Last night I had plans to visit with three of my nearest and dearest friends. I’ve been looking forward to it since last week when we made plans. You see, once a month, we get together for some wine, cheese, appetizers and a whole lot of laughter, stories, and catching up. I’ve come to truly cherish this time together; being ourselves and enjoying the moments.

I was looking forward to it this week especially since we haven’t been able to get together as often as we used to. One of the gals had a baby a few weeks ago, and aside from us popping in unexpectedly to meet the new member of the family, we haven’t seen her as much.

People’s lives are often super scheduled on the weekends, and during the weekdays, we are often tired. It’s all we can do to fit in a yoga class and eat a healthy meal before crashing into bed after working late the night before. Sometimes it can feel daunting to then go out and visit with friends (even your closest ones!).

Have you or someone you know experienced some form of sexual violence? In the movies, we see strangers lurking in dark corners, or attacking people on the way to their cars that are parked in dark garages. But in fact, the majority of rapes that occur are known as ‘non stranger’ rape. (This can include friends, acquaintances, family http://blogs.psychcentral.com/college/wp-admin/media-upload.php?post_id=78&type=image&TB_iframe=1members, etc.)

I don’t say this to scare you, but rather to point out the realities that exist today. According to the Department of Justice (2000), “90 percent of rape survivors on college campuses know their assailants.”

In honor of the 7th Annual National Stress Out Day, I wanted to share the stress busters they’ve posted on their site at stressoutday.org. We all handle stress in different ways, but it can be really helpful to share some new ideas with each other for alleviating stress.

We’d LOVE to hear from you in the comments section with your favorite stress-busting strategies.

STRESS BUSTERS

• Exercise. Physical activity helps your body and mind. Go to the gym. Take a jog. Go for a walk. Do yoga. Play Frisbee. Just get moving!
• Eat a balanced diet. Don’t skip meals. Try to eat from all of the food groups and try to stay away from caffeine (minimize soda or coffee). Caffeine can trigger anxiety and panic attacks.
• Limit alcohol and stay away from illegal drugs. Alcohol and drugs aggravate anxiety and can also cause panic attacks.
• Get involved. Being active in the community creates a support network and gives you a break from your everyday stress. (Spill can help with that!)