Humorous stress relief- please post something that helped ease your stress

[Googie]

I have found that when I am under a tremendous amount of stress and feel like I am about to come out of my skin; if I sing out loud I start to feel better.  The problem with me singing is that it is the most unpleasant sound that any living creature should have the misfortune to hear.  So when my kids reacted by bribing me with a few dollars to stop which really made me laugh, this new coping skill was born.  Everyone was laughing and kidding around which was such a rare thing to have happened in our home.

Another time when I was stressing over my homework, I overheard my teenage girls cracking up over the way Bob Ross spoke about his happy little trees and bubbling bushes.  They started to mimic him which was hysterical and again we were all laughing and lightening our moods.

So my question to you guys is... .    What do you find yourself doing to alleviate your stress that is a bit wacky.

i can use all the help I can get and so could my kids so if anyone has a funny stress relief story, please share so we can add it to our list of coping skills. 

I ended up singing (with a friend) really cheesy 80's songs last night, and even sang one in my Bob Ross voice.  I changed some of the words to include happy trees and fluffy florals. 

Whatever works, right.  Bottom line, we had a blast and I felt like I had a full tank of gas again to continue life as we have come to know it.

Googie

Our objective is to better understand the struggles our child faces and to learn the skills to improve our relationship and provide a supportive environment and also improve on our own emotional responses, attitudes and effectiveness as a family leaders

[Kate4queen]

I sing this when things get a bit stressful. It's like my mantra.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWM2joNb9NE&feature=player_embedded#!

[lbjnltx]

That's hilarious Googie!

In my more stressful times of the past... .  I would get on the riding lawn mower and mow for a couple of hours singing at the top of my lungs... .  usually Christian Praise songs... .  it  was great!  The only one who could hear me was God!  When my throat started to hurt I would practice my radical acceptance.

Today... .  I make sarcastic and exagerated jokes to anybody who can relate until I make myself laugh.

[mikmik]

G  oogie,

Went to my book club "gift exchange" last night.  Met some other women at a store that sells, well, you know, adult toys... .    ANYWAY, instead of tying a cute Christmas ornament on the gift bag containing the book I purchased. several of us bought "toys" and tied them to the outside of the gift bags.  It was a hoot. It was silly.  We laughed a lot.  AND all of the toys were passed around, and then went back to the "new owners" and into their purses.  So, I say, "silly" with your friends, does a lot to displace the stress.  OMG.  I can't believe I did that!

mk

[griz]

I have found humor helps to not only defuse a situation but also get me through some very difficult times.  The other night my DD was pestering me about something she wanted and was being relentless.  No matter what I did or where I went she followed me continuing to try to discuss this.  Finally she asked me why I wouldn't buy her this ridiculous shirt she wanted so I turned to her and I said "Sorry I am not taking any more questions".  She looked at me like I was crazy and said what does that mean so I said well when politicians don't want to answer something they tell reporters sorry I am not taking any more questions so for the rest of the night I am evoking my same rights she answered with fine then I will be a reporter and she went and got a pad and pencil and started following me asking questions.  Well the questions got funnier and funnier and my responses were equally ridiculous like, please call my lawyer, sorry I cannot comment on that and I am sorry but we are still investigating this and I cannot say anymore on the subject.  Before we knew it the subject of the stupid shirt was gone and we were laughing hysterically. Shortly after that my other daughter came home and was wondering what we were doing.  DD told her that she was a reporter for the NY Times and I was a congresswoman and if she had any questions she would need to get her own pad and pencil. She also told her sister to be careful not to make me mad since I was the only member of congress in this house and had the ultimate power to raise taxes. 

We had a very good laugh, defused the whole escalating conversation and for the first time in a very long time we were laughing together.  It felt really nice.

Griz

[lbjnltx]

Priceless griz!

I hope next time she becomes "relentless" she can be affectively reminded of this situation and back off.

[Thursday]

Whenever possible, I go to thrift stores with my nonDD.

Most recently she put on a boxing helmet and a man's robe and she did a routine with a pair of nunchucks like she was Bruce Lee crossed with Muhammed Ali.

She's come out of the dressing room wearing a man's suit... .  tie, shoes, everything. Or she will disappear and reappear wearing a wedding gown.

She makes me try on really ugly clothes.

