Share Your Thoughts & Ideas About Managing Stress
Alex
Posts: 10,137 MFP Staff
We Want to Hear From You!
How do you handle stress? What can we do to help?
How do you handle stress? What can we do to help?
April is Stress Awareness Month. At MyFitnessPal we’re using this occasion to talk about how stress affects the body, and even changes how you eat. Personally I have done a lot less cooking and eaten a lot more takeout this past year.
Our goal throughout April is to help you manage stress through nutrition & movement. We’re thinking things like yoga routines, audio meditations, calming recipes, stress-relief plans, and tips on reducing anxiety through nutrition.
But what do you think? People experience stress and find relief in different ways—we want to know what resonates with our community!
Reply in the thread below and tell us:
- How do you manage the stress in your life?
- What would you like to learn more about for managing stress?
- What other resources would you like to see?
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Replies
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I find that being in nature and getting some fresh air really helps to bust the blues. I take walks in my neighborhood and on trails, work and putter around in my little greenhouse, put plants in my window, and if I need to destress before I go to bed or on my commute, I just listen on my phone to river sounds and bird songs on my phone like some would do with music. I've seen some studies say that simply looking at images /videos of nature scenes or campfires can replicate many of the same psychological benefits that the real versions create. Another thing is to try to keep your spaces clean; when your environment feels cluttered and chaotic, your mental health becomes that way, too. Follow up with a nice lavender bath, a good book, and a cup of tea and there's little that can stop you!17
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I manage stress by doing yoga everyday. I love "Yoga with Adriene" she has tons of great yoga videos on YouTube. I have done all her challenges too. Yoga for 30 days, Yoga Revolution etc.... She is so down to earth and easy to relate to. It has helped me a lot to stay positive and completely grounded. The feeling I get after practicing is one of peace and it follows me through my day.13
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Exercise, music, yoga, meditation, reading, staying off social media, avoiding too much news!8
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I manage stress by listening to calming music, focusing on being present, spending time outside with nature, and doing 🧘♀️ yoga.
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I hardly ever stress. I believe it's more about my personality though. I'm an optimist, so I always look to the positive side of outcomes rather than the negative. And if it is a negative outcome, I look at a positive way to resolve it.
It also helps that I have no debt (no credit card, loans, etc.) with the exception of mortgage to stress about.
I also don't worry much about anything. If you do the right things you need to to control certain situations, you've done what you can. Things you can't control, well that's something you can't worry about. And worry is a big STRESS problem. 95% of the stuff people worry about never happen and the 5% that does, they couldn't have done anything about anyway.
And last....................exercise. It really doesn't matter what it is as long as it's YOU TIME to improve yourself. When you take time for yourself because you believe you're worth it, stress is almost a non factor, IMO.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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I like listening to podcasts on my way to and from work. Weird off the wall stuff though, not talk shows, things like Wolf 359 or Marsfall. Things that take my mind to a different place where my stress doesn't exist. Just escaping reality for a little while helps reset me. Also nature sounds in bed, relaxing piano music while we sit down for dinner (which we don't do enough of). And also I try to think of my kids and realize they feel my stress too and they don't need that. They need me to leave it at the door and be happy when I'm home.
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Deep breathing techniques.4
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Identify who or what is causing stress and try to alleviate or eliminate it. Removing stressful people and situations from my life was life changing.
Outdoors time. Walking is wonderful. Hanging out on the screened porch with the kitties. Petting said kitties.
Yoga.
Needlework. I am currently doing a beaded cloth, unique to Ukraine. It’s very meditative. All handwork is for me, but particularly this type work, for some reason, maybe because you have to focus so hard on placement.10 -
Whenever possible, I go for a walk. Preferably, a long one; but sometimes even a shorter one can help.
There's something about getting fresh air and moving my body in an effortless way (effortless when compared to a cardio session at home, for example) that really calms me down and invigorates me at the same time.
Knowing that walking improves not only my body but also my mind is a double win, for me.
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Outdoor cardio de-stresses me like nothing else.4
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Incorporating more mindfulness into my day, even if it's not a dedicated practice, has been helpful.
I don't do "yoga," but have incorporating more mindful stretching into my day, which really does calm me.
Learning to say "no" to people, obligations and events if I felt the cons outweighed the pros.
Focusing on my posture---especially my neck and shoulders. I hold a lot of tension there which has caused some chronic aches and pains, so just being mindful and letting the tension go helps bring me down.
