Stress Relief

In our stressed society people turn to talk therapy, drugs (legal or not), alcohol, and food for relief. There are easier methods of dealing with tensions caused by a day fraught by encounters with stupid people. A simpler means of alleviating the steel band headache that is throbbing because you had to remain civil to a boss who makes brings new meaning to the word incompetent. A solution other than homicide when listening, one more time, to your mother criticize your choice of husband/car/hairstyle/gift choice/weight. I have found four inexpensive, simple activities that will release the tension, lesson the stress, relieve the headache, and allow you to set aside the automatic weapon. You may wish to try all of them to find which best suits you or you may find that the methods each work best according to the issue at hand.

1) SCREAM. If the people who reside in your abode or the neighbors in the adjacent apartment are easily scared, this method is best done into a pillow. It works well when alone as long as your apartment complex walls are not paper thin because the police will become quickly impatient with the 911 calls from your neighbors. What you scream depends on you but remember that there is no right or wrong way to scream but doing it at the top of your lungs has the most effect. A simple “AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH” for a prolonged period is great; “I HATE ________ (insert name)” is a sure bet; the swear word of your choice is a tried and true standby. These are just a few suggestions but whatever you scream, scream it LOUDLY!!!!!

2) HOWL. Howling is a highly underrated form of expression. It is primitive, earthy, and cleansing. People mistakenly believe there must be a full moon for there to be howling. Howling can be particularly rewarding on a dark dark night because you are cloaked in blackness and the howler can be in touch with their anger/pain/tension/frustations and howl until they are released from their angst. For some reason people are initially not as comfortable howling as they are screaming and may feel silly when they first howl. While this may not be the method for you in the long run, it is worth a try. You can start out softly and build to a crescendo or just start off in full, throaty, loud howl. I’ve known some people who begin to laugh at what they perceive to be silliness but that also is a stress reliever!

3) THROWING THINGS. This is a personal favorite. I knew a woman who threw eggs in her kitchen when angry at her family. Even though she was the one to clean up the mess she found it all very refreshing and a great anger release. I must admit to throwing a few things in my life and I would have to agree with her. It is also very dramatic, at least the first few times, if you have an audience. Eggs are an easy and popular choice although quite messy. For people who find cleaning cathartic, this would be perfect.

Throwing plates and glasses is a rewarding option. (Make sure the plates and glasses are actually glass – plastic just isn’t going to do it) An unfinished basement or cement patio works well for this. In Japan there are small businesses set up and people can rent time in a booth with dishes and throw them at a wall. The simple beauty of this almost brings me to tears. The Japanese make an effort to provide their citizens with stress relieving techniques.
If I ever get brave and open a business this would be the one…..dishes from Goodwill, small booths for throwing……sigh……think of the service I would be providing to society. Okay, I digress. Some may see throwing as a violent action but if no one gets hurt by a thrown object and you achieve stress release I would argue there is no harm done.
These are my ideas for simple stress relievers. There are the more tr
aditional methods (beyond therapy, drugs, drinking, eating) in exercising and cleaning but for those of us who have aversions to those, my three ideas allow for some unique activities.