Chuionthis Top 3 Stress Relievers

Xanax, Valium, and Ativan? Not for me.  I am a big advocate of lifestyle modification before drug therapy.  In most cases at least.  Just say no to drugs.  Hugs not drugs.

1.  Yoga

I was once a skeptic, but yoga does wonders.  Maybe it’s the abnormal stretching of the body, or the blood that rushes and pools in your head and face.  Whatever it is, it works.  So if you’re stressed go get your ohm and downward facing dog on in a pair of personalized Lululemon yoga pants on a bright purple mat.  Yoga is also really good for improving intestinal motility (trust me).

2.  Biking

Biking is great for releasing steam when you are pissed.  Channel that negative chi into your quads and pump as hard as you can, up a hill.  The frustration of barely crawling up a hill in your granny gears will make you forget all about whatever you were pissed off about before your ride.

3.  Retail therapy

I say this with great caution, because the aftermath of retail therapy could be worse than the initial stress.  Impulse buys can be a double edged sword because these purchases often lead to next month’s financial stress.   Systematic measures must be put in place to avoid the “impulse buy.”  One method is to save an item in your “queue” that you need, so that when you NEED to shop, buy that thing that you need rather than a pair of fabulous shoes.  For example:  I’m pissed, I go to Target, I buy lightbulbs because I need lightbulbs.  I’m pissed, I go to Sports Basement to get a BPA-free water bottle for my bike to decrease my chances of getting breast cancer or having my unborn children be born with 3 eyes.  Unfortunately, my local Target is connected to a giant mall, and my local Sports Basement sells everything under the sun, so this system still needs refining.

~ by chuionthis on August 16, 2008.