Knowing when I needed to go back on antidepressant and not being afraid to admit it.6 -
Definitely being outside in nature, using all your senses to take everything in.
Watching the birds at the feeders.
Playing or cuddling with my 2 dogs.
Browsing the internet. Escaping through scenery of other places.
Finding stuff to laugh about, whether it's the chat forums(believe it or not it's been a huge escape) or funny movies.
Doing something that takes my focus off myself for a little while, such as crochet, jigsaw puzzles, talking to a friend.
Music but it has to be the right picks.
Gratitude journal, listing happy memories
Adult coloring
Picking one small area to declutter, sort through(1 drawer or shelf)
Deep breathing, mentally praying to the power I believe in or mentally talking with one of my parents who've been gone many years
I also take a med. for anti-anxiety and depression, along with V D and V B12
Looking back over the OP, I guess I just focused on how *I* deal with stress and my reply didn't exactly cover anything nutrition or exercise related. I'm a terrible stress eater so in moments when I feel I HAVE to eat something I usually chew gum instead. Or have a cup of coffee, or even raw carrots and hummus. As far as exercise, it falls into the 'just get outside' category. If I walk, great. If not I just am with my dogs. It's really nice if shoveling is involved.
I'd love to know if there are other foods that help relieve stress. I've tried tea but don't like it.
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After crying I either work it out with a workout or I stress eat...it’s like a battle of healthy vs unhealthy. I’d love to say I always choose the workout but not always. Thank goodness dance aerobics are so fun. I’ve never gone through a class without at least smiling.2
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I went through the most stressful year I have ever experienced in 2018. In March 2018, my husband and I were getting ready to cycle a long distance event, we were fit, healthy, and happy. He headed off to work ... and a few hours later I got a call to get down to the emergency department immediately. He had fallen from a height, was transported to the hospital by helicopter, and had a severe traumatic brain injury. He was 3 weeks in a coma with no idea if he was going to live or die or end up in a vegetative state or needing nursing home care, a total of 7 weeks in post traumatic amnesia, and in hospital, including rehab, for a total of 100 days. He will never fully recover.
So much of life crumbled in so many ways.
2019 was a little bit better but not a lot.
Fortunately 2020 and shutdowns came along, life improved and my stress level eased a bit because I could be at home with my husband without all the extra external hassles that come with an injury like his.
Now in 2021, stress is up little a bit again. Here's hoping for another shutdown, but that possibility is very remote.
It is possible that 95% of the stuff people worry about never happens ... it's the stuff you don't worry about that causes the most destruction.
1. How do you manage the stress in your life?
2. What would you like to learn more about for managing stress?
3. What other resources would you like to see?
1. Head down, blinders on ... just deal with the top 3 most important things. About 6 months after my husband's accident, my workload increased so I focused on that. Also, I was in university at the time studying for a Master's degree. I decided to continue that so that I would have something to focus on for myself. Those were my 3 things: caring for my husband, working, university.
2. How do you manage life shattering stress? Big stress. Long term stress. Very time consuming stress. During the heaviest stress, adding yoga to my day was out of the question. I didn't have time to put away laundry let alone doing yoga. Even now, I'm still so tired I don't want to add things to my day.
3. What happens to the brain after dealing with massive quantities of stress for long periods of time? Happily, I graduated this past December so one of my stresses is over. However, I am still my husband's carer and my workload is till quite heavy. Even though I have a little bit more time, and even though people tell me I should take time to relax ... I don't know how anymore. As mentioned above ... I'm just too tired ...
-- yoga routines - no time
-- audio meditations - meditation stresses me out
-- calming recipes - cooking? I don't have time and one thing my husband can do is put together simple meals, so he does.
-- stress-relief plans - like?
-- tips on reducing anxiety through nutrition - are there foods that reduce stress?
What about full-on exercise? Fairly strenuous running or cycling? While my husband was in the hospital, especially in the early weeks, I would go down to the beach and run. If it was a windy day with crashing waves, I would run and scream into the wind. That was about the only thing that seemed to help a little bit.
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Wow. I am speechless.
Thank you for sharing your journey.
It is pretty amazing on how resilient we can be.
((Hugs))3 -
@Machka9 Huge hugs to you! As the PP mentioned, it's amazing how resilient we can be. Would we choose it that way? Oh he!! no. But I'm a believer in 'everything happens for a reason' and 'looking for a silver lining', as dorky as that all sounds. It keeps me going through the toughness of life.
