Fun Activities For When You’re Feeling Stressed
Fun and feeling stressed or burnt out may not be something you’d expect to hear in the same sentence, and you may even be rolling your eyes at me. But when you’re feeling stressed, having a list of go-to activities can be the key to finding the cure to the current stressful moment(s). At least, this is the case for me, but that may have something to do with my type-A personality 😉
I can’t just rely upon being able to go out for a run, if/when something disrupts my life, as much as running is my preferred way to relieve stress. While ridding myself of stress is key, so is staying injury-free. I remember when the pandemic first shut everything down, I was finally recovering from plantar fasciitis and now I was left to run on my own, instead of with my run club which would help keep my pacing under control. I managed to run in the early morning before working remotely for the day when the sea wall was quiet. I was running sub-6-minute kilometres which I hadn’t done in over a year.
Needless to say, the speed and increased mileage landed me some incredibly painful shin splints. All while physio clinics were closed so there was no chance at getting my legs worked on and this took all Spring/Summer and early Fall to recover from.
Feeling stressed but unable to run; now what?
The shin splints were completely self-inflicted and I absolutely knew that I shouldn’t have run as quickly as I did with so much time off of running prior to the beginning of 2020. Working from home while knowing that my workplace at the time would’ve preferred we just come into the office so we could be micro-managed and carry on as if there wasn’t a deadly virus lurking, and not being able to see family or friends, was incredibly stressful.
I had to find other ways to relieve stress, and I did. Thankfully, we had a pretty nice Spring which meant that as restaurants offered takeout, we could sit outside in the park and eat so at least I was getting out of the house other than to walk the dog.
This list is what I came up with that helped me, with one that helped others I know that I just can’t excel at.
Fun stress-relieving activities according to Ashley
Finding ways to laugh
Knowing what will make me laugh without even thinking about it, is top of my list. I can’t tell you how many comedy specials I have watched over and over again because they just make me laugh uncontrollably, no matter what has me out of sorts.
Of course, with TikTok bursting in popularity throughout 2020, I am bound to find something that makes me laugh.
Laughter really is the best medicine and works really well for me.
Gardening
If you know me, you know that I do not have the best of luck when it comes to gardening of any kind. We have a rooftop community garden that we are a part of, but my husband usually helps participate because gardening and I don’t get along the greatest. That and somewhat insane seasonal allergies usually have me up in arms.
However, I know so many people who will take a time out and go tend to their gardens, including people in this building. Whether you’re feeling stressed out or just burnt out, that fresh air and focus on one single activity almost feels meditative.
There was a strict rule about who was allowed on the roof when our rooftop was closed to everyone, but people would take opportunities to go up and nurture our garden as a way to take a timeout and do something positive at the same time.
Bonus? It’s a great way to get outside, and sometimes just being out of the house is exactly what we need to lessen the stress level, even just a smidgen.
Drawing / Colouring / Lettering / Scrapbooking
Basically, channelling your inner creative being. I cannot draw to save my life, but I did order several colouring books and a book on lettering to keep me occupied on the days that being outside for long wasn’t an option.
I am also a huge planner nerd addict, which in 2020 shifted to more of a memory-keeping planner. Since I could no longer plan out my days, nor had any travel plans or business travel plans, I chose to shift to highlighting the days of isolation. Work accomplishments, life milestones, quarantine date nights, day-to-day kind of stuff.
Colouring and memory planning is a great way for me to put my phone down, and let my brain chill the heck out, especially when I’ve been sitting at my desk all day and staring at the computer screens.
I mainly have planner time when I am burnt out at the end of the week and helps me reset. There’s just something about these things that calm my brain in ways I’d never imagined. However, sometimes my type A personality comes out and I nitpick stupid little things. But overall, I try to just let go and be creative.
Music
Music speaks to my soul, always. I will listen to just about anything (absolutely no country – no offence to those of you that do). Sometimes just listening to music doesn’t do it, and I need to crank a song or two. When I need that, I’ll pop in my headphones, crank a song and I begin to feel much better.
Let’s just say I threw on some Limp Bizkit on the day I was let go. Why? Because the level of stress about being lied to was so high, that only an LB playlist would make me feel better. If there’d been a more honest conversation leading up to my layoff, LB probably wouldn’t have been necessary.
Sometimes there’s a song or album you’ll only listen to in rare circumstances. Sometimes when you’re stressed out, you want to listen to the same album or song over and over. There is no correct answer; find what speaks to you and let it play.
