It is Thursday today, right?  Wow this week went by fast.  I can't believe it's already Thursday.  I have quite the list of to-dos to be done before the weekend.  And then another list to get done during the weekend.  And they are both growing.  As soon as one thing gets done and I have the blessed opportunity of crossing it off my list, it's always just in time to write another task at the bottom.  Whew.  Does it EVER stop??!

On that note, how do you relieve your stress?  We all have it.  In varying degrees.  Causes by varying situations.  The common factor is that we need to get rid of it.  But how?

Well, one will never 'get rid of' their stress.  But one can learn to manage it.  So, how do you manage your stress?

I've tried various things over the years (as if I were old. ha!) to relieve and manage my stress.  Here is a list of things I've tried and had some success with.

1.  Color.  Yep, I got a coloring book and a new box of 64 colors.  There is nothing quite like opening a new box of crayons and breathing in the waxy goodness.  But using those puppies, totally awesome.  

2.  Blowing bubbles.  I do this in two ways.  I bought a jar of bubbles.  The deep breathing/being outside combo is like none other.  The deep breaths will help calm and relax with the increased oxygen intake.  Or, I get a larger than life piece of bubble gum and go to town.  The combo of chewing, breathing, blowing, and the loud noises makes it all go away for me.  It's very typical for me to chew bubble gum all the way home from work.  I feel worlds better by the time I get there.

3.  Running.  While this is a bit more intense, and can cause stress, exercise is good for managing stress.  I think we can all admit to this.  Even if we don't like to exercise.

4.  Yoga.  I. Love. Yoga.  I have restarted my yoga routine in the last few weeks.  The deep breathing, stretching, relaxing, mild exercise of yoga has helped tons.  I got a video that has one part yoga and one part pilates.  So good for my posture too.  Give it a try, you might like it.

5.  Classical Music.  I use this one typically while driving home and chewing large quantities of bubble gum.  Gives me the opportunity to cut out the noise and drama and turn off my brain.  Talk radio works for me too.

6.  Clean.  I usually end up doing chores when I already have too much to do.  But it really helps me focus on the things I really need to get done.  It never takes much energy, but once all the dishes are put away and the clothes are hung up, it makes a huge impact.

7.  Hot Bath.  Of course, everyone knows this works.  Who doesn't love a soak in a hot bath?  So relaxing I could just sleep in it…

8.  Crochet.  Yep, I took up more crafty goodness.  I tried knitting for a while.  And, while that was fun, it took too much brain juice to make it work right.  Crocheting is so brainless for me, and it's ALOT easier to fix a mistake. *grin*

9.  Read.  I've been a reader all my life.  I used to stay up all hours of the night reading because if I just stayed up a little bit longer I can finish this chapter.  Then, before I knew it, it was 3 hours later and if I just stay up a little bit longer I'll finish the book.  Yeah, I still do this.  Harry Potter, Twilight, and lately, Percy Jackson.  John Grisham, Jodi Picoult, and Kate Jacobs.  They rock my world.

10.  I've ran out of ideas.  What do you do?

Loves,

M