Work was stressful today. I came home feeling out of sorts. Mentally I was punchy; I knew my thinking was a bit slower than usual, but I was still obsessing about work. Physically I was wired – not only was I was busy enough at work that I ‘d forgotten my afternoon walk, but after dinner I’d sampled the candy my coworkers brought in. I wasn’t sure I’d even sleep tonight.
An hour later I felt quite calm and relaxed. What happened?
- I vented some of the stuff that was frustrating me with the man of the house. His reassurance helped me to let go of some of the frustration.
- I did my weight-lifting routine. Lifting heavy things is a good way to tire some muscles. I also find the process of lifting weights ( focusing on engaging each set of muscles & counting reps) to be similar to meditation in how it calms my mind.
- I held some yoga poses, 5-10 breaths each – cobra, side twists, child pose, cat/dog pose. Again, the focus and movement was helpful.
- Stretches – sides, hamstrings & quads.
By that point I felt much better. Not only relaxed, but centered and at home. Since then I’ve sipped a glass of white wine while I visited the Shapely Prose community site & written this post. Now it’s time for a bath & bed.
Since the worst kind of stress is chronic, the key is to focus on stress relief every day, and not just on weekends, say stress researchers. – NY Times
How do you like to de-stress?
Living ~400lbs 
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