How to deal with stress ?

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k900
k900 Posts: 140 Member
in Motivation and Support
What do you do to deal with stress ?
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  • yesimpson
    yesimpson Posts: 1,372 Member
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    Exercise, hot baths, spending time with friends, reading, getting plenty of sleep.

    I have to tell myself stuff like 'if it can be fixed, don't worry, and if it can't be fixed, why worry'. You can find some good breathing and relaxation exercises online if you have trouble unwinding.
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
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    Yoga breathing, exercise, listening to music
  • kayakerandbiker
    kayakerandbiker Posts: 26 Member
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    yesimpson wrote: »
    Exercise, hot baths, spending time with friends, reading, getting plenty of sleep.

    I have to tell myself stuff like 'if it can be fixed, don't worry, and if it can't be fixed, why worry'. You can find some good breathing and relaxation exercises online if you have trouble unwinding.

    This is all good here. There are two books that have been quite helpful: "The Tools: Transform Your Problems into Courage, Confidence and Creativity," by Phil Stutz and "Feeling Good," by David Burns. these books won't "solve" stress or anxiety, but are excellent guides to systematically work and think through what ails you.
    Learning to quiet your mind and meditate is excellent. I am very active in my community's social justice movement and although we are faced with seemingly insurmountable issues, working with like minded people on behalf of others --taking action on things that matter--is a great stress reducer.
  • robs_ready
    robs_ready Posts: 1,488 Member
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    mindfulness meditation, exercise and magnesium supplements. I'd definitely give all 3 a go.
  • RuNaRoUnDaFiEld
    RuNaRoUnDaFiEld Posts: 5,864 Member
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    Cardio exercise followed by yoga.
  • OyGeeBiv
    OyGeeBiv Posts: 733 Member
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    Guided meditation works wonders for me. And I keep a gratitude journal.
  • mandapanda240
    mandapanda240 Posts: 35 Member
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    Listen to music..
  • UltraHealthSeeker
    UltraHealthSeeker Posts: 21 Member
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    I go for a walk, followed by a FAR-Infrared Sauna, followed by a warm bubble bath. By the time I'm finished (takes about an hour total) I'm relatively stress-free for the rest of the day!
  • rankinsect
    rankinsect Posts: 2,238 Member
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    Watch an episode of The Joy of Painting. Seriously, the two most calm and relaxing TV personalities of all time are Fred Rogers and Bob Ross. Doesn't even matter if you like painting - you can paint along if you feel like it, or not if you don't.
  • mysherman
    mysherman Posts: 11 Member
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    Sometimes, washing my face with cool water helps.
  • wdf375
    wdf375 Posts: 25 Member
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    Relaxation is a good counter to stress once it sets in, but for me what has worked best is a preventative mindset. I have a high stress job and have for many years. One thing I learned early on is to look at potential stressors in very black and white terms. Simply put, if it can't kill me or anyone else nearby in the extreme short term, the stress level immediately ticks down to manageable. After that everything else is just about time management and assessing risk to make sure nothing bounces up into that higher level of threat. It's impossible to remove emotion completely from our dealings with others that can produce stress, but I do realize that however someone may introduce stress to a situation has nothing to do with me, and what they think about me or my response is none of my business. Stress is contagious, but so is being calm. When you are consistently calm under duress I think people that might otherwise gravitate toward the stress monster will tend gravitate to you. The more calm people the better.

    I worked for years on a medical helicopter at a trauma center. I saw directly the impact my behavior had on others when would arrive at a horrible accident. I would make a very conscious effort, no matter what I walked up upon, to always have the same response. I'd calmly ask who was in charge and what happened. And then I would always find one good thing to say to the first responders, even if that one good thing was "Ok thanks for getting us here".

