September 30, 2010

natural stress relievers

Love Party coop 8
chicken-watching: a very natural stress-reliever

The last few weeks have been kind of stressful.

Job craziness, car troubles, all sorts of unexpected household repairs costing too much money, and lots of sickness in our house: it has all added up to way too much stress.

So I'm taking advantage of the fact that it's my turn to write a Sew Green post to give some thought to natural & sustainable ways to relieve stress. Perhaps it will help me chill out a bit.

When I'm stressed out, I am much more likely to do things that are awfully bad for the environment, like eating junk food and buying stuff I don't need. Driving instead of taking the time to bike where I'm going. Stuff like that. Just noticing that sometimes helps me to avoid doing those things. So what are the really positive things I can do to relieve stress? I'm going to make a list. And I really want to see what you all have to add to the list!

yoga
I love yoga. If I don't get to class every week, I really miss it. Yoga works out the kinks in my body and my mind. When I'm crazy busy, I don't make time for yoga at home. But if I can force myself to make a quiet space for a few minutes for a bit of practice, it helps so much. When I can hardly make myself do it (which is often), I like to use these short (15-20 minutes) streaming yoga videos from YogaJournal.com to guide me through a nice little practice.

cooking a meal
Cooking healthy food is one of the first things out the window when I'm feeling stressed and busy. But I also find that it's a great way to break the cycle, force myself to stop and do something wonderful that takes a little time and is good for me. Plus, if you're craving comfort food, making it yourself can be doubly relaxing.

reading
Nothing transports me to my happy place like a good novel. I sometimes find myself desperately racking our bookshelves for a new book to read when things get tough. I love to lose myself in another reality. And I find that reading before bed really helps me to fall asleep quickly and to sleep peacefully (if I can put my book down). Which brings me to...

sleep
Oh my gosh, what could be better than sleep?? I am an 8-hours-a-night kind of gal, but unfortunately my life is more like 7-hours-if-I'm-lucky. Nothing compounds my stress like sleep deprivation. The best thing I can do for myself is to go to bed early (preferably with a good book to help me off to dreamland).

exercise
Like most people, I need a little exercise every day to help me relax and sleep well. Whenever I start to feel really anxious and full of nervous energy that won't let me rest, it's a sure symptom of not-enough-exercise. The best thing I can do for myself in that situation is to drop everything and go for a long bike ride or a sweaty yoga practice.

time with friends
Today I attended a really frustrating and stressful conference. Luckily I had carpooled with a friend, and just venting together on the ride home helped so much. It helped even more that afterwards I went by her house and had a beer with her family in the backyard. We laughed and watched their chickens scratch around and generally chilled out for a little while. It wasn't a long time, but it sure was therapeutic.

So that's my list. I'd love to hear what some of your strategies are for letting go of stress! Now I think I'll go practice a few downward-dogs.

10 comments:

Kerstin Svendsen said...

nice post. speaking of chickens, i think hanging out with animals/pets can relieve stress. sometimes i feel relaxed just watching my cat clean himself. it's so methodical and strange, so cat. guessing dogs are even better for this as they're generally more fun than cats.
hope next week is better!

Unknown said...

We have lots of things in common :) I enjoy doing all of the above too! I need to try the yoga out though. thanks for sharing!

Martha said...

I wish I had some chickens to help me de-stress...I do love my sleep. I'm usually in bed 9 or 10pm, because I'm up before anyone in my house...always been like that.

lisa solomon said...

so true about stress leading to less thoughtful choices !!

i'm with shash - pets are good.

but i've been trying to figure out how to manage all the stuff that's been happening lately too !

chiara said...

To relieve stress I do only one thing, I stop!

Beth said...

Isn't it amazing how yoga, friends, a good book, cooking a meal, and exercise can completely make life all better? Thanks for your thoughts. I could relate to all of them and it felt wonderful to know that there is another lady in the universe who feels the same.

Happy days to you!

Jason Gilbert said...

I totally agree about cooking. I too found it hard to get in the habit but now that I am in the habit, I feel more appreciative of food and a great home-cooked meal.

Anonymous said...

I am late commenting on this but....I find yard work, in manageable amounts, helps de-stress me. It is 'mindless' and yet something constructive to focus on and accomplish. I, also, enjoy a good novel as a way to enter into another reality...

Mobile Truck Repair said...

This is a great list, very close to mine. I would add a breathing exercise, journaling and going for a walk :)

Unknown said...

This is amazing! Thanks for sharing! hanging candle lanterns