5 Easy Ways to Lower Stress for Your Loved Ones

Heart disease is the number one killer of men—and half of men who die of a heart attack fail to show previous symptoms. Stress is a major risk factor, so reducing stress is a critical part of the preventive process. To help your loved ones reduce their stress and keep their hearts healthy, follow this advice.

1. Schedule some alone time. At the end of a stressful day, the last thing someone wants to do is come home to complaints and chores. Let your loved one unwind for an hour before you bring up any issues with the house, bills, or kids. Make it their personal time to listen to the music they like, watch the TV programs the want, or just sit quietly and read a chapter from a book—whatever helps them come down from their day at work and transition into “family mode.”

2. Buy convenience foods. Cooking regular meals can take up a lot of time and energy—but you don’t want to fall into the unhealthy trap of ordering pizza and stopping at fast-food restaurants because they’re more convenient. Instead, stock up on convenience items at the grocery store—precooked vegetables, chicken breasts, casseroles, etc.—that are easy to reheat and serve on busy nights.

3. Reduce clutter. It’s been proven that a home filled with clutter causes stress—and not just when you can’t find your keys. The tension created when needed items can’t be found is only compounded when conflicts arise over what needs to be kept and thrown away, so to keep arguments to a minimum, consider hiring an organizational expert.

4. Schedule regular exams. Studies have shown that men are less likely than women to schedule medical appointments for themselves, so wives may need to step and schedule annual checkups on their behalf and remind them to go.

5. Take a “staycation.” Research reveals that taking a vacation is an important part of regular stress reduction, but if a tight budget is making it hard to pay for a vacation, take advantage of local attractions and schedule time to visit local parks, museums, sporting events—whatever peaks your interests that you haven’t made the time to visit before. Just make it a rule to cut off contact with the office and leave the cell phones and pagers in a drawer until the “staycation” is over.