    As for worry, the best definition I've heard is "worry is the misuse of your imagination". Understanding that has helped me tremendously. It's counterproductive, and the techniques people have listed above help to keep worry in check before it creates stress...
  • 47Jacqueline
    47Jacqueline Posts: 6,993 Member
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    Exercise, sleep, enough water, reduce sugar, breathe, mindfulness
  • amandanicole90a
    amandanicole90a Posts: 34 Member
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    Yoga, hot showers, sex ;) , anything but ice cream sundaes!
  • runningforthetrain
    runningforthetrain Posts: 1,037 Member
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    wdf375 wrote: »
    Relaxation is a good counter to stress once it sets in, but for me what has worked best is a preventative mindset. I have a high stress job and have for many years. One thing I learned early on is to look at potential stressors in very black and white terms. Simply put, if it can't kill me or anyone else nearby in the extreme short term, the stress level immediately ticks down to manageable. After that everything else is just about time management and assessing risk to make sure nothing bounces up into that higher level of threat. It's impossible to remove emotion completely from our dealings with others that can produce stress, but I do realize that however someone may introduce stress to a situation has nothing to do with me, and what they think about me or my response is none of my business. Stress is contagious, but so is being calm. When you are consistently calm under duress I think people that might otherwise gravitate toward the stress monster will tend gravitate to you. The more calm people the better.

    I worked for years on a medical helicopter at a trauma center. I saw directly the impact my behavior had on others when would arrive at a horrible accident. I would make a very conscious effort, no matter what I walked up upon, to always have the same response. I'd calmly ask who was in charge and what happened. And then I would always find one good thing to say to the first responders, even if that one good thing was "Ok thanks for getting us here".

    As for worry, the best definition I've heard is "worry is the misuse of your imagination". Understanding that has helped me tremendously. It's counterproductive, and the techniques people have listed above help to keep worry in check before it creates stress...

    I really like this post. Thanks for your thoughts.

    I like breathing exercises and yoga. Also, a stiff drink sometimes does the trick. Not that I am advocating - just answering honestly :)
  • steponebyone
    steponebyone Posts: 123 Member
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    k900 wrote: »
    What do you do to deal with stress ?

    I pray.
  • Pandora_and_her_box
    Pandora_and_her_box Posts: 240 Member
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    roblloyd89 wrote: »
    mindfulness meditation, exercise and magnesium supplements. I'd definitely give all 3 a go.

    I really need to get back to the mindfulness thing. I just stopped doing it a while back and regret it.
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
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    k900 wrote: »
    What do you do to deal with stress ?

    Personally I find my running helps a lot, particularly when I'm out on the trail.

    Equally, as upthread, meditation is very useful.
  • melizabird919
    melizabird919 Posts: 29 Member
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    I'll take a long walk if I can. I also find working with my hands helps, crafting, knitting, or adult coloring books. Coloring felt silly at first but it definitely relaxes me and helps destress from the day.
    And I don't know about anyone else, but I've found that now that eat less and more healthy foods and drink a lot more water I'm fell less stressed then I did. I'm hoping that continues!
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    i cycle, lift, do some yoga, etc.
  • mysherman
    mysherman Posts: 11 Member
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    wdf375 wrote: »
    Relaxation is a good counter to stress once it sets in, but for me what has worked best is a preventative mindset. I have a high stress job and have for many years. One thing I learned early on is to look at potential stressors in very black and white terms. Simply put, if it can't kill me or anyone else nearby in the extreme short term, the stress level immediately ticks down to manageable. After that everything else is just about time management and assessing risk to make sure nothing bounces up into that higher level of threat. It's impossible to remove emotion completely from our dealings with others that can produce stress, but I do realize that however someone may introduce stress to a situation has nothing to do with me, and what they think about me or my response is none of my business. Stress is contagious, but so is being calm. When you are consistently calm under duress I think people that might otherwise gravitate toward the stress monster will tend gravitate to you. The more calm people the better.

    I worked for years on a medical helicopter at a trauma center. I saw directly the impact my behavior had on others when would arrive at a horrible accident. I would make a very conscious effort, no matter what I walked up upon, to always have the same response. I'd calmly ask who was in charge and what happened. And then I would always find one good thing to say to the first responders, even if that one good thing was "Ok thanks for getting us here".

    As for worry, the best definition I've heard is "worry is the misuse of your imagination". Understanding that has helped me tremendously. It's counterproductive, and the techniques people have listed above help to keep worry in check before it creates stress...

    This is really great advice. Thank you for sharing!

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