I'm sorry your lives were altered in such a challenging way but it sounds like, in many ways, you've triumphed and trudged through onto the other side.3 -
@Machka9 Huge hugs to you! As the PP mentioned, it's amazing how resilient we can be. Would we choose it that way? Oh he!! no. But I'm a believer in 'everything happens for a reason' and 'looking for a silver lining', as dorky as that all sounds. It keeps me going through the toughness of life.
I'm sorry your lives were altered in such a challenging way but it sounds like, in many ways, you've triumphed and trudged through onto the other side.
Probably the roughest part is over, but the legal stuff is still going and the specialists tell me that he will likely start deteriorating soon ... like with senility/dementia. It's often how brain injuries of his severity at his age go.
I'm spending this year (with my spare time from no uni) trying to get everything streamlined and in order so that we could move if necessary and so that I don't have to deal with as much as I suddenly had to deal with when he had the accident.
I guess that's another way I deal with stress. I get stuff done. For me, adding things like yoga and meditation just take up time I could be doing stuff. If I have time, I would rather accomplish something. I would rather put away the laundry, tidy the kitchen, pay the bills so that I'm all caught up for the month, and things like that. When I do things, it means there are fewer things whirling around in my head. I can sleep better and I feel a little more in control.7 -
One thing I wanted to find, during some of the busiest most stressful times over the past few years, was 5 minute stress relievers.
As mentioned above, when I could I would try to do some strenuous exercise because that burned off some of the frustration and got the endorphins going
Or I would try to do little things that needed to be done, over which I had some control, because that helped me feel slightly more in control of the situation.
I searched for other de-stressing ideas and unfortunately, so much of what I read about de-stressing and trying to relax was about adding extra things to your day. Taking a yoga class, going for a 1-hour massage, travel, etc. Those things are great if your stressful situation isn't very time consuming. But when your stressful situation takes up most of your day and when you cannot get away from it, the last thing you want to do is to add more!
So I began collecting stress relief ideas. I've got many I've collected listed in a blog on my website, but I don't think I can share that here.
Where I'm going with this is an answer to the original post: we want to know what resonates with our community!
What about brief stress relievers or stress relievers that can be easily incorporated into a busy day? For example, I found that getting up from my desk at 11 am and climbing several flights of stairs helped. Climbing the back stairs of a tall office building is incredibly boring but gave me time to think and sort things out.
What about stress relievers that may help, in some way, solve the problem? For example, when my husband came home from the hospital, I started ordering groceries online and having them delivered. I've done that for almost 3 years now and it is fantastic. I've also had someone to do our lawns from time to time and have had a house cleaner come in.
Just a few of my thoughts.4 -
@Machka9 Your last post reminded me that simple body-working activities have helped me through some trials. A time of depression had me taking nails out of boards. It felt so good pounding and focusing on something so mind-numbing. For my sister, it's most anything that requires being outside and using physical movement to work. ATM, her quest has been to reduce and move a huge pile of snow left by her plow guy. But she tells me it's been very therapeutic.
These things might sound silly but I swear putting the focus on something simple, mind-numbing, yet physical truly helps. And doing it outside is an added bonus.0 -
@Machka9
I've had a pretty stressful like in general and honestly, never used to take the time to de-stress or know how to. Probably the single most useful technique I've ever found is box breathing, or four square breathing. It's simple, easy, and can work in just a minute or two.
Basically you breathe in deeply, from the belly works best, and hold. Then you breathe out deeply, expelling all air, and hold. You call it four square breathing or box breathing because you are breathing and holding for roughly equal amounts of time.
Beginners should count to three or four during all phases, and as you relax you can go longer. It helps me get to sleep at night and is a really good way to quickly relax or relieve anxiety. The body has a much harder time staying tense with this exercise. If you need more information there are plenty of good articles online about it. This is commonly taught to soldiers, medical personnel, and police as a quick way to relax.3 -
I find it better to do some walking besides a lake to calm my mind. Or a walk in park with trees around works for me too.2
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I listen to heavy metal, deathcore especially, I dont know why, but listening to heavy metal just helps take the stress away. I recommend it4
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bellacelina2 wrote: »I listen to heavy metal, deathcore especially, I dont know why, but listening to heavy metal just helps take the stress away. I recommend it
@bellacelina2: this album got me through my early teens. (I'm considerably older than you.)
