Stressed out? Here are some of my sure-fire methods to break from that teeth-grinding, nail-biting anxiety.
Exercise: The endorphins released from exercise are the same released from sex. That's good enough for me. So the next time you're stressed: go for a brisk walk, a run, do your favorite workout DVD. Though I suppose you could just have sex and get the same benefits. :)
Loud Music: make a stress mix of your favorite songs. Mine lean towards loud music with upbeat tempos...quite a change from my normal folksy/singer-songwriter tastes. Another pro of working from home is that I can blast my music as loudly as I'd like and the only ones that will complain are my dogs.
Clean House: my college roommates can attest that when I was stressed about exams, papers, or boys they could find me deep-cleaning the fridge or wiping down all the baseboards. Something about zoning out and cleaning my surroundings has always relaxed me when I'm at my most anxious. I have an entire 600 sqft attic whispering at me to be organized...
Hot Water: take a shower with the hottest water you can stand. This is where an on-demand water heater comes in handy. If I had a sauna I could sit in or a hot tub to soak in, I would do that, too. For now, a long shower so hot my skin turns red does the trick.
Dress Up: when you're stressed, it generally shows in your appearance. I like to combat this by dressing up more than usual. The hot rollers come out, I put on some eyeliner, lipstick, wear real earrings, a necklace, bracelets. Maybe I'll wear my uncomfortable date-night shoes and a nice blouse and paint my nails. If I look put together and polished on the outside, it usually helps me sort through my internal stresses.
And when you're really stressed out, do all five and then repeat as many times as you need until you feel better! What do you do to combat stress?
3 comments:
i like all of your methods. the last few days i've been eating dulce de leche cheerios. it's like a little treat in the morning. you should try it, it's good.
Exercise totally helps me, though I hardly do it these days unfortunately. So I rely on my #2 method -- cleaning house!!
My husband tries to get me to sit down and relax when I'm stressed, but I just can't. I need to make my surroundings CLEAN and SPOTLESS. Also I can't focus when there's clutter around. So it's a win-win I guess -- I burn that energy and make my surroundings less stressful.
I love this post! And we must be related...because I've done all of these things on the list (well, except the sex part). I can definitely testify of cleaning out fridges, vacuuming, dusting, organizing, color-coordinating my closet, etc.
The other thing I do is make cookie dough...but of course we know that's not a good tactic ;) I also like to write songs or play guitar. And write, write, write it all out in my journal! I also love having good friends with listening ears when I'm stressed.
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