How Do I Release Stress?

Stress is inevitable when it comes to life. Everyone has experienced stress in their lifetime. How do we deal with that stress though? By releasing it onto something else. I have five ways that really help me to release stress and clear my head. Let's get started.

Reading Books

Honestly, I've read/listened to so many books this year. If you check out my Goodreads profile you will see I've read forty five books so far this year. Although, I have been cheating ever so slightly. I decided to go on a nostalgia trip and listen to some Horrid Henry audiobooks and I couldn't resist trying to listen to all of them. Luckily a lot of them are available on YouTube so I have cheated ever so slightly but an audiobook does count as reading so I guess that's something. Reading definitely releases stress for me as I like to get lost in a book. Audiobooks are my favourite because I can listen to books on the go. Plus it allows me to read more than I normally would. Books allow me to escape and just forget about really for a short time. That's why it helps me to release stress.

Video Games

I love playing video games, especially games I've played multiple times. I know all the secrets and how to 100% them. It just gives me a chance not to think and just play. It brings back all the memories of when I first played it and that brings me so much joy. I also have a habit of collecting Playstation trophies, at the moment I'm trying to get as many Tomb Raider trophies as I possibly can. It's going well so far although some trophies are very frustrating to get but it makes me determined to get them and gives me a bit of focus. It's a great distraction plus I can release a bit of rage especially when I'm playing Tomb Raider. That is something that releases stress.

Going for a walk

Just getting outside and walking for a bit really does improve your mental health. Sometimes being cooped up inside can allow you to harbour all your thoughts and feelings making you feel unmotivated to do anything. Getting dressed and just going for a walk can really help you because it clears your head and also you're doing a daily exercise by just moving your body. It doesn't have to be far, you can go up the road or just around the block. Make it fun by listening to an audiobook or music while you walk as it can give you something to focus on. Going for a walk really helps with stress both mentally and physically. 

Journaling 

I've said it before and I'll say it again, journaling has really helped me out with my feelings over the years. I've actually read my journals from when I was a third year university student and it's a very interesting read because I was in a darker place back then as I went through an existential crisis of not knowing what I was going to do with my life. I was also dealing with heartbreak at the time that messed with my head so journaling really helped me channel my feelings into something. It really does help with stress because writing everything down makes you feel like a weight has been lifted off your shoulders. It's almost like therapy in a sense because you're expressing your feelings by writing them down. Plus it's a bit more private because it's just you and the journal. Nobody else can read because you'll have to find the hiding spot first. Hehe. In all seriousness, journaling has really helped me out with releasing stress and made me feel so much better for it.

Watching YouTube videos

There's something about watching YouTube videos that's relaxing but also a great distraction. I can easily get lost in an endless trail of YouTube videos and suddenly the time has flown by. This helps me release stress because it acts as a distraction from how I'm feeling. It also helps when I find content that makes me genuinely laugh out loud. That is a great feeling because you can't even explain why something has made you laugh. Believe my mum has asked me many times why I'm laughing out loud while watching a YouTube video and I can't even explain it. I just tell her I'm watching a video and she understands. We all like different forms of content and for me I grew up with YouTube and always found good content that has brought me joy over the years and it still does to this day. It's a great distraction from being stressed and helps me out in the long run.

There we have it. Those are my five ways of releasing stress. Let me know something that helps you release stress in the comments below. I would love to hear your thoughts.

Thanks again for taking the time to read my blog and I'll be back tomorrow with another post.

See you then. 

Megan x

*This is not a sponsored post*

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