So today, my older daughter bombed a couple of exams she had sworn she was prepared for, and therefore didn’t need to study for. Then my husband got home from work and started loudly threatening all sorts of things, such as NO DATING FOR THE NEXT YEAR! (She’ll be a junior in high school, so good luck trying to enforce that. Also, she currently isn’t dating anyone anyway.) And NO PHONE. And NO INTERNET ALL SUMMER. (All of which I would have to enforce, since he’s at work all day.) Then my younger daughter insisted that A. it’s okay to eat a bowl of whipped cream, B. it’s a snack, not a dessert, and C. fruits and veggies aren’t really part of dinner.
I was just finishing up the Really Awful Semester anyway, and I just about lost it. Heads were going to roll.
But instead of going postal, I took an Angry Walk. I’d already done my daily 3.2-mile walk, but I stormed out the door, iPhone in armband, and did another 1.5 miles. Fairly fast. I probably stomped.
I felt way better by the time I returned, and nobody suffered bodily injury.
The past few months have been tough, and I’ve been doing a lot of Angry Walks. I’ve walked over 1400 miles–over 3.3 million steps–since I got my Fitbit last year. It’s a lot better option than booze or mayhem.
Do you take Angry Walks? What are your healthy stress relievers?