I tend to be one of those people who’s either super chill and zen or stressed to the gills – so much so that I stress out everyone in a twenty-seven mile radius. There doesn’t seem to be any middle ground. So, if you happen to be in a twenty-seven mile radius of me when I’m stressing, I apologize profusely.
I’d like to tell you that when I’m stressed, I go for a run. Or a walk. Or maybe a meandering stroll.
*sigh*
Nope.
Often I eat. I eat the fuck out of my feelings. This is a terrible plan. And I know it. I try not to, but…some days that works out better than others.
When I’m not strapping on a bag of salt and vinegar potato chips like it’s a damn feedbag, I also do the following to relax:
Knitting – there’s something so soothing about the clicking of needles (I prefer the aluminum ones) and the slide of yarn through my fingers that relaxes me.
Sewing – it’s pretty mindless – unless I’m making something stupid and complicated or sewing with lamé fabric. (There is nothing relaxing about lamé.)
Playing with clay – this is probably my all time favorite relaxation tool. There is nothing better than sinking your hands into globs of cold, wet clay and watching it take shape under your hands. If I had access to a kiln and a wheel on a regular basis, I’d probably never be stressed.
Talking to my friends – they usually help settle my ass down. Or they panic with me. Or tough love me. I appreciate it all.
Cross stitching – I don’t do this as much anymore, but I need to pull it out again. I remember that being relaxing…
Guided imagery meditations – these are lovely when I take the time to do them. But I get caught up in that “I can’t waste time” freak out and convince myself I don’t have 30-45 minutes for one of these bad boys. But then I usually end up freaking out and wasting more time than I would have had I just done the damn meditation.
Binge watching netflix – Yeah…every once in a while, I relax by blowing off everything and binge watching an entire series. Plus side…I usually knit while I do it – so double the relaxation with some bonus productivity.
Reading – sometimes this works, but sometimes, I’m too stressed to focus and I don’t retain anything from sentence to sentence.
Sitting by a lake listening to the waves – this is the ultimate in relaxation for me. Nothing mellows me out quicker. If I can physically get to Lake Michigan or Lake Superior, I’ll watch the videos I’ve taken of the lake or listen to nature recordings.
Wandering through the woods – it’s almost as good as sitting by the lake. It’s peaceful, and if I can find a spot where I can’t hear traffic or people, it’s amazing.
Sitting in my swing – I hate my neighborhood, but sometimes I can tune it all out and just swing in my swing, maybe read a book, have a glass of wine, or take a nap. See? Isn’t it relaxing?
What do you do to relax? Got any good tips for me? Also, be sure to check out the other bloggers and see what tips they have. I know I’ll be looking for more suggestions.
I love your swing! I laughed when you talked about strapping on a bag of potato chips. Yep, yep, if I don’t watch out I will do the same thing.
Thank you! Matt make the frame for me, and we got the swing at the Ren Faire a million years ago. It’s soooooooo comfy.
Can’t say I can add any suggestions here. You pretty much covered all my stress relievers with the possible exception of the avoidance technique the Jessica talked about. Eating away the stress used to be on the top of my list, but I am actually making some progress with that one. I love the Netflix marathon with all that knitting getting done. I got a couple new sweaters this year and my daughter got a fabulous remnant afghan – though that was crocheted. I get my best crafting down watching Netflix. I thank you for sharing this bit of yourself. Not only do I love your books, (Yes, reading is my biggest stress reliever. I spend a lot time in the world of make believe.) but I can identify with you as a person. Awesome.
Good job on the sweaters and afghan! I *really* need to finish my sweater this year… And massive congrats on getting a hold of your feeling eating. I *really* need to work on that.
You’re welcome and thank you so much for loving my books and also saying so – that means a lot to me. 🙂 It also feels nice to know that other people are out there feeling the same way. *HUGS*
I am insanely jealous of your swing!
I wish I found crafty-type things more relaxing. I like sewing and making things (although every time I’ve tried knitting it has gone terribly, horribly, there-should-be-an-emergency-service-for-this-crap wrong) but I don’t do them that much because I have to be fairly energised and relaxed for it – and if I’m feeling like that, there’s probably housework or writing to do.
I’m with you on food, though. My feelings are delicious and I eat all of them.
I need an emergency service for crocheting. That shit is Dark Sorcery if I’ve ever seen it.
I have to admit that I’m almost always in the mood to do some kind of crafting, but I’ll also freely admit that my house is always a mess…tradeoffs?
My real trick is balancing the writing (and the editing side jobs) with everything else I want to do which is its own kind of stress.
Isn’t that swing the best!? My husband made me the frame (while avoiding cleaning the garage if I remember correctly…) and we got the swing portion of it at a renaissance faire forever ago. 🙂
I recall sitting next to you during a meeting while you were knitting and you had this calm, soothing tone to your voice when you spoke. It was the damn knitting needles flying around furiously, clicking out of control that gave away how you were moments from stabbing someone in the eye with one.
LOLOLOL! Was it when we were discussing a new meeting location? ‘Cause that sounds about right. 😀