Twitter for Stress Relief

Are you on Twitter yet? Twitter is currently one of the fastest-growing social media sites, which seeks to answer one question: what are you doing? I admit, it took me a little while to catch on to Twitter--I signed up months ago and stopped 'tweeting' for quite a while, but have recently rediscovered how Twitter can be a great stress relief tool. Here's some of what I've found that Twitter can help with:

• Staying Connected:
  The obvious benefit to Twitter is that it helps you to stay connected with people, but it may do so in ways you don't expect. People may mention that they are reading a certain book that may be helpful to you. People may mention that they're about to go exercise or meditate, and it could remind you to get involved in a stress relief activity, too. Things people say can make you laugh, and find the humor in your own situation.

• Swapping Info:
  More and more often, people post articles that they find useful (I've found many of mine posted on Twitter!), or 're-tweet' articles they find from others. And because with Twitter, unlike Facebook and some other sites, you can connect with people who you don't already know (friends of friends, or people whose 'bio's mention interests you share), you can get new information from (and share info with) a greater number and broader variety of people. It's a great way to find news and stories targeted toward your interests.

• Taking A Quick Break:
  One problem with online stress relief tools like Weboggle, is that they can be addictive, and suck away your time before you even realize how much of your schedule has disappeared. With Twitter, it takes a few seconds to 'tweet' (create a post), or you can spend a few minutes seeing what everyone else is up to, and then you've had a little break and can get back to work with a fresh frame of mind.

• Getting Stress Tips:
  If you 'follow' me on Twitter (my username is, unsurprisingly, ElizabethScott), you can get links to my latest blog posts, which report new research on stress and provide a steady stream of stress relief tools you can use. I'll also re-tweet useful information I find from others, and provide stress tips you may not find anywhere else. (You can also search among the people I'm 'following' for like-minded people to follow, too.) It's a new way to get connected and stay up-to-date with stress management.

So, let's connect on Twitter, too! Follow me at http://twitter.com/ElizabethScott, and I'll follow you, too!