Times are always hard, but sometimes times are harder than others. Right now, I’m going through a season of hardships, yet I am also blessed in many ways. The problem is I focus on the hardships and not the blessings, especially since the blessings are not helping alleviate the hardships. During times like this, I get very stressed out. This is when I like to turn to stress relief activities to help me get through life. There are six activities that a favor above all other activities because they work best for me. So, in the spirt of giving ideas and inspiration during stressful times, here are my six favorite stress relief activities for stressful times.

Sketching, Sewing, Knitting, and Crafting

Whenever I’m stressed out, I usually try to do something with my hands. Usually this means I’m either sketching, sewing, knitting, and/or crafting. Doing any of the above hobbies has alleviated frustrations and kept me calm in times when I didn’t feel calm at all. It also make me feel better about making something and having the control over it when I didn’t feel like I had control over other things in my life.

Take a Walk, Stretch and/or Exercise

Sometimes, using any of my crafting hobbies as a way to relieve stress doesn’t work or I don’t have the supplies for them. That’s when I usually use exercise or moving my body to help me feel better. I don’t always exercise as stress relief, but I do stretch and go for walks. Usually just stretching or going for a walk does the trick.

Read a Book

If I know I won’t be able to use my crafting hobbies or walking, stretching, and exercising cannot be done, I usually take a book to read. In stressful situations, I usually read a fictional book. I don’t like reading non fiction because they are based off real life and, well, I just don’t want to deal with reality for a while!

Read the Bible, Praying, and Dwelling on the Word of the Lord

I am a Christian, which makes reading the Bible, praying, and dwelling on the word of the Lord a very important part of stress relief. Those that are not Christians can meditate, read teachings from their religion, and do whatever brings them peace and balance, but for me, stressful times means turning to my Lord and savior for understanding and peace. Even though this doesn’t fix everything right away, it does clear my head and makes me see that these problems are not the only things in the world I should focus on. It has also helped me return to a stressful situation with renewed understanding of what my moral obligations are and how to deal with the situation moving forward.

Listen to Calming Music

Listening to calming music is another way I relieve my frustrations. Usually, I listen to music while working, so when I need to focus I usually listen to something more calming than what I normally hear on the radio. My favorite type of music I like to listen to is classical music. It’s really nice to listen to while working and helps me focus on my work.

Sit Outside During Sunset

At the end of a long day of stress and frustration, I like to sit outside during sunset and watch the sunset. Watching the sun go down and the world calm (and temperatures cool) down is always something I enjoy doing. It’s especially rewarding during the summertime when the temperatures are so hot that it is a welcome relief to see the sun retire for the night and the temperatures cool off as well.

Well, that’s all for now! Thank you for reading!