coloring

Hi Friends. I’m writing this with my hair, wet, piled on top of my head, smelling like Sponge Bob watermelon bubble bath and listening to the top 50 songs of the 90’s. Sometimes life is so exciting and fun that it stresses me out. Silliest thing ever. I wish I could just be happy for the awesomeness that is my life and be nothing but grateful for who I am. But sometimes I cry for no reason at all. I literally can not think of what is making me cry or even what triggered the tears. This is why I’m thankful that I always have my understanding husband near by to rub my back, draw a bath and tell me ‘it’s ok.’ It’s ok to cry, life is ok, everything is ok. I know, as a woman, as a mom, as a sister, daughter and friend, we put on our best face when we see friends and family. We get to see our friends and family such a small amount that I don’t ever want to waste time not being happy while I’m with them. Sometimes I just need a distraction from…well life I guess. I need to make my brain stop thinking about the laundry I need to do or the mulch I need to spread or the bottles that need to be made (all of these things were pushed aside for my bath tonight.) Stress sucks and sometimes you just need to do something else.

My all-time best stress reliever is to color. I could color for an entire day. I especially love coloring with someone. You have to find something that you enjoy coloring though. My favorite medium is Crayola crayons and I like coloring design books. My newest coloring book is Secret Garden because it takes so long to complete a page (of which I have yet to do) and the pictures are beautiful! Doing my nails and painting also helps to focus my mind towards creativity. Bubble baths are another way I relax. I force myself to not think, which is basically meditation. I have a hard time meditating, so to block out thoughts, I have a mantra I like to say. As I inhale through my nose, I say ‘Thank you’ and as I exhale I say ‘I love you.’ It helps refocus my mindset to a positive place. Playing a game also helps me snap out of a funk. We have a TON of board games but I also really like Dance Central and Rock Band. I enjoy our board games because I have to strategize while playing and I just plain LOVE singing and dancing so DC and RB are an obvious fit for me. Again, for me, these things are better when there’s a lot of people but I also really like when it’s just Jeffrey and I playing. Being outside is a great way to help me relieve stress. The sun really affects my mood, so if it’s sunny, being outside automatically helps me feel better. For me, planting flowers is my favorite hobby while outside but a lot of people find walking, reading or playing sports to be the best way to relieve stress. Another great way to calm my mind is to escape in a book. I’m a teen nerd girl at heart and love reading YA books. I’m usually reading a few books at a time so I can choose based on my mood. I’ll switch it up between a YA/beach read and something educational/motivational.

I really want to go do all of these things right now! What are some of the methods you use to help relieve stress? I’m always up for trying something new!