Five Ways To Destress In Under 5 Minutes

Ladies, can I talk to you for a minute?

We’ve got a lot on our plates. A lot. All those responsibilities, all the headaches we encounter every day — it all has to go somewhere. We keep stress bottled up inside of us and we’re going to explode.

I had to keep getting knocked down to learn that keeping a running tally of all the things currently stressing me out was foolish. Instead of finding an outlet for my stress, I’d hold onto it like a a badge of honor, like being on the verge of snapping at my kids or pulling out my hair  was something mothers were supposed to feel. We’re supposed to be cranky, right? I’m pretty sure it’s in the job description.

But I’ve learned that I need to channel that stress into something productive. Sweets used to be my release at the end of a long day, but now it’s running. Do I love it? Nope, not yet. But I’ve reached that point where all I can think about while I run is how I’m running. I’m not thinking about bills, or the kids or my missing sex drive (damn you, grad school for killing my mojo once again). I’m thinking, “Huff, huff, puff, 2 more minutes, huff, huff, puff, one minute left.”

You need to find an outlet and you need to find it now. Here’s 5 stress-busters that I personally use – add your favorites in the comments:

1) Listen to an uplifting song. This could be gospel or a song that’s just “fun.” My three favorites:

2) Go for a run (or exercise for 10 minutes). I’ve fought this for many, many years but it does work. Sigh. Usually whatever I was fretting about will disappear in the first couple of minutes.

3) Create something. (I like to bake). Of course, baking is the reason I’m having to run so much but still. There’s something therapeutic about using your hands to make something. Once I pull out all my ingredients, I stop thinking about what was stressing me and I simply focus on the next step. Add flour. Add sugar. Add eggs. Whisk. It calms me.

4) Watch a comedy. Scrubs is my favorite “I had a horrible day and need something to cheer me up” TV show. By the time the opening theme song comes on, I’m laughing so hard I forgot what was bothering me.

5) Make a change. Sometimes escapism isn’t the key. Sometimes it’s putting on your big girl panties and taking an objective look at the problem. What is stressing you out? Why? Can you change it? If not, can you change the way you react to it?

What do you do when life is stressing you allll the way out?