Bonus points if you can turn it into a dance party; tequila optional. That’s what I learnt from Meredith & Cristina on Greys’ Anatomy 😉
Burn that energy from feeling stressed out with sports / fitness
Even though I couldn’t run, I could still be active. I could hike and go to the gym, and even did some virtual kickboxing. I was limited at first as our condo gym was closed, but I had a couple of weights that I have, and some bands. The advantage is that using these tools that I had, I was able to start working on some of my flexibility issues, which definitely play a large part in my injured running trend over the last couple of years.
Bodyweight exercises are good for you too. It’s not all about lifting crazy heavyweights, but about using your body to push you to the next level. Plus, it helps balance out the extra snacks when working from home.
Tennis, hiking, swimming, paddleboarding, kayaking, running, kickboxing, dancing, snowboarding, skiing, snowshoeing – you name it. When you move your body, you feel better mentally. If I am super burnt out, heading out on the water in a kayak or on our paddleboards is a great mental reset for me.
Clean
Some people absolutely hate cleaning, but that’s not me. If I’m really started to feel stressed out, then I take a look around me. Sometimes the act of just tidying up puts me in a better headspace. Sometimes I need to bust out the dust cloths and dust everything off or put stuff away in the kitchen from the night previous. Other times, I need to do E V E R Y T H I N G. Clean the stovetop; the baseboards; the bathroom; the kitchen counters; do all the laundry; clean the windows; clean the hardwood, but leave the vacuuming to the Roomba.
Cleaning calms me and I have no idea how or why. I just feel like if I have a clean space, I have a clearer mind. On that note …
Organizing/Purging
I pride myself on continuously purging our condo to ensure we’re not holding onto stuff we don’t use anymore or wear anymore, quarantine/self-isolation or not. I was feeling pretty stressed at the beginning of the pandemic, with all the unknowns (I’m not a person that loves flying by the seat of her pants with no direction/goal). Naturally, I organized. Not only did I organize and purge, but our whole building seemed to as well. So much so that our textile bin was full to the max, and they weren’t picking up, due to the concerns of the virus (at the time).
If the weather had been worse, I would’ve done an entire kitchen overhaul. Instead, I’m going to do that soon, before Summer arrives.
Yoga
Get rid of that burnt-out feeling with some yoga. Whether you need a power flow or something like Yin to help you focus on deep breathing to release muscles, yoga is a great way to help ease your feelings of stress. When your yoga practice focuses on breathing, you’re bringing your mind a sense of calm. And if you’re trying to work on flexibility, or include more yoga as a runner or sports enthusiast, kill two birds with one stone (not literally tho – don’t harm the birds).
Feeling Stressed Out? Meditation
Not everyone loves meditation but if you take even just 10 minutes to meditate, you can get some clarity and ease stress. Meditating will take some getting used to if you’ve never done it before, but it can be worth it.
It took me a couple of weeks practicing every day to get to a point where I could begin to clear my mind. For something like meditating, I gave myself the give it 21 days and if it’s not working, then perhaps it’s not for me. Meditating is similar to yin yoga for me, where I can focus on breathing and letting go of anything I’m holding onto mentally.
Reading
I tend to read before bed, every night. Reading gives my eyes a chance to relax from staring at a screen all day and calms my mind. If I feel my stress level elevating during the day, I will sometimes take a timeout and read for 15 minutes. When I read, I get into the book and the characters and keeps me from thinking about whatever has me stressed at that moment.
I do have to set time limits though because I could sit and read a book all day long. I do in Mexico, by the pool with a drink in my hand. It’s no wonder I’m so relaxed when I am there 😉
Bubble Bath
There is nothing more relaxing to me than having a solid soak in a bubble bath. First of all, the bubbles make me smile. The bath bomb (typically always from lush) disintegrating definitely makes me smile.
Watching something on Netflix, Crave, Disney+ or YouTube with the door shut, candles lit, lights off, with a ton of Epsom salts, is a great way for me to reset. Charcoal face masks optional.
And for me, the bath needs to be hot. Like sometimes it’s so hot I have to run cold water so I don’t scald myself. I’m insane though, so just run a regular for you kinda bath. Sit and enjoy the moment of calm. Maybe incorporate some meditation at the same time.
You’ll come out of the tub feeling like a whole new person.
Get Outside When You’re Feeling Stressed
The easiest and simplest thing to do when you’re feeling stressed out or burnt out is to get outside. Whether you just go for a solo walk or take the dog or a walk, run, or just sit in a nearby park, the fresh air does wonders for your mind and your stress level.
What do you do when you’re feeling stressed?
This list is what I have come up with over the years, that has been highlighted through the global pandemic.
Not to mention the COVID self-isolation fatigue. That is like a whole new level of constantly feeling burnt out, which can then cause feelings of stress.
Living through a pandemic can definitely cause one to feel stressed out with all the unknowns.
I’d love to know what you do to try and relieve stress; is there an activity you associate with relieving stress?
