handling stress

[Jaymee]

I'm going through a very stressful period in life and I'm sure ALOT of you can relate. Stress can be very detrimental to our health and general well being. What are some of the best ways you have found to handle stress?

 

I know exercise helps me but sometimes it isn't quite enough.

[Thrillho]

Punching bags.  I throw all of my GRR into a punching bag.

[I-Jo]

I work out.

 

A lot.

 

and I have a swischer sweet with my beer.

 

I make it a point to dance though- dance is my go to "yoga" thing that relaxes me- it's like the one place that the world doesn't exist anymore. 

 

Sorry to hear about the stress- that sucks.  Stress just in general sucks.

[Random Forum Guy]

Exercise and meditation. Limit stimulants, especially caffeine. And refined sugars. Don't fight against the stress, it will only make things worse. Just accept it and engage in other activities to help reduce the effects.

 

Therapy can be a huge help too if it's an ongoing issue.

 

Most importantly, have compassion for yourself. Be kind. You're only human.

[CrisciMalosh]

Take a long hot bath with Epsom Salts. Focus on breathing for 1 minute several times a day.... uhh.... swear while beating the hell out of a pillow.... those are my go to methods.

[AustralMoonBear]

Long term: exercise

Short term: 3 breaths, hard as you can in through the nose and out through the mouth. It sounds silly but it really does work, and the more you do it the more  effective it gets.

[Legacy]

Hobbies. Exercise is awesome, but seriously, I vent through writing or costuming. A creative outlet. Find something you like that works for you. Schedules help, especially if it's deadline based. Even a little daydreaming can take the edge off sometimes.

[JessOfAllTrades]

Tea! Along with the other suggestions given.

[stevembk]

Medication, music and video games

[Jaymee]

thank you all! I'm definitely going to try alot of these.

 

Current plan:

Keep working out and put my kick boxing dvd back into rotation to get some stress and anger out!

Start a daily yoga practice and include some meditation at the end of each session

write out and keep a daily and weekly schedule

I will definitely start drinking some herbal tea at night which will help me combat the stress eating i've been doing

as for hobbies I am going to start reading again, its been awhile! I'll be starting with Game Of Thrones

 

Hopefully these things will keep me sane and help me get fit and healthy!

[Cr33g]

Stress is an absolutely terrible thing. I'm sorry to hear you're suffering from stress, Jaymee.

 

I often suffer of stress through my job, unfortunately.

 

I personally handle stress by doing a lot of exercise. Gym five days a week and Judo two, or three times a week. You tend to just "forget" things when you're doing intensive exercise.

 

The kick boxing thing sounds great too. Seriously, just go beat the crap out of a punching bag and take your anger out on that. For me personally, I essentially do the same thing but through Judo.

 

I also play video games, which is super helpful for me especially if I have a new game, or if I visit an old one I haven't played in a long time.

 

Drawing and doing creative things helps to calm me down and relieve stress... I often use drawing as a means to calm myself down when I'm talking to someone important work-related over the phone or something.

 

Music is good too, especially if it's relaxing and inspiring music you can enjoy. While I like things like heavy metal, I can't listen to it if I'm stressed, because it makes me feel "angry", but I can listen to rock 'n roll like AC/DC or something.

 

Hope you feel better soon.

[TheMightyMinotaur]

I have a tendency to remind myself that I've made it through worse. I know that doesn't work for everybody, but it helps me out. If something's really stressing me out at work, I mentally take a step back and think "remember what you were doing last summer? This job is nothing compared to that and you made it out just fine."

And what everyone's saying about breathing? It helps, even if you have to just grit your teeth and force it, controlling your breathing helps a ton.

[andygates]

Tea.

 

Routine (for the English, see: Tea).  If things are disrupting my habits, imposing one or two of my habits back gives a feeling of control.  Working out falls into this category as well as all the physiological effects.

 

Nixing a stress source.  If you can, identify and remove sources of stress.  That can be aspects of jobs, looming debts, relationship drama, all the heavy stuff.  

 

...and my maladaptive one, hiding online where I can be someone who doesn't have to deal with the world.  

[fieroandrew]

My stress reducer (when I can get it done) is trail running. Even just a 30 minute run up a gravel/mulch trail can help. Something about having to focus in on the trail alone just helps me sort through and deal with whatever is stressing me out. It's simple enough and gives you a great change of view too.

[MissMormie]

I can't say I really handle stress well most of the time, but the thing I try to do is to look at it realistically. I'm stressed about not meeting a deadline. I ask myself how bad it really is. And is there anything I can change about it? Is it truly something to be so stressed about? Most of the times you'll come to see that yes, you will miss that deadline but if  you let your colleagues know in advance it's probably not that big of a deal. And I'll check if it is realistic that I am stressed about it, or should someone else be? Sometimes I assume responsibility about something that isn't mine to fix. I'll feel bad about not meeting the deadline while in reality I already informed my boss that this was more work than I could do in that time and that he would need to give me more resources to deal with it. In that case I shouldn't realistically feel to stressed about it as I've done what could be expected. Check if it is realistic you're stressed out about something, and if it is, is there something you can do to alevate that stress?

[cobaltflash]

personally i like to skateboard to get rid of stress and it works out for me pretty well i mean it works better than excercising at least for me

[Jaymee]

You guys are all great and thank you for all the advice. I've started doing alot of these things but I actually got rid of the main stresser.. I left my job and am returning to the placed I used to work. I'll be in a much less stressful postion and environment plus i'll be with supportive people who are like family to me!

[MsFitz]

I take a relaxing bath every night. I have to get clean anyway, right? Sometimes I will read, but most times I prop up my phone and watch something on netflix. There is nothing like hot bath, a cup of tea (or wine if it's been a particularly hard day), and some Doctor Who.

 

I am glad you found a less stressful job! That is a huge step. My job is insanely stressful, but I love it. Even on my worst days I am just so happy to finally be doing what I always dreamed of. That may wear off as the years go on, but I'm enjoying it now.