The cost of health care — the cost for treatment if anything goes wrong with you — has skyrocketed past the point of affordability for many people. Even if you have health insurance, it’s quite common that in order for your carrier to generate a profit, deductibles are high and co-payments are low, which means that even some insured people have a difficult time affording health care.
There’s an increasingly popular solution to this: taking control of your wellness and health. Here are our five favorite ways to feel better, and you can utilize them this week to feel better and get healthier.
1. Meditation
This has long been a staple discipline in countries that are much less busy and stressed out than more developed nations. The health benefits of meditation are many, and it’s actually a much easier practice than you might think.
Meditation is a combination of breathing and stillness, and connecting with the energies around you. When you do it, you’ll feel calmer, and generally better and healthier as a result!
2. Laugh
However you normally end up laughing, pursue that activity. Maybe it’s a funny movie, or a comedy club, or just a night out with your friends. Any time you notice yourself laughing, remember exactly why you laughed, and seek more opportunities for it in your life as often as you can. Laughter has benefits that go beyond the present moment!
3. Devise some achievable goals
Nothing feels better than setting a goal that’s achievable (but not necessarily easy). Effecting progress in life has the effect of making us feel better, and you’ll certainly experience that if you set goals that are attainable. Perhaps your goal should be to do three things this week that make you laugh!
4. Get a dog
Dogs have incredible health benefits for their humans, and millions of them are waiting to be saved from municipal animal shelters, which often have adoption fees of less than $100. A dog costs a little over $500 a year on average to take care of though, so budget is a consideration. The health rewards may be incalculable, however.
5. Find natural treatments
Whether it’s an organic blend of calming chamomile tea for your nerves, or all-natural gripe water for your child’s discomfort, there are millions of natural and chemical-free (or at least reduced-chemical) solutions for nearly every ailment on the planet — or its symptoms, anyway. Sometimes synthetic chemicals are needed for treatment, but in most cases, there are natural alternatives that are less expensive and more accessible.
