Are We Having Fun Yet?

Wow! It seems like just yesterday we were celebrating the New Year and we turn around and we are celebrating the 4^th of July! YES! The year is already half over. I don’t know about you but I continue to struggle with keeping my life as stress free as possible. It seems the harder I try the more stress comes at me. So I find myself focusing on small things I can do when I find myself at my “wits end”. This past week my husband and I went down to Florida and visited with his sister, her husband and their 2 year old son and 5 week old twins. If you haven’t been around a 2 year old and 5 week old twin boys lately…well…let’s just say they keep you on your toes but in a good way. We had so much fun while we were there and it had me reaching back into my childhood days and thinking about the things that I used to really have fun and enjoy doing. Two things really popped into my mind. I began thinking about how much I loved art and making things and even just sitting down and coloring. While we were there my 2 year old nephew had gotten pretty creative with a rubber band and was using it as a mask. So I decided that we should make him a mask. One piece of construction paper, scissors and a pipe cleaner and voila…we had a super hero mask! It took all of 5 minutes to make but had a much stronger impact on my sanity. It helped me to remember how much fun doing small things like making a mask could be.

                During our trip my husband and I took an evening and went out to a nice restaurant to eat. We were able to get a table out on the patio where we could see the ocean and hear the waves. As we were sitting there I looked down from the patio we were seated on and saw below us a courtyard of grass where a group of children were playing a game chasing and running after each other. YES! They were really playing a game that did not need a battery, charger or plug in. They were laughing and squealing and seemed to be having a great time just enjoying running and each other’s company. It was a great reminder that we should all do the same. It is scientifically proven that face to face social interaction with our family and friends is a wonderful stress reliever. It could be something as simple as walking with a friend and talking during your lunch break or just sitting down and having a cup of coffee.  If you can’t get together with them face to face then try a phone call. No, not a text message or a Facebook post but and actual phone conversation. We can get too caught up in everything else and forget how comforting it can be to hear a friends voice. Sometimes it just needs to be done. J

Here are my stress management tips for today…get back to your childhood roots and do something fun! Get some crayons and a coloring book, paint, play dough, bubbles (which is my 7 year old nieces and my choice), anything that makes you feel fun and free and see if this doesn’t bring your stress levels down a bit. Next…get in touch with family or friends and make some time for some face to face social interaction! I bet you will find some laughter happening in there also which we already know is a stress reducer.

Until Next Time….Just Keep Breathing!