Quick stress busters

The lockdown’s easing, most of us have had our second shots, and we’re starting to feel hopeful about the future. But a lot of us are still carrying the burden of over a year of stress and isolation. We’re also feeling the added stress of insecurity. Because we are seniors we tend to have weakened immune systems, so what can we safely do?

If stress and anxiety are becoming a serious problem, of course you should talk to your doctor. But if you think the stress is manageable, here are some stress relievers. These are just quick fixes; they’re not therapy. I won’t mention deep breathing and meditation and exercise and yoga, because you already know about those.

• Herbal tea, especially lemon balm, green, camomile or peppermint. I found camomile works best for me, but try them all out and see what works best for you.
• Puzzles, any kind: crosswords, variety puzzles, Sudoku, jigsaws. They focus the mind in a restful but stimulating way. If you don’t have any puzzles lying around, you can find some online here.
• Fix something: darn a sock, unclog the drain, pull some weeds. It makes you feel in charge again.
• Read some good news stories. The Toronto Star has a series of them here.
• Eat dark chocolate. Not too much, not too sweet, or you’ll give yourself new things to worry about.
• Listen to old radio shows. Take a trip down memory lane, have a laugh. You’ll find some here.
• Make chicken soup. It’s not hard and you’ll feel good all over. Chop an onion and a couple of stalks of celery and cook them in a bit of water or oil until softened. Add 6 cups of water, ½ cup white wine, 2 bone-in chicken thighs with skin removed, a bay leaf and some thyme. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 40 minutes. Remove chicken pieces, separate chicken from bone, cut into bite-size pieces and return chicken to saucepan. Discard bones. Add a chopped carrot or two and ½ cup of peas. Simmer for 20 more minutes. Discard bay leaf. Stir in parsley, salt and pepper to taste. If you like, add some noodles in the last 10 minutes.
• Give yourself a massage. Even just massaging your hands can help. See instructions for different types of massages here.
• Listen to bedtime stories for grown-ups (no, no, not that kind). You’ll see links to a few here.
• Take a bath. You don’t need to put bubble bath or anything else in there. The hot water will do the job.