greater sense of clarity.

As you gain more self awareness, you will feel more relaxed & confident. You will begin to realize that situations don’t have to control you. You are the one who controls your own perception of your reality.

You remember that you can look at situations from a higher vantage point, seeing the bigger picture knowing that all is ultimately well & for your highest good. You can be the sculptor of your amazing life.

As you gain greater clarity, you will be more in control of yourself and relaxation will come more naturally to you as you glide confidently through your day.

May you be blessed.

Your friend,

William :)

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The Best Things in Life are Free

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Sometimes we may get so caught up in our routine that we forget “the best things in life are free.”

When was the last time you went for a relaxing walk in nature? Why not set aside a half hour to go for a walk in a nearby park? If you live near an ocean, lake, or stream, you could go sit and take in the beauty around you.

Listening to the relaxing sounds of nature can be have a soothing, therapeutic effect. If it is not realistic for you to do this, you could purchase relaxing nature audio’s or stream nature video’s on your TV from YouTube or other sources.

I will continue to upload relaxing nature video’s to my YouTube account as I create them. You can view them anytime you feel the need to have a mini-escape. Really picturing yourself there as you hear the sounds is a great way to experience a mental vacation.

You owe it to yourself to have some relaxing time alone every day. Go on a mental vacation for 5 minutes if you feel the need. You can do it. Go for it!

Your friend,

William :)

Retrain Your Brain

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If you’re like me, it may not be very easy to begin learning to relax. Stress can be bad for your health & your life. If you really want to live a more fulfilling & satisfying life, it is important to learn to truly relax more.

Stress & tension begin with our way of thinking. When we think about what we don’t want we may experience fear and/or worry & this usually results in tension & stress.

You can begin to retrain your perspective to a more positive one. When you begin to focus more on what you do want to experience & especially on what you are grateful & appreciative for in your life, the only way you will get what you want is by letting go. If there is any tension (mental or physical holding on), you will not have what you want.

I highly recommend to begin to retrain yourself to learn to relax both in mind & in body. This will not happen overnight. This is a process that will take time, yet the rewards are definitely worth it.

You can begin by training yourself to be more aware of your thoughts. When you have a thought, do you judge it? If you do you may tense up a bit. Try observing your thoughts without any judgment as they arise. This technique is excellent for reducing mental & emotional stress.

As you get out of reactive thinking, you will become more self-aware. As you become more self-aware you can become a more proactive thinker & regain control of your thoughts. Being in control of your thoughts rather than allowing them to control you will remove a lot of stress from your life.

Try listing off what you are truly thankful for as soon as you wake up every day starting right away. Do the same thing just before you go to sleep. This can & will begin to retrain your brain to focus more on the positive things in your life. The more you make this a habit, the easier it will become to shift your perspective when disappointments happen in life. You will shift your thinking automatically to the things you are grateful for & you will feel more relaxed.

Today’s lesson is: “Focus on gratitude daily.” You can do it!

Your friend,

William :)

Relaxing Ocean Waves & Sparkling Sunshine Video

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Here is the first of a series of relaxing video’s I will be creating for this blog. You can watch these video’s anytime you feel the desire to relax & unwind. Enjoy the lapping waves and the setting sun sparkling on the waves in HD. Imagine yourself on the beach relaxing. Play it on your HD TV in 1080P. More relaxing nature video’s will be coming. Have an amazing day.

Your friend,

William :)

Relax with Nature Video’s & Audio’s

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Sometimes life can become overwhelming if we don’t make time to relax & unwind. Having too many things on our mind can be stressful.

I’ve found it helpful to make time to enjoy nature regularly. Going for walks by the ocean, a lake or stream can be calming & rejuvenating for mind, body & soul. The sounds of lapping waves, trickling creeks, birds in the distance can have a soothing effect on you.

Not everyone has quick, easy access to these locations depending on where you live. We live near the coast of beautiful British Columbia, Canada. The ocean, lakes, streams, and mountains are all nearby to enjoy.

