Stress management doesn't have to be a boring academic activity. You don't always have to shell out big bucks to keep yourself from sinking down the tubes. Did you used to skip when you were a kid? Maybe you could try it right now.

How did you feel the last time you skipped? Did you feel happy? Did you have a smile on your face? Perhaps you were laughing.

If you're in fairly good physical shape, you can simply put on your athletic shoes and go for it right now. Skip for a few minutes or longer. Do you feel better? How is that for stress management?

It's a really fun way to get a good physical workout.

Heck, there's an entry in the Guinness Book of World Records for a guy named Ashrita -- he did an entire marathon by skipping. He wore out a small mountain of shoes during his training period.

If you have creaky bones, like me, you can bypass the skipping and simply walk with a bounce in your step. When you do it this way you'll always have one or two feet on the ground. You can make a little dance of it while you're moving forward, backward, to the left, and to the right. You can swing your arms and move your body to a rhythm. This approach to stress management works for almost everyone. There's almost instant stress relief.

Go ahead. Have fun with this.

But what can you do if you're physically impaired and can't do the above? I'm glad you asked!

You can do stress management wonders with your imagination. Just imagine yourself having a grand old time skipping or walking with a bounce. You can imagine yourself acting silly and having a great time. It's amazing how quickly this simple exercise will bring stress relief and give your emotions a boost.

If you're feeling bold, you can do this in public. It's a great chance to get over your need for approval from others.

Some cities have skipping clubs where large groups get together and skip. You can have fun with a group of new friends.

We were talking about stress management. If you take up skipping you just might have so much fun that you'll forget about the stress.

Copyright 2006 by Jim Kitzmiller