What do you do to relieve stress?

I know the feeling. Things that usually work for me are reading, swimming, ride my bike , drawing/painting. Anything that can take our mind of what's going on for even just a little bit works.And those usually are the things that you normally enjoy doing. All the above things might help, but I have to confess that when things are really bad and on top of being stressed I am also depressed I end up sleeping a lot. It's sort of a defense mechanism, if I'm sleeping I'm not worrying about anything :) I hope you find something that will help you and things get better soon.

Everyday I listen to a CD to relieve stress. It is a hyponotherapy CD. So you can actually fall asleep listening to it. It definitely works. I have never slept better and I am feeling less stressed lately.

I take a long hot bubble bath or I take a walk and admire nature around me. I pamper myself. It relieves the stress off of me.

make time for myself and do something I enjoy like going for a massage, shopping, walking, reading, taking a long hot soak in the bath, talking to family and friends online via msn, texting or phone calls, sometimes i clean (weird but its true), go to a movie, meet a friend at a cafe for coffee and donuts or something like that.

Smoking USED to be my stress reliever, but I quit 6 days ago so now if I'm stressed I either go for a walk with my daughter (fresh air and exercise always helps me de-stress) or I bake, clean, or I paint something :)