5 Favorite Ways to De-stress – Blogtember #16
Halfway through the Blogtember challenge and Bailey Jean is prompting us to share how we de-stress. Coincidence? Seriously, though, it has been a little stressful posting daily but it has also challenged me to do a little more serious pre-planning and looking ahead. My intentions every month are to do just that and I always start off on a high note and end up scrambling. Maybe this challenge will instill a new habit for me!
So what are my favorite ways to de-stress? Here are my typical 5 go tos.
1. Exercise. I just handle life better when I’m able to have some physical activity. As little as 30 minutes or so of heart pumping movement and I often have a clearer head and stand to be more focused throughout my day. Why, then, does this seem to be the easiest for me to drop when things get crazy I’ll never know.
2. Clean. Seems like doing one of the acts that can sometimes cause me to be stressed in the first place would work against me but my de-stress cleaning doesn’t look like the normal every day cleaning. My entire house could be in shambles and I will retreat to a closet, a junk drawer or a box full of pictures to sort for my therapy. Typically I need something I can manage to turn from chaos to order in a short period of time and it instantly helps me deal with the rest of my mess.
3. Music. I have a playlist created on my iTunes labeled My God Fix. Whenever I’m feeling out of sorts and needing a way out, I can plug in my ear buds and sing along with these songs and instantly feel more at peace.
4. Laugh (or cry). Sometimes the best medicine is to find a way to have some fun and laugh with friends or over some mindless TV. Other times putting in a sad movie and being able to just shed some tears will allow me to release so much tension.
5. Escape. Maybe in the literal sense such as a long drive alone in the car or maybe even an overnight jaunt to shop alone but more often escaping from the ongoing reel in my mind of the to dos. Reading a book, watching Friends reruns, writing in a prayer journal; these are the ways I can escape for a bit and reclaim my calm in order to handle my crazy with a little more grace.
What are your favorite ways to de-stress?
If you want to catch up with the Daily Prompts:
#1 Introductions, #2 September Goals , #3 Summer Review , #5 Most Memorable Birthday(s), #6 Fall Playlist, #7 5 Joyful Things, #8 Bathroom Remodel, #9 Anywhere , #10 A Saturday in the Life, #12 On my Bookshelf, #14 Mood Board, #15 Craziest Adventure
#1 Introductions, #2 September Goals , #3 Summer Review , #5 Most Memorable Birthday(s), #6 Fall Playlist, #7 5 Joyful Things, #8 Bathroom Remodel, #9 Anywhere , #10 A Saturday in the Life, #12 On my Bookshelf, #14 Mood Board, #15 Craziest Adventure
Click the Blogtember graphic to learn more about the challenge and find the monthly prompts!
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Let’s Get Social
I've been horrible with blogging lately. I just can't seem to get it together ;). Have a great weekend
Isn't it funny how having a clean house impacts us? If I walk in the door after work and everything is in disarray I can feel my blood start to boil! Even if I 've had a rough day I feel so much better when everything is in it's place and clean! Have a great weekend!
These are all my go-tos! I especially like the escape one. Sometimes just getting out of town for a night completely recharges me in the best way. Thanks for sharing and have a great weekend!
Totally agree with every single one, but of course I would add "eat nachos"…
I wish cleaning made me feel good. It's actually one of my least favorite things to do, however it's such a necessity
Listening to music and exercising are my go to things to do when I am stressed. However, a good glass of wine on the back porch works too! 🙂 Hope you have a great day!
#6 Margaritas 🙂
I'll vote for that one!
Great ideas. Love the idea of having a God Fix playlist. Need to get on that!!
#7 Martinis, after Emily's #6!! 😉
Cleaning relaxes me too! Going into a room that is cluttered and messy, and leaving with it looking clean and perfect, does so much for my emotional state! 🙂 In fact, I have a whole list of cleaning tasks tomorrow and I know I'll feel a million times better when they're finished!
It is just so nice to be able to gain control of something when everything else is kind of crazy right Laura? I'm sitting here responding to comments with a reel of possible projects rolling through my brain. 🙂 Have a super weekend!
Haha….that all can be filed under ESCAPE for me!! lol…wine, martini, margarita…whatever it takes to forget the stress!
I really am always amazed Lauren at how much peace this music can bring me!
Yes mam….filed right under ESCAPE!
I never will pass up the chance to escape to the back porch for a glass of wine Jessica! Is it too early to start? haha…I'm responding to comments with my coffee while a reel of to dos for the day are scrolling through my head. Hope you have a super weekend!
Oh friend…."real" cleaning is not so fun but give me a space to organize and I'm a happy girl. Hope you have a super weekend!
Binge eating…maybe I should have put that on there. lol…of course that just ends up leading me to be more stressed cause now my pants can't button! haha
Right? I really do have to just get away sometimes..alone. My husband doesn't get it at all.
Girl for real! I walk into the kitchen first thing and can see directly to my bedroom. If I had a crazy morning and didn't make my bed or there are dishes piled in the sink I do the exact same. Funny…I say that all the time that I can feel my blood start to boil. Haha…but for real that is totally what it feels like!!
Enjoy the time off friend! I'm really going to need a break after this month.
We are seriously related and don't even know it! Those are my five too. The cleaning thing benefited me by turning into a business! Right now I am in desperate need to get away, like mad/crazy way! Last night I ran four miles….I think you can catch on with that one!
I so miss being able to run for that reason girl….maybe son I'll be able to start logging a few miles. The most freeing!
Cleaning also helps me to relax. And playing familiar, old favorite movies or TV shows for background noise.
I totally exercise and clean the stress away. Well those two things and ice cream ;).
Great tips! Cleaning is a great stress reliever for me too!
These are great tips to help reduce stress! Exercise is one of my favorites!
xo,
Jacqueline
Stylin In St. Louis
It's kind of crazy because the dust can make me all kinds of stressed but just seeing everything clean and orderly can instantly give me peace of mind!
Yes, girl! Maybe I should have added food on here because it is often a poor choice for me….of course that just leads to me being more stressed in the end over my pants being too tight. Haha
Ahh….Robin!! I totally agree. I love having music or tv rolling in the background.