Everyone needs to get away from the hustle and bustle of life once in a while, especially when stress starts to build up. It's nice to find a relaxing place outside to spend time unwinding after a long day, but if you're like most folks getting out to a park isn't always convenient. Luckily, you can turn your home's porch or balcony into a personal oasis that reduces stress and helps you get away from it all. Here are a few easy ways to make it happen:

Introduce an Outdoor Water Fountain

One of the best ways to create a stress-free space on your porch is to introduce an outdoor water fountain somewhere. Smaller fountains can sit on a tabletop and act as a living centerpiece for the space, while larger options sit right on the floor and depict a variety of scenes from bamboo and rock wall features to large pots that double as goldfish tanks. The natural sound of the water running through the fountain will reduce stress and provide a gentle background noise that helps to drown out noise pollution coming from neighbors.

Hang a Few Live Plants

Live plants are natural stress reducers, and they help to filter the air of contaminants so you can breathe easier when spending time around them. You'll find that hanging a few plants around the roof framing of your porch will even help to improve your memory and concentration too. If you include a few berry plants in the mix, you'll have a free and tasty treat to snack on that fuels your body while you spend time unwinding.

Fill up a Small Bookshelf

To give yourself something to do while spending time on your relaxing porch, place a small plastic bookshelf with doors on it in a corner of the space and fill it with your favorite reads. Reading happens to do a better job at reducing stress than a cup of tea or even a nice walk can. Whether it's magazines, comic books, short stories, books or poems, or in-depth novels, the idea is to make a selection of options available to submerse your imagination in when you're in the mood to get away from it all.

Implement Aromatherapy

Yet another awesome way to increase the enjoyment factor of your outdoor space is to implement aromatherapy features into it. An effective option is to use an essential oil diffuser or a candle-powered oil warmer in combination with a selection of natural mood-altering oils to infuse the area with your chosen oils' properties. You can reduce mental stress with the help of basil, cardamom, and sandalwood oils, and reduce physical stress with oils such as clary-sage, rosemary, and lavender.  

These tips and tricks are affordable, easy to implement, and will offer you many long-term benefits to take advantage of. 

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