Fun Games to Play With Other People to Relieve Stress

Excessive stress can have an impact on both your professional and personal life. Instead of simply accepting this stress as a way of life, fight against it while having fun by engaging in stress-relief games. An assortment of games allow you to put the challenges of life behind you and take a much-needed moment to rest and relax. Participating in such games can reduce your stress and make your daily life more manageable.

Basic Board Games

• Basic board games can be an enjoyable way to pass the time and relieve stress. Checkers, Sorry or even Monopoly can prove stress-relieving, particularly when played with individuals who are not overly competitive, as all parties can simply have fun instead of focusing on winning. The primary reason for these games' ability to reduce stress lies in their instructions that are cut-and-dried, not open to interpretation as so many other things are. This, states Dr. Robert Epstein in his book "The Big Book of Stress Relief Games," allows players to feel relaxing and safe in a world of clearly defined rules.

Common Card Challenges

• Classic card games are an effective way to cut stress levels, states Dr. Robert Epstein. Card games popular with children, such as "Go Fish" and "War" are appropriate choices as they don't require much thought, making for enjoyable time of stress free-game play.

Run-Off-The-Stress Games

• Getting active, for some, is an effective way of reducing stress, particularly because exercise releases endorphins that increase happiness levels, states a report in Medical News Today. Partner up with a friend or family member and play a round of soccer, running about the field and melting away your stress. Complete a group activity such as a game of football or basketball with friends. As Stress Reduction Basics.com states, these physical games provided a useful way to burn off stress.

Focus Games

• Put your focus on something else to reduce stress by placing a focus game. Plan a scavenger hunt to complete with a friend, searching for objects within your community or home and creating a sense of accomplishment as you find each object. Play "I Spy," in which you and your game partner take turns finding objects that are within view and giving each other clues as to what they are. For a brain-building game that also reduces stress levels, play "My Father Went to the Market," in which you create an alphabetical list of things that your father hypothetically could get from the market and adding to the list as you repeat it again and again. For example, you could begin a round of this game by saying "My father went to the market and bought alfalfa." The person playing with you would then have to say, "My father went to the market and bought alfalfa and brussel spouts."