Stress Relievers: Honorable Mentions

With all the stressful things happening right now (tax season, bad economy, job losses, car repossessions, people losing their houses, waiting to hear back on most recent edits from literary agents, etc.), I've been thinking about the best ways to alleviate stress. Because, really, it's always going to be something, isn't it?

I've come up with my top 5, along with two honorable mentions. I'll start with the honorable mentions and count it down from there over the next few days.

Honorable Mention #1 - Ice cream (or your choice of ice cream-type treat):

Pros:
The yummy-ness level is through the roof. With so many different variations and flavors, you're bound to find one that fits your taste buds perfectly. My favorite happens to be Cherry Valentine Frozen Custard from Good Times.

Ice cream as a stress reliever is especially effective when curled up on the couch, wrapped in a blanket, watching a tacky reality show and/or talk show that reminds you how much worse things could be.

Ice cream takes minimal effort and results are quick.

Cons:
Although ice cream can do wonders in the short term, it has the downside of causing more stress when your butt grows large enough to start attracting satellites. There's also a chance of that tacky reality or talk show sending you into a depression spiral when you begin to wonder just how exactly the world got to be so screwed up.


Honorable Mention #2 - Exercise:

Pros:
If you do it on a regular basis you start feeling great afterward.

Good way to work out built up frustrations.

You'll be healthier and look better.

Something like kickboxing will be helpful if you need to fight off a mugger or kidnapper.

Cons:
Gyms can get expensive.

Eventually that perky little blonde running 50 miles an hour on the treadmill, not breaking a sweat, perfect ponytail just a-swinging, or ripped guy who looks like he could pick up the whole rack of weights and lift it over his head with one hand is going to make you feel bad about yourself and your workout. Then you'll probably go home and eat ice cream.

It takes a while of being consistent for exercise to go from "Ouch, ouch, oh my god, I'm going to die, I...can't...breathe...is it actually safe for my heart to be beating this fast or am I having a heart attack?" to "Ooh, yeah, feel the burn, such a rush, I should come here more often!" And in the meantime, it sucks.

Can be time consuming.

Tomorrow, #5.