Life is stressful. No matter who you are, things get really hard at times. It is my personal belief that everyone needs a way to relieve their stress in a healthy and safe way. Finding an activity that helps relieve stress is a very personal journey that will help keep you sane and teach you a lot about yourself. The only limitation on stress relievers is making sure it's not destructive. You want to find something that is calming that will have a positive effect on your life.
When I talk about a stress reliever, I mean an activity that you do that helps you take a step away from your stress, focus and breathe. There are a lot of options out there and different ways you can do them. When you start looking for yours and testing out different activities, keep an open mind. Some people like to be alone while they do theirs, and others enjoy having a friend around. Some people like to be extremely active, and others like to be dormant. It’s up to you, whatever makes you happy is what's right.
As artists, a lot of us have used our art forms as stress relievers, but when you start getting more serious about your art it can become stressful. Having multiple stress relievers is a good idea because if the thing that you usually use to relieve stress becomes the source of stress then it won't help you. Having a backup will help you keep calm and not resent whatever the activity is.
When people don't have an outlet for their stress they turn to destructive activities that can ultimately lead to more stress. Things like smoking and drinking aren't necessarily a bad thing, when they are done in moderation and in a healthy place mentally. But when someone does it to drown their negative emotions, it becomes a different story. Other outlets people choose that aren't healthy or safe are: hurting themselves, others or animals. We as humans can be extremely destructive beings, but that doesn't have to be the case. We can push ourselves to a better place mentally with a little work.
If you find something that works for you for a few months, then all of a sudden doesn't, it's no big deal. Change is a part of life. Finding a new activity will be a fun adventure. Just remember while finding one for the first time or trying to find a new one, keep an open mind. You might surprise yourself with what you like. To help you start your stress relieving journey below is a short list of activities that people use to relieve stress, but if none of them suit you, no big deal. There are a million activities out there that are fun and calming.
Dance
Sing
Listen to Music
Draw
Paint
Bake
Read
Kick Box
Work Out
Watch Tv
Run
Meditate
Stretch
Climb
Watch YouTube videos
Play Video games
Talk to friends
Hike
Fix cars
Build furniture
Sew
...and whatever else you can think of. Good luck!
