AGING AND STRESS

Between the cold weather, the economy, the ever-looming possibility of getting laid off and general every day stress, you could say that times are rough and for sure, we all have a bit o' stress mounting. Releasing that stress is very important to mental health and psychological stability, but how you release it, can be just as important.

I have to say, I have several ways of releasing stress...some more healthy than others, but I thought I would share and talk about my favorites:

Drinks. Yep, I admit, I love my adult beverages. I do try to keep it to a healthy limit, but the reality is, that after a stressful day, I really enjoy a glass of wine or a drink to sort of 'numb the pain.' Wine makes me sleepy, so if I have several hours of awake time ahead of me, I tend to opt for vodka, Soda and a splash of cranberry. My reasoning: The soda is hydrating, the cranberry is detoxifying and vodka...well, a little toxifying.

Karaoke. Singing my favorite tunes with a bunch of friends is not only fun, but creative. Although my profession(s) require my creativity a good portion of time, creative outlets within the performing arena has a lot more stress release attached to it.

Dancing. I need to clarify. I'm not talking about dancing at a club. I'm literally talking about being home, with a great song on our sound system (American Boy - Estelle/Kanye West is my most recent favorite) and dancing in my living room.

A Bath . I don't get to do this often, but when I do, I come out feeling like I just had a massage and that my stress has melted away.

A Good Time with Friends and Family. There is nothing like spending time and laughing with friends and family after a long week. Laughter, especially, helps release tons of stress!

Exercise. You knew this was coming. Exercise is by far one of the best stress releases. Running after a hard week seems to help me forget about all of my worries.