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Great Ways to De-Stress -- It Works for Me!

Below are some ways I have found to relax after dealing with high-stress workdays and/or never-ending family life insanity. I really do these things, and they really do work for me. Adapt them to suit your interests and needs, but by all means, do something! Some of these may require more time than others. Some require help from your spouse, a friend, or childcare provider. But they all work for me. Pack them in your toolbox and keep them ready to use.

Take a nap!
On the way home from work, stop at the local library or bookstore and browse the shelves for 20 minutes. Dinner can wait.
Tuck the kids into bed, then soak in the tub for a long, bubbly bath. Light some candles, turn off the lights and relax!
Find a quiet corner at work for a lunchtime break. Read a favorite magazine, listen to good music, or read a good book.
Take a walk around the neighborhood. Notice the trees leafing out for the spring, the tulips and daffodils blooming and the grass growing.
During a rotten day at work, take a few minutes to write "Things will be better when I'm more relaxed" 25 times. Read it a few times. Believe it.
Complain of a stomach ache, lock yourself in the bathroom and turn on the exhaust fan. No one will want to bother you, believe me!
Hug your kids. Hug your spouse. Hug them all again. And again. Ask them for more hugs.
Find a hobby - mine is currently... what else? Writing HTML for my new personal webpage!
Putter around in the garden. Dig a hole. Pull some weeds. Imagine that they're your problems, and throw them in the compost pile.
Look through old photo albums.
Organize those old photo albums - get the snapshots out of the shoeboxes and kitchen drawers and into frames or albums.
Visit Moms Online, especially their Time Out section.

Got a few stress-busters of your own? E-mail them to me, and I'll include them here!