Meditate*relax under a shade tree*Listen to relaxing music*read junk mail*visit an art gallery*say "no" more often*set priorities in your life*rent a clasic film*use your time wisely*simplify meal tmies*buy yourself a present*anticipate your needs*take a walk at sunset*look at problems as challenges*take a drive in the country*color in a children's coloring book*be yourself*give a rival a compliment*look for the silver lining*teach a kid to fly a kite*walk in the rain*avoid negative people*schedule some playtime every day*take a bubble bath*believe in you*turn off the news*

laugh*visualize yourself winning*dance a jig*set goals for yourself*have a picnic in the park*hug a friend*gaze at the stars

breath slowly*read a poem*listen to a symphony*sing in the shower*take a child to the zoo*leave everything a little better than you found it*plant flowers every spring*stop blaming others

count your blessings*eat a chocolate ice cream cone with a child*read the comics*watch a ballet*pick wildflowers on an east texas highway*see a G rated movie*watch bugs bunny*take stock of your acheivements*

find support from others*travel somewhere new*be cheerful and optimistic*do everything in moderation*ride a roller coaster*avoid bringing your work home*strive for excellance, not perfection*

read your horoscope with a friend*look at old pictures*hum a jingle*maintain your weight*plant a tree on your birthday*feed the birds*practice grace under pressure*stand up and stretch*

take a nap on the couch*doodle*tell a joke*make a milkshake*learn to meet your own needs*become a better listener*take a trip to the beach*daydream*volunteer your time*take charge of change*

make a paper airplane*exercise*sing a song outloud*go to bed early*read a romance novel*play pattycake with a child*write an old friend*take a different route to work*take a cool shower*put a tee shirt on and kick back*

call a long distance friend*wear a funky tie or hat to work*go to a little league game and cheer*eat a meal by candlelight*recognize the importance of unconditional love*chew gum*

bake homemade cookies and eat them out of the oven*heep a journal*read a childrens book*visit a different church*remember you have options*have a support network of people*quit trying to change other people*try a new menu item*freely praise other people*read this again*

PS Relax-take each day at a time...you have the rest of your life to live.

I have seen this before and saw it again tonight. While it borders on the incredibly trite at times, I think it has kernels that every one who reads it will find. And everyone who reads it should try one of the 101 today. See if your day goes better. Let us know which one and how you felt.

-- FutureShock (gray@matter.think), September 13, 2000

Answers

...and speaking of stress...

It's not quite midnight, yet the blackbirds have been wondering where in tarnation you've been.

-- flora (***@__._), September 14, 2000.

Sounds nice, but that ain't the American way no more.

Can you say...

BUD

WEIS

ER

-- sheeple (brains pickled @ by. corporations), September 14, 2000.

"wear a funky tie to work"

I don't have a funky tie. Is funky underwear OK?

-- (nemesis@awol.com), September 14, 2000.

Do a little dance,

Make a lttle love,

Get down tonight.

-- capnfun (capnfun1@excite.com), September 14, 2000.

I like to sit in front of my house and listen for the roar of Siegfried and Roy's tigers (they're a block away). It's one of the most beautiful and soothing sounds. Always puts a smile on my face. (Did it just last evening in fact.)

Thanks for this, FS...very timely.

-- Patricia (PatriciaS@lasvegas.com), September 14, 2000.

Thanks from me, also, FS. I realized Tuesday that I was under stress when my upper back started to hurt. By Wednesday, I had pain radiating into my right arm. Now Thursday, my whole back hurts. I have my heaviest load of classes on Thursdays. I'm going to stay home, take a hot bath, and devote the rest of the week and weekend to catching up in my math classes, studying for my human growth test, and doing it all in a very relaxed manner.

-- Anita (Anita_S3@hotmail.com), September 14, 2000.

Three comments, FS: Yes, yes and yes! Thank you for the reminder.

I'd like to add a few things for now:

Try to see the humor in many things; laugh some more; try to take some things in life a little less seriously -- especially if you have no control over them; learn when and how to let go of stuff that's been bugging you; focus on the good things in your life.

AND

Buy one of these...

A Good Stress Reducer

Good luck with your classes, 'Nita.

-- eve (eve_rebekah@yahoo.com), September 14, 2000.

Eve--

We just had a thread on whether TV is evil. Now you bring in TV remotes! Sheesh, it's all too confusing. I think I'll become an old-order Amish. Do you need any buttons?

-- Lars (lars@indy.net), September 14, 2000.

I liked most all of it except. Read junk mail! Just getting junk mail irks me, more trash for landfills. Read a romance novel--what a waste of trees! Visit a different church--Shoot Me first!!

But I especially liked feed the birds, listen to a symphony, read poetry. and be a better listener. But they left out some of my favorites. Petting and snuggling with my cats. Playing soccer with the dogs. (Animals are greater stress relievers than people.) Walking on the beach, especially during a full moon.

-- gilda (jess@listbot.com), September 14, 2000.

One of the things that I have been doing more lately is laughing at myself. No reason what so ever, sometimes I just laugh at myself. Cheers up my attitude right away.

-- (Sheeple@Greener.Pastures), September 14, 2000.

Sheeple:

I should lend you my body for a while. While I'm not NORMALLY a lover of slap-stick humor, when one has a body that can trip over a dust-ball, or a mind that can be so lost in concentration that one runs into a wall, I can't help but find humor in it.

-- Anita (Anita_S3@hotmail.com), September 14, 2000.

Funny, I've been laughing at you a great deal lately too, Sheeple. Cheers up my attitude right away, also. Such a coinskedensk!

{Ok, I went for the easy yuk. But can ya fault me?}

-- Bingo1 (howe9@shentel.net), September 15, 2000.

FS-

Maybe this falls under *meet your own needs* but my favorite one, which is not listed is to watch the sun rise over the mountains, feeling the morning air against your skin, watching the metamorphosis. I am reminded that every midnight turns itself to dawn. Can we not just as easily change ourselves if we wish or desire it enough? And yes, it is work!

This gets my juice going in the morning! Nice post BTW! Thanks FS.

-- Aunt Bee (Aunt__Bee@hotmail.com), September 16, 2000.

Anita - why would I need your body, when mine does the same?

Bingo - glad to be of service to give you a few chuckles.

AB - yes, watching the sun rise or set is very calming. Being out in nature to enjoy the peace and quiet, smell the wonderful smells, hear nature all around all transform me into a calm person. Maybe I should take a weekend get-a-way and be one with nature.

-- (Sheeple@Greener.Pastures), September 16, 2000.