So, how do YOU handle stress?

[Gaurnim]

Staying alone for a while, reading or killing people (on the computer ), has always been a good way for me to calm down.

[pshrynk]

I read or play Zelda on the Wii.

If that fails, I eat peanut butter on crackers and drink a bottle of wine. (That's for extreme cases.)

[vivaldirules]

I awake about 2 a.m. and lie there desperately trying to get back to sleep for several hours as the anxieties over tasks not accomplished and things done poorly and failures yet to come have their way with me. And then I get up at 5 or 6 and go to work and try not to think about it until the next night. Works for me.

[BookishDreamer]

I grab a paintbrush. Even if I'm just covering a birdhouse or canvas with one color, there's something very soothing about slathering paint onto a surface. I tend to use small brushes and focus on getting a nice even coat of paint. Before I started painting, crayons were my tool of choice. In a nutso world where nothing was within my control, the act of coloring within the lines was the best medicine.

If I'm too stressed to paint or sew or crochet or do something crafty, I completely veg out in front of the TV watching anything that scrolls across the screen that might have the potential of drawing my attention away from the stress. And if the stress or problem is so bad that I can't even watch TV, I grab my journal and write like a fiend, pouring out all the things that are bothering me. Forcing myself to put those emotions into words is a good purge.

Oh yeah....and I eat. Grocery shopping when I'm stressed is very very bad.

Dreamer

[slayda]

Originally Posted by desertgrandma

Well, there are lots of different kinds of pain.....and where do you go to get away from people? I didn't think there were places like that anymore. 'course, maybe if I actually got past the city limits here.......

Sometimes just home alone is enough. Other times a hiking trail (except I too out of shape lately - too much chocolate or something). And once or twice a year I vacation in the mountaians of north Georgia and southwest North Carolina.

BTW, BLOGging doesn't count as being near people since I can always turn my computer off. I think my stress is often caused by the psychic static, I pick up from people. I rarely am able to tune in a clear station nor turn down the volume, but apparently the inverse cube law works OK.

[GeoffC]

I just roll over and wait for someone to tickle my tummy ....

[desertgrandma]

Originally Posted by GeoffC

I just roll over and wait for someone to tickle my tummy ....

I'm sure that would work for all of us!

[desertgrandma]

Originally Posted by vivaldirules

I awake about 2 a.m. and lie there desperately trying to get back to sleep for several hours as the anxieties over tasks not accomplished and things done poorly and failures yet to come have their way with me. And then I get up at 5 or 6 and go to work and try not to think about it until the next night. Works for me.

You too?? I go over and over conversations and things done during the day I could have done/said better.

Almost always, when I wake up, things look better.

[desertgrandma]

Originally Posted by Ralph Sir Edward

1. Jigsaw puzzles.

2. Music - must be careful to use a counter irritant to the stressor, or else it re-enforces the stress.

3. some form of mindless phyiscal activity - but you've already spotted that one...

My most favorite thing is 1000 pc jigsaw puzzles. My table USED to have one going continuously, anyone who came by couldn't resist sitting at it for a while.

Since we got the cat, however, thats impossible. It was either kill the cat, or put away the puzzles forever.

I'm still trying to decide if I made the right decision.

Turning the radio on LOUD does help, doesn't it?

Especially with Chicago 17 or Abba playing. (stop throwing things!!)......

[GeoffC]

Originally Posted by desertgrandma

Especially with Chicago 17 or Abba playing. (stop throwing things!!)......

who?

:quacks:

[desertgrandma]

Originally Posted by GeoffC

who?

:quacks:

'sigh. No appreciation for good music in the younger generation........

[vivaldirules]

Originally Posted by desertgrandma

You too?? I go over and over conversations and things done during the day I could have done/said better.

Almost always, when I wake up, things look better.

Seriously, dg, this can't be good for either of us.

I've found vigorous exercise works the best for me because I tend not to wake up in the middle of the night. If I would only do that daily.

I've also considered getting up when I find I can't get back to sleep promptly. As you say, when you wake up, things look better. So maybe if I got up and walked the dog around the block and thought about it for a few minutes the anxieties would dissipate and I could laugh it off and go back to sleep comfortably. My worry is that this would disrupt my sleep schedule and I'd end up watching late night TV or some such nonsense and be totally wasted during the day.

I have a prescription for something that is supposed to help me sleep but I detest that idea and have never tried it. A last resort for me.

But one way or another, we should eliminate or reduce stresses that are that severe. My doctor confirms that it can be one of the worst things for our personal health, not to mention our mental health.

Say, the forum software looks particularly dark and sinister grey today. Had you noticed that?

[desertgrandma]

Originally Posted by vivaldirules

Seriously, dg, this can't be good for either of us.

I've found vigorous exercise works the best for me because I tend not to wake up in the middle of the night. If I would only do that daily. The days I"m at school all day are great. I sleep like a log.

I've also considered getting up when I find I can't get back to sleep promptly. As you say, when you wake up, things look better. So maybe if I got up and walked the dog around the block and thought about it for a few minutes the anxieties would dissipate and I could laugh it off and go back to sleep comfortably. My worry is that this would disrupt my sleep schedule and I'd end up watching late night TV or some such nonsense and be totally wasted during the day.

I have a prescription for something that is supposed to help me sleep but I detest that idea and have never tried it. A last resort for me.

But one way or another, we should eliminate or reduce stresses that are that severe. My doctor confirms that it can be one of the worst things for our personal health, not to mention our mental health.

Say, the forum software looks particularly dark and sinister grey today. Had you noticed that?

Well, truthfully, I don't have those kinds of nights a lot. Usually its after I've said/posted/read some controversial type things here, or screwed up at school somehow......and I don't even get paid for that!

Its hard to 'turn off' you mind sometimes. Usually, I'll just get up, wander the house in the dark (trying not to wake anyone) look outside at the quiet neighborhood, think about how I can make things better the next day, and then realize I'm sleepy.
Sleeping pills are a big no-no for me...I am groggy for days afterwards. A .25 Xanex works only if I don't have to get up any particular time the next day, and I try to take it early in the evening. I have this weird system........doesn't tolerate drugs well. Excedrin gives me a 'high'........heart goes fast, I'm in super fast mode, and it sure cures my headache!!!
As far as reducing stress, thats way easier said than done. Our very lifestyles, and the world around us see to that!

[vivaldirules]

Yep, I'm convinced. It looks very grey in here. Time for some color.

[vivaldirules]

Ooops. Wrong image. Try again.