4 Stress Reduction Activities
Life is hard.
It's noisy and aggravating. Sometimes life is so noisy we can no longer hear ourselves think.
It's important to find ways to relieve our stress so that we don't take it out on the people we care about. Here are a few stress reduction techniques.
Author's Note: A lot of people tell me they don't have time. I feel it's important to remind everyone we make time for things that are important.
I don't know how often I've been sitting on the couch, dazing out while something My Companion is interested in plays on the television screen. That is time, right there, where I can be doing one of these activities, while still maintaining together time with My Companion. So, here we go:
Coloring a Pretty Picture:
I have several niblings. They're all in the same age range, and they all love me beyond reason. The last part of that sentence was me, bragging.
When they were very little, and could not hold a crayon all that well, we used to practice coloring. They had children's books, of course, and those were fun. Cartoon scenes redesigned so the sky is purple is neat.
My mother, for the longest time, was buying her own crayons and coloring books. She'd hang out in her recliner and color in a sketch. I generally rolled my eyes. I'd rather be writing, right?
Guess again.
When I first signed with Booktrope Publishing, I was in a pretty insane time of my life. We were planning a wedding, my mother was coming to town, My Companion had a health scare that put him in the hospital for a week, and we had a brand new baby kitten who'd been taken from his momma early and needed bottle feeding and other assorted care. It was insanity.
I was in desperate need of something to take my mind off it all, when I discovered a geometric pattern that looked like it needed some color. I printed it off of the website I randomly found it on, hit Walmart for colored pencils, and went to town.
I wish I could remember the page for you now, but if you use the almighty Google search for "Free geometric patterns", many will come up.
Eventually I bought a book of them off of Amazon. I bought a larger set of pencils and took it all with me for the wedding. It went great! Sometimes I'll wear headphones and block out the world.
Another nice part is that these can be walked away from at any point. Only have 15 minutes to color? No problem.
Crochet or Knit:
I know. Your gramma knits. Your mother probably crochets or sews. It sounds like something people who reek of Lilies of the Valley would do.
The feel of yarn moving through a hand, while an actual creation becomes real, is soothing. If there's a cat in the household, it becomes an exercise in creative time management (and creative swearing), but can still be soothing.
It's a great way to enhance the dexterity in both hands. The end product is great for gifts or giveaways, or just to throw on the back of the couch when you're feeling a little chilled.
This year, around November, my stress limits were higher than they'd been in a while. I'd been traveling and my physical recovery from that wasn't easy. There's nothing major medically wrong, merely physical aches and pains.
Whilst wandering the aisles of Walmart, I came across on ergonomically correct crochet hook. They also had pretty colors of yarn right next to those hooks. The colors made me think of my mom. Before I knew it, I had grabbed several skeins and a new hook.
It took a month of hardcore crochet time but, when I was finished, I had a fantastic homemade present for my mother, and my stress had dropped by at least 80%.
My mother taught me when I was approximately 13 years old. It's one of those things I do sporadically now, as arthritis is pretending to try to catch me. I only ever learned one method but it's treated me well and I have no desire to stretch my wings and learn how to make baby bonnets. I'm just not there yet.
Don't worry if you don't know how to crochet or knit. YouTube is pretty handy. Here, allow me to Google that for you:
Organize your Drawers/Cabinets:
Okay, for real, I'm not saying that you should run to your kitchen and take everything out of cabinets and drawers when you're already feeling stressed out.
Bear with me for a moment here.
When the niblings were small they were very interested in sorting things. All babies go through it. It becomes a natural instinct.
"One of these things is not like the others", is a quote that often comes to mind. I believe it comes from Sesame Street but don't hold me to that.
In your desk drawer, assuming you're at an office job of some sort, you probably have a random collection of pens, staples, pencils, paperclips, and all sorts of other oddly shaped items.
Dump those on your desk. Mix them up so it looks like chaos is breeding.
Then organize them.
"Back into this cubby slot you go."
"Nu-uh pencil! No rolling away!"
"Red pencils here, bent paperclips there..."
It's good for kitchen cabinets or drawers, as well, but be sure you're only doing one at a time so you don't overwhelm yourself.
Wash or Paint a Wall:
I know, it sounds like hard work. And it is. So we'll consider this one stress reduction mixed with a work out.
Walls are a blank canvas that sometimes get dirty. I like a good squeegie mop for this task. Start in a corner and work your way around the room whenever you need a few minutes.
I know, I know. I don't like to clean either.
Washing/painting walls is very zen. You can see your progress, you know how much you have left to do, and when you're finished, everything looks brighter and cleaner. That can leave an added element of satisfaction when you're finished.
This also works for vacuuming.
A.K., why are all of your suggestions domestic sounding? No one wants to feel like a 1950's housewife when they're home.
Well, for one, these suggestions are good for men and women. So there.
For two, regardless of who cleans or paints in a home, it is something that needs to be done at some point. So why not make that time something that's useful for your psyche?
I'll be honest, washing the baseboards around the apartment gives me the same warm fuzzies at times. Yes, I'm weird, but we knew that.
I hope these techniques help you, and that you'll give them an honest chance.
What are your stress reduction tips? Share them in comments! I'm always looking for new ideas.