From preparing for and enduring Hurricane Florence, to now recovering from the storm, stress levels have been high in Beaufort County. It can be draining having to deal with a flooded house, lost possessions or volunteering to help those in need. While we all work together to get everything back to normal, it’s also important to relax and take our minds off of our recent troubles, even if only for a short period of time.

Both the arts and sports serve as great outlets from the grind and stress of life, allowing people to temporarily escape troubles and focus on something else for a change. And as the community rebounds from the damage inflicted by Florence, the area’s athletic schedules and performing arts schedules are getting back on track.

If watching competitors battle it out on the field or court to prove who is best is what excites you, there are several options to choose from this week. At the high school level, the Pam Pack tennis team hosts Riverside tomorrow and Ayden-Grifton on Thursday, with both matches scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. Also on Thursday, the Southside volleyball squad is hosting Tarboro. The JV teams will begin at 4:30 p.m. and the varsity squads will face off directly after.

If you prefer the action that football provides, there are several games across multiple levels of play you can go watch this weekend. Northside will host Manteo, led by former Washington head coach Sport Sawyer, this Friday for Homecoming, with kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m. You can watch the future of Beaufort County football play by heading to Washington’s Kugler Field on Saturday. Starting at 10:30 a.m., youth football teams from Washington, Belhaven, Greenville and Riverside will face off in the second week of their season. You can wrap up your weekend of sports by heading to Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium Saturday afternoon to watch East Carolina take on Old Dominion at 3:30 p.m.

If you are more of a patron of the arts, there’s plenty for you to do this weekend as well. The Turnage Theatre has a pair of shows, starting Friday with “Get Back — Beatles Tribute Night.” There will be both live music and a movie at the event, which runs from 6 to 10 p.m., in the form of musical tributes to the Beatles and a screening of “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart Club Band” at 7:30 p.m.

The Turnage is also putting on a musical this weekend, with showings of “Nunsense: A Musical Comedy” on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m.

Life in Beaufort County and eastern North Carolina has been full of stress these past few weeks and everyone is working hard to recover and get things back to normal. But it’s also important to take a breather and allow your mind to take a break, even if only for a short while. Do yourself a favor and get out and enjoy the thrill of competition or the beauty of the performing arts.