13 Great Ways You’ll Find Stress Relief In Interesting Times

Apparently we are cursed with living in interesting times. Whether politics, work, juggling 21st century life, or simply living in the social media age have you feeling stressed, you’re not alone.

Above all, I’m about community and us actively supporting each other, especially in these stressful times. The “Alice in Wonderland” / 1984 political environment emerging is very anxiety-provoking to those of us who believe in human rights, women’s rights, the environment, science, freedom, democracy and collaborating to make a better world for everyone. To that end here is a Top 13 (because sometimes 12 is just not enough) list of 2017 stress relievers. Smile, exhale and take in your options:

  • Take a social media break. One day. One week. One month. Whatever it takes to get your head refocused on what nurtures you. Deleting Facebook Messenger from my phone greatly improved my mood. Deleting the Facebook app from my phone was infinitely better. (Both ideas from my wife. Listen to your wife or girlfriend if you have one. They know what they’re talking about.)
  • Turn your phone notifications off if they don’t uplift you. Maybe you pick one time a day or one time a week to catch up on news and social media posts. Even if you’re not looking for it, you’ll hear about the biggest news from coworkers, family and friends. You won’t be left out. I promise.
  • Carve out time to exercise. Even a 30-minute walk will shift your focus and reconnect you more to your heart and soul. Running’s even better because you’ll be so out of breath you can’t think about other things that stress you out.
  • Use the five-second rule. Not for food you drop, but that’s a good one too. This one will change your life in five seconds.
  • Enjoy the benefit of having friends. Regular friends, not just the ones with “benefits.” A call. A lunch. A weekend. Just spend more time with people who bring you up, not just the ones who “get down” with you.
  • Attend events that connect you to people you share interests with. Search keywords for your interests (politics, hiking, reading, technology, etc.) at Meetup.com to discover opportunities to build community with your neighbors. Brooklyn Unconventional Figure Drawing is an actual Meetup group. You can find others who share your passions and proclivities no matter how eclectic they may be.
  • Meditate or be still for at least 15 minutes and just breathe. Simply breathing into your stomach instead of using rabbit breath into your chest will relax you in an instant.
  • Go outside. We live in one of the most beautiful places on earth. Take advantage of the trails, lakes, forests and amazing slices of nature we’re blessed to live in. I grew up in Vegas. Trust me, it ain’t this good everywhere.

Life’s too short. We have to laugh, love and support each other however and whenever possible.

This article was originally posted in Huffington Post

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