de-stressing

I have days where I feel stressed & overwhelmed all day.  I'm not going to bore you with the reasons behind all of this, because we've all been there...we all have our laundry lists of stressors.  We all have moments where we feel so overwhelmed we just want to lay down on the floor and kick & cry right next to that screaming toddler (right?!?).
I've been developing a list in my mind for the past few months.  A different sort of list, not a list of things that stress me out, but a list of things that I can do to "de-stress" myself.  Many things on this list are indulgances, but sometimes a little indulging in yourself can go a long way.  When I step back and spend some time de-stressing then my problems often seem more manageble, and I'm able to think positively again instead of wallowing in worry.

Here's a list of ways I find to "de-stress":

• Bake ~ there's something about the smell of baked goods in the oven that brings a smile to my face. 
• Walk away ~ I'm not saying that I run away from my problems, but sometimes I just need to WALK AWAY.  For instance, when all four children are whining/crying/yelling at once...that's the time to walk away, count to ten and then come back.  Or if there's a particularly hard problem I'm working on...walk away...come back later.  Often times the solution is staring me in the face when I return.

• Crocheting ~ near a fire if possible, it's so calming for me.
• Make a list ~ it's funny, when I'm feeling like I have way too much to do it all seems much more manageble when I put it to paper.

• Get out of the house ~ when it's been a wild week I plan a night out:  drinks with the ladies, dinner with my husband, or even just to grocery shop by myself.  I deserve it.
• Turn up the music ~ loud music solves so many problems.

• Read a book ~ to myself or to the children
• Ignore the to-do list for a day and do something fun
• Spend an entire day on the to-do list ~ every once in a while I'll let the kids have an all day movie-marathon and I'll spend time focused on chores.  And often-times I will enlist their help with the chores.  It feels good to spend my day crossing things off. 

• Walk in the woods
• Count my blessings ~ there are so many

How do you de-stress?