Stress-Reducing Fun

It's easy to get caught up in the busy schedule of day-to-day life. Dinner needs to be made, the kids need bathed and put to bed, the dishes washed, the laundry dried and folded, clothes put out for morning, the vehicles fueled, etc. Finding time to do anything relaxing or fun can be a difficult chore when living in a world that seems to be moving in fast forward. When we do have time off, a lot of us want to spend it at home, catching up on those little things we didn't have time to get to on work days.By then, the stress meter within ourselves is usually running on high. So, how do we reduce stress?

Psych Central has recognized scientific studies of how music is a great stress reducer. I've written about this before. If you've had a bad day, turn on your favorite station and absorb some happiness in the form of tunes.

Parents, how about stress reducers that involve your children? Hug Pages lists more than 30 fun, stress-cutting gaming, pet-loving, building activities that you can do with the kiddos.

Here's one for the books – coloring books, that is. USA Today reported this past December that adults who want to relieve mental strain need only to pick up the crayons (and you thought you outgrew them when you were 12).

Regardless of how you manage the demands of work, home, and everything in between, make sure you take time for yourself. It's extremely important that you take care of you.  If you don't, how are you to take care of anyone else?