Good Thursday morning to you. It’s been a busy week and I’ve had every intention of getting on here sooner, but the days have gone by so fast. I have so many things on my mind that I want to write about. This is such a crazy life isn’t it. One thing that I wanted to share with you, that I probably wrote about at some point since starting this blogging journey is stress.

We all have stress. Stress isn’t always bad either. You can feel stress from the good things in life too. I could list all the things that have been causing stress around these parts over the past few months but I’m not going to. I’d rather spend this time sharing ways I deal with stress. Maybe some of these will help you. I’d also love if you took a minute to share with me ways that you beat or handle stress.

1- Exercising. It really helps me to do something fast paced like running or kickboxing, something that will focus my mind on what I am doing and if it causes me to sweat that is even better.

2-Going for a walk. Yes this can absolutely go under exercise, but sometimes just a short walk to get fresh air into your lungs can help reduce stress.

3-Crafting. Not everyone enjoys crafts but keeping my hands busy and my mind engaged and focused helps me to settle down. The gratification that comes from a finished project is pretty nice too.

4-Reading. It is a good escape into someone else’s world.

5-Watching a movie or a tv show-see above.

6-Cooking or baking. I could categorize this with crafts in that it keeps your hands busy and you not only get the gratification from a finished product but you get to eat it.

7-Do something for someone else. Even when you are going through something, if you have the time and resources, doing something for someone else helps you to look beyond yourself.

8-Laugh. It helps.

9-Cry. This helps too and we often don’t allow ourselves to go there, but we should.

10-Chocolate. In moderation.

11-Music-Play it, listen to it, sing it at the top of your lungs.

12-Prayer. We have access to the creator of the universe 24/7 and He wants to hear from you. It helps to know that He is with me always, no matter what the circumstances are and that He is in every detail of our lives, big or small.

I’m sure this is not a complete list, but these things work for me. What helps you in your stressful times?