10 Simple Stress Busters

Take A Step Back

Worries can pile up quickly in our busy lives - we know. Here are some tips & tricks that have worked for me.

1) Get Creative

Art is extremely therapeutic. The mind is kept busy while creativity is being tapped, and is less apt to wander to stressful thoughts. Emotions can be "released" through an art activity. I learned to paint during a stressful time. Over time, I taught others to paint. Painting taught me to stay present and focused - tuning out all negativity. Music, art, writing - pursue your special skill (browse our site for projects to get you started).

Visit our home decor section for painting lessons and projects. Learn to sew from our many projects. Focus on home improvement. These are all creative outlets that allow the spirit to soar.

2) Visit Nature

Enjoy Nature’s Beauty

We at Spruce & Fjell are huge fans of nature. Hiking through the forests of the Pacific Northwest keeps me sane. It is a healthy break from my usual routines.

When taking in the sights, scents and sounds, I am not stressing and worrying. I am astounded by the beauty God provides. You will see lots of images of the beautiful Pacific Northwest throughout our site.

Make sketches, take photos, or take peaceful walks or set goals for speed and distance - just get out there.

3) Relax with Prayer & Meditation

Meditation & prayer are methods of controlling thoughts and emotions. When I am stressed, I repeat The Lord's prayer - over and over. I have a Buddhist friend who chants daily. Many people meditate.

Listening to tapes of the ocean, rain, birds or other peaceful sounds helps block out the unpleasant sounds of a noisy world. If at home, chanting, praying, meditating and listening to the sounds of nature help take you to a peaceful state of mind. It does not have to take a long time. Start by meditating and relaxing for 30 minutes. Then reduce it to 20. Reduce it a bit each day and soon you will be able to reach the relaxed state with just a short time of reciting your favorite verse.

4) Get It Out In Writing

Whether using your phone or tablet, or old fashion paper and pen, writing can be very productive as a means of emotional release. Write down your fears, frustrations and anger. By doing this, emotions are not stifled, yet they are still private. If possible, consider possible solutions. Write them down, along with pros and cons of each. This will help organize your thoughts and identify problems and (hopefully) solutions.

I once kept a diary during a difficult time. I wrote down my fears about upcoming events. When I went back and read my entries later, I realized how much I worried unnecessarily. It was a learning experience.

5) Visit A Chapel

Heal Your Spirit

For the faithful, a chapel reminds a person that he or she is not alone on this difficult journey. There is a purpose for all things. Churches can be therapeutic places of quiet reflection and hope.

If a church is not where you find comfort, find a quiet place that is meaningful to you. A cup of cofee next to your favorite flower bed in your own back yard might be your perfect place to reflect and regroup.

6) Spend Time With A Pal

Close pals heal our soul.

We all need at least one friend who is silly, makes us laugh, and helps us see the lighter side of life during our difficult times, as well as the good times.

I tend to be a serious person, and I am great at taking action, and handling difficult tasks for myself as well as for others. Sometimes, however, a person does not need advise or help in any of those areas - they just need us to be a friend. Laughter really is the best medicine.

Time with a non-judgmental family member, human friend, or fur friend is important. You trust your doctor, you are following his or her advice, and you now need full escape. The last thing you need is someone telling you your doctor "must be wrong", or "you don't really have anything wrong with you", or any other stressful "information" from a person not educated in your problem.

In fact, you don't even want to talk about your situation. You want escape and fun. Find that silly friend or bundle of furry love and spend some time laughing.

7) Pamper Yourself

Relax

Treat yourself in a very special way - what would you do for a best friend? Do that for yourself. Day off? Hike your favorite trail? Take the wee ones to Grandma’s? Spend some special time for just YOU.

8) Change Your Environment

Take a hike in beautiful nature. Meet a friend for lunch. Spruce up your craft room. Repaint your kitchen. Build a new deck. It can be difficult to get motivated to GET STARTED but changing things up can be just the jump start you need.

Change It Up

Changing up the environment can bring fresh, new perspective on things.

This site if full of projects designed to spruce up your space.

Note: CraftAndFabricLinks is our previous site. We are migrating the content to this site. Same owners - new site.

Clutter increases my anxiety. People telling me "Oh no one cares about the mess" does NOT help me. I see it and know it is work waiting to be done. I am not happy in a cluttered environment. Clutter is not peaceful. I have read reports that state that bedrooms should be painted in calming colors, and created only for sleep. Messy rooms of multi-purpose do not allow good sleep per these reports. For many, re-creating the environment can re-create the emotional state.

Changing your environment can be as easy as de-cluttering a room, or bringing in fresh bouquets of flowers. Redecorating and repainting also freshens up an area. I love to sit outside for my morning coffee, so my husband built beautiful flower boxes. I listen to the birds, enjoy my coffee, and find peace in the beauty of my flowers.

9) Time Management

I once had a job with a description of “make sure galleys get installed on the airplane by the specified date.” It took 3 years to build a plane. That was a very broad job description! It entailed coordinating everything from getting the parts in on time, getting them inspected (and repaired and replaced if necessary), and getting them out to the factory to be installed onto the plane. I broke down every task into main parts, and sub tasks - each with their own deadline. I could glance at my chart and see right away where I was on schedule and where I was getting behind. I also learned to forecast possible problems to head them off before they became a problem. I even used this method when I got married - and again during huge moves. I will be writing posts about this in upcoming articles. My latest huge project was a move from the desert Southwest over 1300 miles to the Pacific Northwest - and then remodeling our new home. And our new home was 1/3 the size of our old home! Believe me - I had an entire spreadsheet of “things to do.” Was I stressed? No - because I had it all down on paper and could easily stay on track.

10) Browse Our Pages

Take up new hobbies, learn new skills, and bust out of stress through self empowerment.