Some of you know my life has been hectic lately. Whose hasn't been? LOL! But seriously, I swear when it rains it pours and last night it was raining sewage in my basement. The toilet overflowed and drained enough to fill a rubbermaid bucket from the first floor down through our light fixture into the basement and all over the basement carpet and playstation until I found a rubbermaid bin.

I cleaned up.

Then I went out and sat in our hot tub with my ten year old for a good long time.

And I lost over a pound this morning!! That's nearly a miracle since I've been on a horrible plateau.

So...what are some other ways you like to relax and de-stress? I'm all ears!

Bubble bath, and though I rarely do it a nap. Sometimes a nap is the best.

Sorry... I read the title of this one right after reading about Rosinante wanting to cut her hair to get that sliver of weight so she could be "overweight"... and I read your title "detress" as in cutting hair (tresses).

And actually, getting my hair cut is destressing for me. I don't do it near often enough (i prefer a fairly long, simple style), so when I go, I really enjoy the shampoo and head massage, and since I have to take my glasses off I enjoy closing my eyes and just letting someone else clip and brush and fuss. It makes me feel pampered, even if it's just at the Hair Cuttery.

My main way to destress, however, is singing. Whenever I'm upset, I pull out a hymnal (I collect them), and sing. I sight-sing songs I don't know yet, and then practice them until they're more familiar. Then add words. THen move on to old dog-eared favorites that I practically know by heart. And by the time I've done all that, whatever else I've been worrying about is out of mind. Plus, it helps me reconnect spiritually... remember Whose I am, and praise and thank Him for even the stresses in my life.

Synger, I taught flute lessons for 20 years and have only just this year taken a break from it. I need to pull out my flute. Thanks for the reminder! I especially love to play a book of Christmas songs I have this time of year. They're easy and enjoyable.

I knit. It's repetitive so I find it soothing. It's great for anxiety and stress. I also found it really helpful when I was first losing weight because it kept my hands and mind busy so I wasn't tempted to eat once my calories were done for the day.

I have a yoga DVD that leaves me relaxed and happy after I am done doing the stretches

Oh, and goodie...I have a typo in the title. I absolutely hate that! LOL!

I read to relax. I read fiction, no serious nonfiction, and it usually works.

it depends if i'm just feeling annoyed, tired, or all out leave me alone! but here's a few

good sweaty intense cardio-running, different kinds of jumping, when my bike was challenging ride that, HiiT or other exercise to 90's dance mixes on u tube or other fast songs.

dancing/singing kesha,lady gaga or fun 90's/80's songs with dd 5 or alone.

reading blogs,3fc,writing pm's to friends. that really helped when i felt like i was on a plateu or really depressed. when i'm frustrated it's the first thing i want to do. read the newest posts of the day.

more music. listening to different kinds. evanescense, paramore, pearl jam, sometimes metallica, bob seger turn the page.

reading. i really love reading. i don't do it any more. adult books anyway. i was a constant bookworm as a child.

writing about it. just pen and paper, get it out.

hot baths, but we seem to never have enough hot water here. i really want to get those flexible sprayers.

a good cuddle or 'extra' attention with dear honey.

massage.been awhile since i even asked for one. prob. will soon. lost alot of back fat. not so self conscious.

camping/hiking/walking outside. even if all there is to look at is flat corn fields. being outside. ugh. that would be my vacation. backpacking somewhere. hiking. just smell that pine....

drinking something hot and steamy or really cold in the summer. chai tea, cocoa, sometimes really strong lemon green tea. mint water when it's hot outside.

shower. standing under the hot water.

when i played video games, play that. games with a story like final fantasy. i dont do that anymore.
sometimes making homemade soup and eating it makes me feel destressed, healthier. minestrone, chicken noodle, lentil with tons of spinach,mushrooms,carrots,tomatoes. any other veggies i can find.

Eliana so sorry to hear about the sewage mess you had. YUCK!! and Ewwww!! Good thing you were on top of it (not literally) with buckets and bins.

My stress is usually emotional or mental. I give in to it with a good cry, it is such a release. Then a nice hot shower without any 'work' like shaving or scrubbing, or buffing... just cleansing. Then I will do some puff fiction reading, puzzles or craft project. Something that engages my mind and takes focus off the issue for an hour or two.

These things probably seem super obvious to most people but I recently discovered the therapeutic power of drinking herbal tea in the evenings. I seriously feel like my life has been turned around as a result.

Also, crying and taking baths. Preferably not at the same time.

Sorry about the sewage!! YUCK!

For me, definitely a nice hot bath is a great way to relax, as is reading. Reading is one of my favourite things and I don't get to do it enough! Also taking a nice walk outside (when it's not too freezing cold, that is!!).

Krumpus, you just reminded me and I ran and got:

A warm cup of coffee flavored milk. Mmmm...Not a big fan of straight coffee.

Reading New Posts and using my SuperMod powers to edit typos in titles!

I find a cup of tea and some cuddle time with my dogs is a great destresser for me.

Oh, thank goodness for supermods!! LOL! You have relieved a stress from me! Seriously, that's a pet-peeve and there I go and do it.