The gorgeous summer we’ve had is coming to an end, and returning to school means that instead of beaches, camping, picnics, road trips, and frequent-flyer miles, we or those we know will be standing in line to buy books, and suffering the stress of homework, essays, and finals—oh my!

Whether it’s getting back into the frenzied pace of scholastic undertakings for your kids, significant other, yourself, or some mix of the above, it’s beneficial to find a balance. "Work hard, play hard" is a good philosophy. When you’re feeling overwhelmed and in need of a break, what helps you unwind?

I asked that question of some of the Northwest’s most creative women writers. Though there were a few common denominators, these Grrls, not surprisingly, tend to find their own creative, unique ways to relax.

Cindy Riskin borrows an idea from the Jewish Sabbath. Every Saturday she sets aside four or five hours to just do nothing or to practice activities that are "not-shoulds"—activities that aren’t designed to reach any particular goal. For Cindy this means knitting, looking at her garden, bicycling slowly and aimlessly, or treating herself to breakfast and going to the park with her dogs.

Cindy’s "not-should" plans for the future include going to the library to browse any book that comes to mind and going to the zoo or museum without feeling like she has to see the whole thing. She listens to music, switching from Maria Callas to The Rolling Stones. When relaxation is a requirement she writes without goals, cooks (without washing the dishes, of course), or just stays in bed.

Jillene Magill Lewis watches Home & Garden Television (HGTV) shows on decorating and gardening when she’s exhausted, but if she has energy at the end of the day, she retreats to her scrap booking corner with a glass of wine. Even doing a page or two makes her feel sated. For those who wish to try this at home though, she has a tip: "Be wary of sharp cutting tools. Although I’ve found my creativity flows better after a glass (or two or three) of wine, my coordination suffers. Things may end up a little crooked, and I can’t trust myself with my cutting tools."

Jillene also does something few other Writergrrls do—she takes Sunday morning motorcycle rides. "Now, before you start picturing a cool motorcycle mama headin’ out on the highway, let me get a few things straight. First, I’m about the least cool person you’ve ever seen on a motorcycle. My bike is the smallest Yamaha cruiser you can buy, and I wear so much protective gear, I look more like a goalie or a welder than a biker." She says her top speed is 45, and she stays within a 5-mile radius of her house. Motorcycle mama or not, she finds this exhilarating. "On a beautiful morning, there are few things more thrilling than straddling a machine and cruising around pretending to be cool." Ride on!

DeAnn Rossetti likes to read something lively, enriching, and beautifully written—whether prose or poetry. For her, reading "the good stuff" helps refill the creative well with the waters of art. She keeps three journals: one for her "horrible but cathartic" poems, an annual journal to sum up the year, and a doodle journal where she draws whatever she feels like and colors it in with colored pencils or oil pastels. She enjoys that this can be somewhat "automatic" so she can listen to music and take a break from all the harried thoughts of the day.

She writes not only in her journal, but in letters to celebrities, companies, friends, and relatives…and she is totally, completely honest about how she feels. Some get mailed, some don’t, but they all relieve her of stress. She has even gotten some lovely autographs and replies in response to the letters of appreciation she’s sent to actors.

DeAnn also does bargain hunting at thrift shops and garage sales, where she meets new people and practices her haggling skills. This way she tames her inner shopaholic for pennies on the dollar. Another place she shops is eBay. She collects pens—some silly (like the one shaped like a thigh bone), some gorgeous, and all interesting. Being a reporter, she uses her fair share, and they’re easy to collect on a budget.

Some Writergrrls, like Marcia Barrett Nice, enjoy meditating. She chants with prayer beads, sometimes with candles and incense, other times without. Other things that help her relieve stress are exercising to music (the louder and more obnoxious, the better), folding laundry in front of the television (quiet, rhythmic, no rush), reading in the sun, and painting with watercolors. She doesn’t use writing to relax, because she writes both fiction and technical documentation. However, she says the occasional haiku can be written anywhere without being noticed, and that really helps her blow off steam. While others may love a soak in the tub to de-stress, this Grrl takes long walks and does yoga.

Annette Young doesn’t get "monkey mind" when she tries to meditate, she gets "King Kong mind." Her mind starts climbing buildings and swiping at airplanes. Cycling is her active form of meditation. All her other troubles seem trivial compared to focusing all her attention on riding and keeping an eye out for bullish SUV drivers. Annette loves the endorphin rush and health benefits she obtains from cycling as well.

Another busy Writergrrl, Anne Stein, loves her endorphin rush too, but from another activity—teaching water aerobics. She loves the adrenalin rush pre-class, and then the pride she feels after she has instructed especially well. She works so hard in the water sometimes that afterwards, she feels like she just melts into bed to sleep. Ah... de-stressed... ah... muscle fatigue.

Mary Boone is huge into exercise. The more stressed she is, the more exercise she craves. Her weekly workouts include swimming, spinning, weight training, running, and biking—about nine hours total each week! She justifies the time spent exercising by acknowledging that she’s a better person when she’s worked out—emotionally and physically.

Barbara Stewart uses exercise and reading (novels, biographies) to relax. She walks every day with a friend and runs around Greenlake every Sunday with her husband. Then they get breakfast, enjoying time away from the stress of home and commitments.

Whatever your schedule for October and the coming months, remember to recharge your batteries regularly. Less sunlight and free time to counterbalance the traffic jams, inattentive drivers, cranky retail workers, or long store lines make back-to-school time even more difficult, so formulate a plan and use it. Let the varied, vibrant, inventive women of the Northwest, who know how to unwind in style, inspire you. Schedule some "you time" each day to put things in perspective and decrease your own stress level.