Stress Busters

I don't know about you, but one of the reasons I tend to eat more of things I shouldn't is stress. Well, I like to blame it on stress. In the past few months, I've left family and friends behind and moved to another state, left my job after twelve years, am living with my daughter and her family, continue building my freelance writing business, have been looking for a house for three months... You get the idea. I've got stress going on.

In my writing life, I've taken on new responsibilities with more deadlines, more editing clients, my book Windwalker had to be read one last time before release, Change From the Heart had to be finished up and submitted (that is in the process by the way), plus reading through the first draft of Beyond the Seventh Gate trying to get rewrites and edits done before the end of the year... Again, yes there is stress.

The point is, life is full of stress. I could fill this blog with stressful things, however overeating or junk food binging is not the answer. According to Mark Gorkin's Stress Doc's "Top Ten" Stress Tips, exercise is the number one stress buster. " Exercise releases mood-enhancing chemicals, like endorphins, the mind-body's natural painkiller and mood calmer. Briskly walking 2-3 miles allows us to experience a tangible sense of accomplishment and control. When everything is up in the air, exercise helps us feel grounded. Even better if you can find an exercise buddy."

So instead of reaching for a cookie, slip on a jacket and head out the door. Give yourself time to think and go release some of the mood-enhancing chemicals.

Donna Sundblad, author of Pumping Your Muse and
Windwalker