Is it a good thing to do? You bet your bananas it is! When periods of stress and symptoms of tension arise, some psychologists believe that it is healthier to stop worrying and to take a completely different tack. Yell at the television. Make faces in a mirror. Do the mashed potato. Tramp around the house like Groucho Marx. Hold an animated conversation with yourself.
Weve all got a bit of the outrageous lurking beneath our sometimes overly self-controlled exteriors, and it can be healthy and tension-relieving to let a little of it surface. Anything will do as long as its unusual and fun but harmless to yourself and others.
Breaking out of your normal routine through a little harmless wackiness isnt difficult. Most importantly, it can help you take the world and yourself less seriously and, by doing so, ease some of those stressful feelings.
Being wacky should help you survive those particular moments of stress when you feel like screaming out loud, but its also important to try to control stress on a regular daily basis. The simplest way is to relax, although, for most of us, thats apparently not as easy as it sounds. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, few Americans really know how to relax or how to benefit from relaxation. And the benefits may be considerable indeed, because relaxation can help prevent headaches, ulcers, and hypertension.
