Natural stress relief techniques

I don't know what it is about fall, but it's always so busy. Maybe it's because the holidays are approaching, or maybe it all ties in with the back to school season, it never fails that things always pick up around this time of year. While that's not necessarily a bad thing - yay! productivity! - it can lead to feeling a little (or a lot..) stressed.

Take Time to Recharge

It's hard to relax and feel calm if you're always on the go. It's important to have some time out to just chill out, read a book, or whatever makes you feel happy. I don't know about you, but sometimes I get into these ruts where I feel guilty about every wasted minute not spent doing something "productive." But that's insane - if you're busy counting and agonizing every moment, it's no surprise that stress will follow. It's okay to take time out to do something completely frivolous.

Between freelancing full time and raising two boys, I don't always take that time. In fact, my husband will often ask me to watch a movie with him only to find me typing away on my laptop halfway through it. Whoops. When I do step away and actually relax, there are lots of things I like to do:

• Watch movies with my husband (without busting out the laptop).
• Go for a family hike in the woods (yes, we have woods in North Dakota! .....kind of.)
• Take a much-needed nap!
• Read actual books with actual pages. Lately, I've been working my way through the Hunger Games - SO GOOD!
• Clean. I know this doesn't sound like relaxation, but it feels really good to me and sometimes I feel TOO GUILTY ABOUT NOT WORKING that I put it off. It's pretty sick, I know.
• Connect with friends and family - something I wish I did much more!