Creative Stress Management Activities
Do you need something fun to do to take your mind off all the stress we all face in our everyday lives? For certain, many stress management activities go beyond relieving stress from your system; some of them also prevent stress from building up inside you again.
Stress Management Activity #1 - Exercise
You don't need to run or work out for an hour a day. Even 5 minutes of exercise can be a stress management activity, especially if you do it consistently. Do you get stressed out at work? Take a walk around your building or up and down the stairs when you feel stress building up. Physical activity is a time-honored way to relieve stress.
If you are at home and you feel stress building up with your children or spouse, go for a walk around your neighborhood, wash the car, pull some weeds out of the garden, wash a window - anything where you experience physical exertion to the point of sweating will help relieve stress from your system.
Stress Management Activity #2 - Volunteer
Much stress comes, frankly, from feeling sorry for ourselves. You may have a good job, but still you are in debt. You love your kids, but they drive you nuts sometimes. Your friends are great, but sometimes they expect too much of you. Spending time helping someone whom you perceive to be less fortunate is a great way to take the focus off your own problems for awhile.
Volunteer opportunities are easy to find. Select a volunteer project that you love, and you will look forward to doing it. If you like to work with children, Boys and Girls Aid Society can always use volunteers. If you like to work with animals, contact your local shelter to see what kind of volunteer help they need. If gardening or home improvement is your thing, participate in a community work day where senior citizens and homeowners with disabilities get help with their yard work and home repairs that they cannot do themselves or afford to pay someone to do for them.
Stress Management Activity #3 - Relaxation
To relax is easier said than done, but there are a few stress management activities that are sure to relax you. Yoga is a great relaxation exercise, and so is Tai Chi. Reading a book is an easy way to escape into another world, which is always good for forgetting the worries of this world.
Don't overlook formal imagery exercises, where you imagine yourself transported to another place - usually warmer and more comfortable than the place you are in. These exercises are best done in a guided setting such as with a relaxation DVD or therapist.
