The next time you're feeling anxious or stressed, take a break and go back to your childhood. Do something goofy: Find crayons and draw a picture, rent a favorite childhood movie, revisit the toy store to buy a bubble blower kit (then use it), borrow some fun children's books or find a few old favorites.

A day of revisiting times when life was simpler is a good, inexpensive stress buster. Having fun, just like laughing, prompts a release of endorphins, the feel good hormones.

Workplaces have picked up on the “goofy theme” too. The June 16, 1994, Wall Street Journal, reported on a California ad agency that places punching bags, decorated with the faces of its executives, in its club room. The same agency encourages staff members to paint their offices in wild colors. Another held an indoor golf tournament on two nine-hole courses the employees had constructed.


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