Running has done wonders for my stress and anxiety. It's even better when done outside.
It's funny you mentioned yoga because I've wanted to take that up as well for the stress reduction...looks like your happy place is still there.

I'd also recommend Massage Therapy. It is well worth the money spent if you get a the right person. That does wonders for the mind and body. Especially if you deal with inflammation/joint/muscle pain.

This is a challenge for me. The things that I do (or are in the process of incorporating) are long walks -- I find just walking out near my house is really calming. It also doesn't hurt that I live in a pretty picturesque area (Cali wine country). I also have a treadmill desk at work and that has helped just get the energy out and increase physical activity generally.

I do yoga on occasion -- for me, it's hot yoga -- but I'm not terribly consistent with it. I really love it, but it's a big time suck. It's 90 mins, then you have the clean-up (you sweat a ton) so by the time I do it after work, I'm not usually home until 8:30 or so and then eating dinner at well past 9. So, for this reason, I just don't do it nearly as often.

I also lift heavy 3x per week and I feel like this helps with stress a lot -- sometimes it just feels awesome to lift some really heavy weight and/or punch something (I'll do boxing or kickboxing from time to time).

But, what I'm really looking into trying to incorporate into my routine on a regular basis is mindfulness meditation. I used to think it was all a bunch of hooey, but since we're starting to see some serious research come out on it, I've changed my tune. I read Rewire Your Brain and it speaks volumes to the current neurological research out there for mindfulness meditation -- not only to reduce stress but also to "rewire" some of our reactions to stressful or hurtful situations which we've used as coping mechanisms over the years. It's quite fascinating. And, unlike some of the other ones, it's pretty easy to incorporate -- just 20 mins or less a day and can be done pretty much anywhere that's quiet.

As part of this, I've also been using some guided meditations from Deepak Chopra. He partnered with Oprah for some programs -- one was about Perfect Health, which was what got me interested. I download them onto my phone and listen to them at night to wind down. I always sleep the best when I do that.

knittingbandmom wrote: »

I actually told my boss today that I loved her and I would work my tail off for her but that I was not going to bring work home on the weekends and evenings anymore. You could have heard a pin drop. It's not her fault though - we're a growing company and sooner or later (hopefully sooner) the owners will hire more bodies.

Regardless I'm claiming back my time for me so that I can focus on my personal goals too.

Hurray for finding work-life balance! I think of it like an oxygen mask on an airplane. You won't be any good to anybody else unless & until you take care of your own needs first.