What are your best go-to stress relievers?

I’ve tried quite a few already— deep breathing, meditation, hot bath, extra sleep, etc. I’m still getting knots in my stomach and tension headaches.
What are your tried and true de-stressing activities?

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cherokeepatti · 61-69, F

I do some quirky things. Like taking a sheet of notebook paper and writing in cursive in mirror image filling up the entire page. For some reason it helps. I also like to take a thin Sharpie and doodle scrolls and vines and flowers, filling in the doodles with highlighter colors…or take plastic grocery bags and cut them into strips and crochet them into balls, stuffing the insides with more grocery bags. They make good stress balls or good nerf-ball substitutes to toss around in the house. I also like to go outdoors and sit out in the sun and let it warm my face. Or drive out to the lake and sit and watch the water sparkle and listen to the sounds around me….birds, fish flopping up out of the water, boats on the lake etc. A Sunday drive is also good.

atlantic59 · 61-69, M

@cherokeepatti what a wonderful life that you live❤️

cherokeepatti · 61-69, F

@atlantic59 I am retired, can do quirky things and enjoy them now. More alone time than before is why.

atlantic59 · 61-69, M

@cherokeepatti I have a desire to make art out of recyclables. Sitting on my porch cutting shapes out of plastic bottles and tin cans

atlantic59 · 61-69, M

[@cherkeepatti] I love the scrolls and vines and mirror images which I don't know about but it all is a great inspiration

atlantic59 · 61-69, M

@cherokeepatti your alone time is now your creative artist time🙂

cherokeepatti · 61-69, F

@atlantic59 that could be a lot of fun. I used to do decoupage with old glass bottles and jars, a cigar box one time and some other things.

cherokeepatti · 61-69, F

@atlantic59 I started doing that on my first break after seeing 9-1-1 live on TV at work. Every break and lunch period I took my spiral notebook and colored markers and did scrolls and doodles. And I did it for an entire year. The stress of hearing that just overwhelmed my mind. I also didn’t watch any national news for an entire year. I had a very strong feeling for a week before 9-1-1 that something tragic was going to happen and it would be broadcast all over the world and affect us in various ways. On the Sunday before it happened my sister called me. I told her something big was going to happen and it was going to be tragic. She said “I have enough to take care of today to worry about tomorrow”….basically blew off what I told her. The day after it happened she calls excitedly and says “You were right, you were right!!!” I told her I’d never tell her anything like that again and hung up.