For those that would like to enjoy the natural scenery in beautiful BC as much as I do, I will be sharing relaxing videos & audio’s of relaxing locations starting with British Columbia. In time, I will share more relaxing nature video’s and audio’s from around the world for you to enjoy. You can subscribe to Relax4Free on YouTube to get HD nature video’s delivered to your inbox.

Your friend,

William :)

Practical Stress Reduction Tips

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This will be the first of many articles to come of practical stress & anxiety reduction techniques you can begin to act on today.

Here is a list of suggested practical relaxation tips almost anyone can begin to implement right away to relieve stress and enjoy life again:

1. Practice affirmations daily. (shift your inner voice to a positive one)

2. Listen to relaxing music of your choice.

3. Make gratitude a daily habit. (Say “thank-you for ________” in your mind when you wake, all through your day & just before you go to sleep)

4. Practice visualization. (Close your eyes & see yourself in a peaceful location of your choice & really feel as if you are there. You could see yourself relaxing on a beach, walking in nature. Hear the sounds, feel the warmth, smell the smells, touch the nearby objects, enjoy the feeling of freedom.)

5. Go for a 15-30 minute walk every day.

6. Drink more clean, pure water. (Your body weight in ounces)

7. Make healthy food choices. (Buy organic foods. Eliminate or reduce chemical ingestion. Read labels more. This is your health; your life! Make wise choices.)

8. Hug someone you love.

9. Drink chamomile tea. (Chamomile tea has a very calming effect.)

10. Put a drop of essential oil of lavender on your inner shirt cuff. (Very calming)

Reducing stress & anxiety in your life begins with you. You can begin to reduce stress by beginning to practice just one of these stress reduction techniques today. Your can feel better. You can feel more free. Your health can improve.

It takes time to retrain yourself to live your life more free of stress. Come with me on this journey to stress-free living. You can do it! I know you can, because I am doing it day by day, little by little. And if I can do it, so can you!

Your friend,

William :)

Daily Relaxation Breaks

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It is so important in our fast-paced world to make time to relax daily. Taking time to relax, unwind can reduce stress & anxiety.

All it takes is 5-10 minutes to sit or lay in a quiet place & clear away your thoughts & cares for the day. Listening to a relaxing nature audio can be helpful in creating a relaxed state.

You are the most important person in your world. I encourage you to make time for yourself to relax daily. You can do it!

Your friend,

William :)

Start Reducing Stress Today

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Eliminating & reducing stress in our lives begins with a decision. This happens when you get sick & tired of struggling through life.

There is no cure-all to remove stress completely from your life. A certain degree of stress is normal, yet when we find fears & anxiety overwhelming & paralyzing us from living a fulfilling life, it is definitely time to find practical solutions to overcome stress & anxiety.

Today is an opportunity to decide you can overcome your fears & worries. You can decide to take action to empower yourself to begin to truly live a meaningful today. To be present. To let go of fear & embrace courage & hope.

I encourage you to make the choice for yourself today to begin to make time to relax & reflect daily on your dreams & desires, what makes you happy, what you are grateful for & who you appreciate.

Make a special effort today to do something nice for someone. Smile appreciatively & express gratitude to someone who serves you. Choose to look for as many good things as you can in your day & tell someone about them.

When we shift our focus to love & gratitude, our fears fall away & we reduce stress. We are all in this game called ‘life’ together. How we view & treat others affects how we are treated & viewed. Some call this Karma. I call this common-sense.

Stress is rigid & tense. When we learn to truly relax in mind, body & spirit, stress, worry & fears will melt away. Choosing to make time for yourself daily for relaxation breaks where you physically, mentally & emotionally relax will enhance your health, relationships & finances. I encourage you to schedule a daily relaxation break for yourself even if only 5 minutes. You can do it!

Your friend,

William :)

Relax for free

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This blog is dedicated to providing you with practical tips, tools, and techniques for reducing stress, anxiety, worry, fear, and any negative emotions that we all experience. Check back for stress reduction tips daily.

Learning to reduce stress has many benefits. As you gain relief from anxiety & stress, you will feel better & ultimately enjoy a higher quality of life. You can do it! Join me on this journey as we learn to relax more and enjoy life more free of stress and worry.

Your friend,

William :)