We've been told to stop or leave. 

thursday

[Speedracer]

I have a best friend with an adopted daughter who has many, many issues. We call each other whenever something so wacky is going on no one else in the world would believe it, or it is just too embarrassing for anyone else to ever know. "You would not believe what this kid is doing in the middle of the kitchen right now." "OMG you are not going to believe this one." Texting has really made this fun. We give each other great advice and fresh perspective from all the therapy & doctor offices we've been in. We both have a great sense of humor and make each other laugh until we cry. We also assure each other of the bright futures our children will one day have out in the world supporting and caring for themselves.

When my dd16 went missing/ran away she and another friend showed up at my house in 10 minutes with wine ready to set up command central looking for her & comforting the younger siblings. A detective was in my driveway & my friend was pouring my glass in front of him!

In addition to that, I never feel guilty setting time & $ aside for a full body massage, or even an $11 manicure! And now that I have found this site, it's a great stress relief too!

[Googie]

Speedracer-

I do the same thing with my kids and a few of my friends as well.  So much fun!  We find the tackiest outfits and walk around the store acting goofy.  We too have  been threatened to be kicked out of the store.

We also partake in Walmart Wars.  We go directly to the toy aisle and get different colored light sabers and play something similar to the old school game "Capture the Flag" all over the store.  I have done my best jedi saber maneuvers down the automotive aisles.  (theres never anybody there)  Big beware... .    big brother is watching every move cause every single time we have gone (about 4) they have always sought us out, we incorporated them into the game, .


Googie

[trainwreck4]

I find my laughter definitely responds to the ridiculous. Last night, my BPDd15 was formed at the hospital. This means because she tried to overdose on pills, she was under an automatic 72 hour assessment/observation period. I cried my face off when they came to take her clothing earrings etc... .  Because she was scared.  When the doctor returned with the document stating she would be under their care for 72 hours she glared at him and said quite arrogantly"I am not signing this". I almost had to leave the cubicle because hysterical laughter was bubbling up inside of me.  I managed to say quite soberly that "i don't think this situation requires your signature". How demented am i?

[Speedracer]

trainwreck, that is very humorous & cute amidst a terrifying situation. You want to hear something that I will never forget made me laugh? My dd SIXTEEN was OUT of her mind after running away with a psychopathic drug using, gun toting ex FIANCE who was trying to trap her by getting her pregnant, being returned against her will. My husband was out of town with his buddies to attend a football game. He had to drop everything & immediately return home, missing the game. (You know the moms do 99% of the work here) After a few police visits because we could not control her, they told us they could not transport her to the hospital for fear of being sued (by a 16 year old?) We somehow managed to get her there. While in the waiting room at the mental hospital (for lack of a better word), I had to look away in complete laughter as she screamed at my husband in front of everyone waving her hand in the air "I need to make a phone call! My FIANCE has every right to know where I am!" Wal-Mart engagement ring in the air for all to see. My husband does NOT like attention drawn to him at all. He was FINALLY getting a small dose of the embarrassment & mortification I've had nonstop for years. He's Irish descent & has high blood pressure. His head & ears were as red as a ripe tomato. I thought he would have a heart attack right there. Thankfully this too as passed & things are stable, the jerk fiancé is out of our lives. I will forever have the memory that makes me chuckle every time I think of it.

Our objective is to better understand the struggles our child faces and to learn the skills to improve our relationship and provide a supportive environment and also improve on our own emotional responses, attitudes and effectiveness as a family leaders

[momontherun]

You all sound like a lot of fun! I too, like to sing although I sound like a cat being strangled - when that urge comes on I insist we play guitar hero on the wii or rock band on the xbox... .  I sing while the kids play guitar and drums. Then we trade off every other song - I am tone deaf and uncoordinated leaving me at the butt end of their teasing. This usually turns into "your momma" jokes which is always hilarious listening to siblings going back and forth. I have heard a lot of them but every once in awhile they catch me off guard and say a really funny one. My favorite is your momma's so fat someone came in from outside saying its chili out there - she got excited and ran out with a spoon 

When I am really stressed, I exert most of my energy into deep cleaning which tires me out then I can relax as I am too tired to stress for the moment however the house is pretty clean. So to fill this need i'l make baking soda snow balls (put baking soda in a bowl an mix in some lavender essential oil, fill pantyhose with baking soda tying off each end then cut the sections). I will set up a bowl with a note saying your going down then find a hiding spot for my ambush. Once I am ready I will call the kids into the room - once they see it they start grabbing the flour balls and the hunt begins. This leads into a tickle fight for a couple minutes then we talk about what we were thinking and lay out strategies for next time. Yes, this makes a huge mess and by the time we are done baking soda is everywhere so the kids find another activity while I get out my kirby vacuum and suck it all up leaving the house smelling clean and fresh. When I am done we all relax finding something on tv to watch together.

