Stressed out over school, exams or life in general? These activities are guaranteed to de-stress any teen, college student or young adult - and they work well for grown-ups too.
1. Hold a Movie Marathon
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Make popcorn and watch your favorite movie or host a dorm movie marathon – hold a Hitchcock suspense-a-thon, watch all three “Scream” flicks or launch a bad sci-fi fest - or a good one. The new "Star Trek" is out on DVD, after all. Or click here for more movie ideas.
2. Hit the Gym or the Ice Rink
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Hit the gym, work up a sweat then relax in the sauna, steam room or hot tub (or just take a really long, hot shower). Lace up the ice skates or roller skates and head for the rink. Or just go for a run.
3. Take a Class
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It may sound counter-intuitive to take a class when it's school that's making you crazy with stress, but taking a different sort of course - yoga, clay, painting, dance or music lesson - stretches the brain in different ways and refreshes and energizes the spirit.
4. Re-Read Harry Potter
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Read a great book that has nothing to do with school or work - a thriller, comedy, graphic novel ("300" by Frank Miller and Lynn Varley is a great choice), or the "Harry Potter" series again. Or, Melissa Anelli's "Harry, a History," about Potter fandom, wizard wrock and how the Boy-Who-Lived became so popular. Or, anything on the topic of zombies or vampires.
5. Play a Board Game
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Gather up a group and play "Apples to Apples," "Loaded Questions," or any another board game that makes you laugh hysterically. (Check out this list for more great board game ideas too.)
6. Become a Guitar Hero
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Challenge a roommate or friend to a rousing round of Rock Band, Guitar Hero, Halo 3, Wii sports or any other favorite video game. (The new "Beatles: Rock Band" edition looks like fun too.) Just be careful to play for an hour or two, not 24.
7. Go For a Long Walk
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Bundle up, wrap a fuzzy muffler around your neck and go for a long walk with a friend.
8. Visit an Art Gallery
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Hit the campus art museum or a local gallery. If it’s a major art museum, pick up an art scavenger hunt for kids at the front desk and go do it. (You probably won’t get a prize sticker at the end, seeing as you’re not a kid, but that’s OK.)
9. Listen to Music
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Put on a head set and listen to your favorite music, whether it's Shostakovich or Jack Johnson (pictured), at a volume loud enough to block out the rest of the world. Or, get in the shower and sing your heart out.
10. Bake Cookies
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Bake a batch of chocolate chip cookies. Eat them while they’re still hot and the chocolate chips are melty. Or, learn to cook something new. Whether it's tikka masala or lasagna, there's a beginner cookbook out there for everyone, including college kids and 20somethings.