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@Machka9 Huge hugs to you! As the PP mentioned, it's amazing how resilient we can be. Would we choose it that way? Oh he!! no. But I'm a believer in 'everything happens for a reason' and 'looking for a silver lining', as dorky as that all sounds. It keeps me going through the toughness of life.
I'm sorry your lives were altered in such a challenging way but it sounds like, in many ways, you've triumphed and trudged through onto the other side.
Probably the roughest part is over, but the legal stuff is still going and the specialists tell me that he will likely start deteriorating soon ... like with senility/dementia. It's often how brain injuries of his severity at his age go.
I'm spending this year (with my spare time from no uni) trying to get everything streamlined and in order so that we could move if necessary and so that I don't have to deal with as much as I suddenly had to deal with when he had the accident.
I guess that's another way I deal with stress. I get stuff done. For me, adding things like yoga and meditation just take up time I could be doing stuff. If I have time, I would rather accomplish something. I would rather put away the laundry, tidy the kitchen, pay the bills so that I'm all caught up for the month, and things like that. When I do things, it means there are fewer things whirling around in my head. I can sleep better and I feel a little more in control.
@Machka9: I have a neurological issue and this book gave me hope and a path forward:
The Brain That Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science
It is available in my library system.3 -
Thanks for these ideas. @Machka9 - how much you’ve gone through! I hope better days are ahead.
I wonder if there’s a different type of stress when the stressful event comes on suddenly. I hear a lot of “me” in your story - on New Years Eve, days after my parents’ 50th wedding anniversary, my mom had a massive stroke. I’ve been caring for her for the last ten years but I’ve become hypervigilant - not really sleeping - in case I have to wake up suddenly again.
I joined MFP shortly after as my body became the only thing I could control. The exercise meme is funny - exactly my feeling!3 -
A really quick and effective calming technique I use is ‘the breath waltz’. Breathe in through your nose for four seconds, hold for four seconds, breathe out through your mouth for eight seconds. Do this three times and on the third exhale also tap your leg. It works in traffic, in meetings, anywhere really.3
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I work in a very stressful job. My days are unpredictable and on a moments notice I may have to stop everything to deal with an emergency. (Trucking safety) I’ve found that by ensuring I’m fuelling my body with the healthiest foods I can and getting regular high intensity exercise I am much more likely to handle the stress and get through it without getting crushed by it.
Eat well, exercise, get to bed at a decent time and focus on quality sleep. The basics work!3 -
Hi there.
I BELIEVE a shared load is a lightened load.
I BELIEVE that self love is the second most important love, because for me God's love is first. Then, without loving yourself first by giving yourself quality self care, you become deficit in your ability to love and care for others.
I BELIEVE because you're the only YOU that you've got, that you owe it to yourself to do a brief inventory daily of "INPUT" in your life which will help you pin point debris that has silently sneaked its way into you, your routine, and relationships to cause damage. Finding and recognizing it gives you a chance to kick it out of your life.
DON'T SPREAD YOURSELF TOO THIN. It's okay to say "NO". Trust me, the world will continue without you in every single event. And your body will thank you for the break.2 -
Wow I've been thinking about this issue recently and just found this discussion.
Different from Alex I did a lot more cooking in the past year (partly for safety concern). Although I still suffered from stress sometimes, I feel cooking was one of the things that helped reduce stress for me.
In 2021 due to some reasons I don't have much time and chance to cook. Now I take more walks instead. Sometimes also do music, reading, etc.
The biggest dilemma for me is always time. I usually feel the most stressed when I'm super busy, and adding anything that *might* help with stress but *definitely* consumes time doesn't sound a good solution for me…just the thought of that could somewhat add to my stress.
So I feel some posts here are very relatable and insightful! Would love to learn more about brief but effective stress relievers.
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How do you manage the stress in your life?
- Yoga
- Meditation
- Walks in nature*
- Self medicating with food - working on this though
- Listening to music
- Puppy cuddles from my friend's dog
What would you like to learn more about for managing stress?- How to better deal with emotional eating - already worked through a good self-help book but I want to try and keep it up and manage it better as times of stress I still sometime turn to food.
What other resources would you like to see?- It would be great if MFP could interact with Calm to log "wellbeing" time, it's often one of my non-scale goals.
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