Okay, so, yesterday was stressful. Actually, life in general has been pretty stressful lately. We’ve had our confusing complications with Baby #2 that we won’t really find more about until birth- which, really, sometimes the “not knowing” is the toughest part, you know? That’s when the worry sets in. That’s when the stress really comes to an all-time high. And then, yesterday just sucked in general. I was supposed to have a dentist appointment, but the place I went to was TERRIBLE, and it was my first time there, and I had to wait for an hour and a half (YES, ONE HOUR AND 30 MINUTES) only to be told that they couldn’t even clean my teeth (even sans x-rays) without a referral from my OBGYN, because I’m pregnant? What?? And why didn’t the front staff know that so when they see a pregnant woman walk in, instead of checking her in and having her wait almost two hours, they could kindly let her know that, and save her from wasting her time? And thennnn on top of that, I’ve had this awful cold that just keeps getting worse (although I think I’m on the mend, thank God!) and I sound like a man and have to blow my nose every ten minutes. And it was raining, and I hate driving in the rain, because somehow everyone in California forgets how to drive when it’s raining. So yeah. Yesterday was just annoying- and this all happened before 11 AM. Fun.
Sooooo. With all that being said, when I got home and vented all of my frustration to my dear husband (God bless him) I decided I needed to calm the eff down. So first, we headed to Target, because retail therapy, duh. I got lots of cute little things for Christmas and some DIY projects coming up that I’ll be sharing soon! And that helped a lot. But I was still kind of on edge and having trouble shaking my bad mood. SO. Then I turned to something I had just received in the mail (God’s timing, I swear!)- adult coloring books! Now, I had never heard of this before, but you guys. It’s genius. Coloring books. For adults. And all that means is, they aren’t juvenile. You know, you don’t have to color Barney or whatever. Instead, it’s a bunch of beautiful pages of artwork and doodles and pretty shapes- all waiting there in black and white, ready to be filled in with color. And so I opened one up, poured myself a cup of tea, played my favorite Pandora station (right now it’s Andrew McMahon- give it a listen) and sat there coloring. And it. Was. Awesome. I can’t even tell you what a great stress reliever it was! Instantly, I found myself smiling.
And here’s the great thing about coloring: you don’t have to be some great artist to do it. Everyone is good at coloring. I think that’s what makes it so therapeutic and calming and, well, fun. There’s no pressure in it. There’s no frustrations. You just pick up your markers and go to town. It’s fun. It brings you back to your childhood. And it’s for everyone, of all ages. :)
one // two // three // fourIf you ever find yourself stressed out (which, the holidays are coming, so that’s going to be pretty inevitable) or having a bad day and just need something to cheer you up, I recommend picking up a coloring book. It would also make for an awesome Christmas present for the young at heart on your list (or the high-strung… ha)! Coloring is just therapeutic, it’s true. :)
I’m curious: How do you relieve stress?
xo
Sorry for your bad day, Katie, but good for you for making the effort to turn it around! I love coloring in adult coloring books as well! Great stress reliever. You can also find a bunch of individual pages on Pinterest for free. Best wishes for you and the baby! Can’t wait to find out the gender next week!
That’s amazing- Pinterest has so many awesome things! And eeeek I can’t wait to find out the gender, either!! SO excited!
xo
That sucks that you had such a rough day. I swear we could be close friends because I color to relief stress too! It’s amazing how therapeutic it is. I need to get some adult coloring books though – new item for my Christmas wishlist ;)
Yesss that’s awesome!! Coloring is so fun. :)
xo
Awww, I feel for you. Being pregnant, is hard enough, without trouble to go with it. As for handling stress. I ALWAYS go for a run and it makes me feel better. If I can’t run, then I make tea (or, let’s be honest here. Grab a glass of wine (doesn’t work if your preggie :/) and watch an episode of Gilmore Girls (or some other, feel-good show) :)
LOVE that!! And tea and Gilmore Girls?! Well, I know what I’m doing tonight!
xo
isnt it such good stress relief. My favourite adult coloring books are Animal Kingdom and Tropical World
I actually just ordered myself an adult colouring book and pencil crayons last week – what a relaxing activity! The last few times I got out paper and crayons for my son I had such a fun time doodling (which I have no artistic abilities to draw anything) that I decided to go ahead and jump on the adult colouring book band wagon.
Normally I love to knit or crochet to relax, but I have so many Christmas gift projects planned this year it’s almost overwhelming and well … Stressful. So spending a few evenings wasting time colouring instead was a great break last week and helped renewing my yarn craft zeal!
I’m so sorry for your bad day! I had a similar experience last week, 20 week ultrasound at a new obgyn, nearly got in 2 accidents on the way there then had to wait an hour to be seen, only to have to rush back to work afterwards. Without having any food because i forgot to eat lunch :(
After all that I went on a solo trip to Target and leisurely wandered around which made me feel 10x better (although my husband will never understand lol). Hanging out with my kittens also helps! I’m definitely picking up an adult coloring book for next time I’m feeling stressed!
I love coloring books, I don’t even mind coloring books that are of Disney movies & princesses :p But I also like to listen to music, go for a drive, take my dog for a walk, or cuddle with my cats and dog.
The one thing that almost always helps is venting it out to my boyfriend.. he just listens and adds the right words in so I know he’s listening and on my side lol. Sometimes he bounces back ideas, suggestions, or little things that make me feel better or make me a little more open minded about situations.
Yes, love Andrew McMahon! Just saw him Sunday night (first date night without our baby who is 8 weeks old). I’ve seen him in concert about 15 times and now I song Cecilia and the satellite to my baby girl!
I swear, this is the second time today I have read about “adult coloring books” – I did not know they existed! I used to just grab something deemed for kids that I still enjoyed like, ya know, Hello Kitty or something. ;) May have to check into this!! I love a good stress reliever!