April is Stress Awareness Month, which means it’s a good time to reevaluate the things overwhelming you in your life and figure out ways to battle the negative feelings they bring. Try a few of these budget-friendly ways to conquer what’s stressing you out.

1. Home Spa Sessions
Use what you have at home (and a few additional cost-effective ingredients) to make your very own spa treatments. Create a calming bath using Epsom salt and baking soda; make a facial mask with cold cream, yogurt, honey, aloe vera gel and avocado; deep-condition your hair with coconut oil; or exfoliate your skin by mixing together brown sugar, raw oatmeal and olive oil.

2. Discounts and Coupons
For the real deal, hunt down discounts and coupons for deals at your local spas. Use daily deals sites, like Groupon, LivingSocial, Gilt City and Lifebooker to get up to 90 percent off on treatments, including massages, facials and more.

3. Exercise
Exercise is one of the best ways to battle stress, and it doesn’t have to cost you a penny. Get outside for a jog, or, like with spa treatments, do a search for discounted yoga classes in your area.

4. Walking
Take a walk to clear your head, enjoy some fresh air, and stay active. Bring your little ones along so that they can enjoy the outdoors, too.

5. Qual-Auntie Time
Surround yourself with family, friends, and your nieces and nephews. Any of these activities can be turned into group fun and help you come up with new things to do during qual-auntie time.

6.  Financial Management
Money can be a major stress factor, especially if you don’t have a grip on your spending. Make April the month you look at your budget and your spending to see where you could cut back to put more toward debt and savings. It could be that you’re doing everything right — but checking in with yourself can put your mind at ease.

7. Healthy Hobbies
Get lost in a book, watch a new favorite TV show, try cooking a new dish, or write in a journal — do something that you enjoy doing and can distract your mind from stress.

8. Unplug
Reduce the amount of time you spend browsing the Internet or playing on your smartphone or tablet. Taking just an hour a day to disconnect yourself from having instant access to everything going on in the world can help you de-stress and unwind.

9. More Zzz
Get your full eight hours of sleep each night so that you’re alert and ready for the day ahead. To get better sleep, avoid watching TV just before, don’t eat for a few hours before bedtime, and avoid caffeine and alcohol before bed. To feel well rested in the morning, monitor what time you’re going to sleep each night — you may need to adjust the time you hit the hay.

Sarah Kaufman is editor-in-chief of The Manilla Folder at Manilla.com, the leading, free and secure service that lets consumers manage and share all of their bills and accounts in one place online and via mobile apps. She's also a regular contributor to Yahoo! Finance, The Huffington Post, Esquire, Good Housekeeping, Redbook, Woman’s Day, The Motley Fool and other major sites.

Photo: woodleywonderworks via Flickr cc
Published: April 15, 2014