Stress Relief

Running is my primary method of relieving stress—working up a sweat, being outdoors, and having quiet time to myself all seem to evaporate tension and help me reframe my perspective in a way that other forms of exercise don’t seem to match. But since my injured leg still isn’t quite up to running yet (Come on, already. It’s been almost a month! See, this is why I need to run—it helps me, ahem, unwind), I’m having to turn to other forms of stress relief while I wait to get back on the road.

For example, I also love baking. Since I am not running, however, I have to limit my reliance on this tension tamer.

Reading works well for me too. I enjoy getting lost in a story and opening myself up to others’ experiences and thoughts. Thankfully, this weekend was a well-timed literary extravaganza in Boston. On Thursday night, a friend invited me to attend a reading by Tayari Jones, author of Silver Sparrow. If the rest of the book is as good as the first chapter she read to us, I’m in for a treat. And after the event, a large group of us went out for drinks with Tayari, which made me so grateful that Boston is such a welcoming community for writers. Then on Saturday, there was the third annual Boston Book Festival, which was a bit overwhelming in its fabulousness. In addition to all the booths set up for every literary organization in Boston and beyond, there were top-notch panels of authors on topics ranging from crime fiction to graphic novels. I attended one on Funny Kids’ Fiction (kudos to the moderator for only allowing kids to ask questions of the panel) and one called Fiction: Truth and Consequences, about stories drawn from difficult real-life events or circumstances. Hearing the authors speak about their books and how they write in such varying ways about what is important to them, I came away with a renewed love for reading and a willingness to read some things that I wouldn’t have picked up otherwise. And a stack of books to tide me over until my leg heals!

So excuse me while I go curl up on the couch with a book I bought at the festival (The Fingertips of Duncan Dorfman by Meg Wolitzer, who was on the Funny Kids’ Fiction panel) and a plate of chocolate chip cookies. What do you do to relieve stress?