deep yoga breaths

in which the author chills…..

The past week with its book challenges and other crappy things have caused two lines the depth of the Grand Canyon to appear between my eyebrows. So I am trying to take life less seriously today.

I am reading Catwoman.

I am listening to The Hives. Loudly.

I am getting ready for Teen Read Week.

I am fantasizing about Japan.

Writing quote du jour: “I leave out the parts that people skip.” Mystery author Elmore Leonard.

What do you do to make the stress go away? What do you wish you could do?

19 Replies to “deep yoga breaths”

  1. I play Sims 2 on my computer to relieve stress. But I wish I could just jump in my car and drive away without looking back. A spontaneous roadtrip would be fantastic.

  2. Take deep breaths.
    Do neck rolls.
    Go to lunch with a friend.
    Think about what my favorite book heroines would do.
    Revisit favorite reads for moral support.
    Watch a frivolous movie.
    Take a walk in the woods and think about how insignificant [whatever the source of the stress] truly is in the grand scheme of things.
    Pet the cat.
    Pop popcorn.
    Make plans.
    Get on with it.

  3. I remind myself that in a few days/weeks/whatever, I won’t be stressed about this anymore, and then I treat myself to something, whether it be clothes, a book, ice cream, whatever. And when I’m very stressed I take me time and force myself to be selfish for a couple of days. I only do what makes me happy. And work out. Working out makes stress go away too.

    What do I wish I could do? Go to some foreign country and just roam around, not worrying about money. That sounds ultra-stress free.

  4. I just spent a week away and left my laptop behind. Six days without checking email, reading blogs, or otherwise being assualted by the tyranny of the urgent or anything having to do with publishing or my co-called “career” did wonders. Now to integrate that in a smaller way in daily life…

  5. Listen to James Taylor, play boggle, eat chocolate, play with kidlets/babies, journal, make collages, walk in the woods or by the creek, talk to friends, make “shit to do” lists, stargaze, , hang out with my brothers, watch Weeds or X-files or Colbert, take a bath, sleep, various unhealthy things.

    I wish I could stay in bed all the time. But then I’d get fired and fail my classes.

    Speaking of stress, I have a writer friend who is teaching part time and has to have her manuscript done by the 23rd. Plus she’s 8 months pregnant with her first kid. I think she’s insane.

  6. That which is above me (Damien Rice).. I COMPLETELY agree! It is the most calming music I’ve ever listened to.
    For stress, I play cymbals, look through all the pictures I’ve taken, lie in bed with the covers drawn to my chin, experiment with different eyeshadow combinations or invent new outfits out of what little I have here with me at school. I absolutely wish there was a way I could skip going to classes or drumline for a week at a time, just to let my mind relax.

  7. “I am fantasizing about Japan.”

    Me too! 🙂 I was accepted into a program that’s going to take me there this summer. I’m excited! =D

  8. well…

    I take a catnap that takes it all way for a few minutes, but I wish could go on a random roadtrip. A roadtrip with just me (and maybe a bff) driving to some town we don’t know the name of.

  9. I read animal, science and travel magazines (no news or current events allowed during stress reduction time). I wish I could have one more hour in the day. But then I just finished Scott Westerfeld’s Midnighters, and that 25th hour sounds stressful too.

  10. stress

    I ride my bike and read. Sometimes at the same time. And then I fall into the Erie canal, which heightens my stress level.

    Okay, not really. But I do bike and read. Just separately.

  11. Well, this is a bit obvious, but… I read! =) It always helps to slow me down. Other things I do are listening to slower songs, watching a movie I love, taking a walk while listening on my headphones. OH! And talking to a friend on the phone. That helps me a lot.

  12. Reading The Scarlet Letter
    Listening to The killers new CD!!!!
    getting ready for homework

    To make stress go away, i eat junk food and sleep =)
    I wish i could go back in time and make it go away.

  13. I usually try to…
    ~catch an episode or two of ‘Whose Line Is It Anyway?’ or Mythbusters
    ~surf around on my favorite websites
    ~take a deep breath and try to focus on one subject at a time
    Anything dealing with good humor is a guaranteed way to relieve my stress, though.

    I wish I could…
    ~take a bike ride
    ~be able to tackle my long list of books to read/movies to see
    ~take a nap in my bed back home
    ~sit on a dock/open porch by a lake (I did this over the summer at one of the Finger Lakes while the sun was setting. It was the most calming experience I’ve ever had.)

    little quirk

  14. Japan, huh? I’m going there for Christmas most likely. My ex boyfriend is in the Navy and he’es stationed there. I’ll take pictures and send you them if I do end up going. 🙂

    What do I do to make stress go away? I write, excersize, listen to music. However, sometimes it doesn’t work. Depends on how stressed you are, I guess.

  15. Sress-relief

    Music’s the answer to anything. Some stress relieving stuff I like is The Killers, Fall Out Boy, Panic! At The Disco, The Beatles, classical, and, of course, jazz.
    Four-wheeler riding helps me either think out the situation or ignore it completely depending on what I feel like doing.
    One bite of chocolate makes me 20% happier, so I usually grab a bar of it.
    Talking to someone I trust completely (not just about the issue that’s stressing me) because it reminds me that I have people to lean on.
    Making out, I guess because it releases endorphins or something. (Maybe that’s why chocolate works!)
    Writing, of course.
    Sometimes reading, but not a lot because it usually makes me think more and get in this really serious kind of mode.

  16. I make graphics and do layout design. Icons, banners, LJ layout, blogger layout, MySpace layout–you get the idea. And listen to music while I’m doing it.

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