Sometimes, i'll do the same thing but instead of the "snowballs" i'll line up squirt bottles filled with 1/2 vinegar, 1/2 water, a couple drops of dawn dish soap and a few drops of essential oil (usually lavender or lemon) for an inside cleaning water fight but this one is reserved for my carpet/upholstery cleaning days. When I am done we camp out in the mudroom (which is the size of a master bedroom) to stay off of everything til it dries. We make tents out of sheets, turn of the lights and get out the flashlights to tell scary stories, do shadow puppet shows and/or "the feelings" game (a feeling is chosen like I love or get frustrated etc. when then go round in a circle picking a thing as we go through the alphabet ie. Subject: I love when then i'll start with A= All the stars are shining then next oldest gets B and so on keeping it going taking turns til Z).

When I have errands, the kids get pretty bored so they'll come up with a harmless activity like at walmart dd15 will play the greeter standing at the door until I check out, ds11 will find spots and pose like a mannequin, ds4 likes his baby- really lifelike and almost bigger than him - we dress it up in his old baby clothes insisting taking it everywhere yet he gets tired of carrying it so it usually ends up in the basket sometimes covered with a blanket. Many people thought it was real and gasped when it got dropped, fell out of the cart or picking it up by its leg to get it out of the basket - so this became a game having to dress it up before we go out.

[Googie]

Speedracer-

When I read your post about your daughter demanding to call her fiance with her Walmart engagement ring hand in the air, I could not help but think of that Mad TV skit Bon Qui Qui.  Here's a link so you can giggle a little along with me.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZkdcYlOn5M

"I have a complicated order!"  our lives are full of complicated orders dictated by the actions and consequences of our kids. 

[trainwreck4]

Speedracer, I laughed when I read your post and I needed a laugh!  (i just came from visiting my BPDd15 on the adolescent psychiatric unit). Sometimes things get so ridiculous, the hysterical laughter just bubbles up in me... .  

[almostvegan]

These are great!

Sometimes when I'm getting the " mom! Mom! Mom! Mom!" And I'm ready to explode ill say" sorry mom is not available right now. Please leave a message and she will call you back when she's able"

Often it just gets the offending person annoyed but truth is, it helps ME feel better and ill get left alone!

It might not be the best solution but it helps me from exploding.

[Googie]

almostvegan-

When my kids are bombarding me with their demands I tell them "Mom is not the name I am answering to today" then they start guessing what name I'll respond to (which they would never guess in a million years).  This keeps them occupied long enough to forget what they were asking me about in the first place.  Then quickly re-direct.

[Speedracer]

Thanks trainwreck4! Our kids are a "complicated order!"

[Speedracer]

Almost vegan, tell them to call you "Hot Mama!"

[oglobaith]

A few jokes from a joke book for girls is my way - or a good walk with my beautiful sheltie (when the weather;s good enough)

[sisterandmom]

Not so humerous, but my DD15 and I tend to break out the crafts either together or individually. Usually we spin - making our own yarn - not exercising! There is something magical and zen between the softness of the fiber and the motion of the spinning wheel. Or we will do Zentangles together (very meditative). We are both artists and in making something, we lose ourselves to the process and feel better.

[Jai Yen]

I can feel it when the stress starts to build up so I've developed ways to get it under control. Lately, the stress has been even higher than normal because I'm living with a great deal of uncertainty so almost on a daily basis I do one of the following: Bikram (hot) Yoga, CrossFit, or I climb a mountain near by - put a podcast (something positive and motivational) on my ipod and hike for an hour or so. These activities help me sleep too which helps to keep stress under control. I keep my diet as simple as possible. I also, watch funny movies and TV shows like Family Guy. Finally, I hang out with good friends several times a week. It's really important to do these things on a regular basis to enjoy the benefits.

Our objective is to better understand the struggles our child faces and to learn the skills to improve our relationship and provide a supportive environment and also improve on our own emotional responses, attitudes and effectiveness as a family leaders