So, how do YOU handle stress? - Page 7

Donnageddon · 01-15-2009, 09:48 PM

Here is where I live

I wake every morning to a cold wet tap on my shoulder from a leak in the roof telling me I am going to catch cold, I can either walk out onto the field for a morning visit to the outhouse, or into the forest to my own, private, poison ivy-bordered pool of misquito ladened swamp and open air "oil barrel cabana" with straw cot, or walk down to the creek for a cold skinny dip bath or just a lie-down and critter-watch or a read/write. The fridge and bar haven't worked in years, I've got free broadband-wifi I swipe from the rich folks on the hill to surf or blog (or not) whenever I feel like (except when they figure out what I am doing and add security to their wireless server), and I have rabid marmot shadowing me 24-7. Also, I don't have to work. Unless I want to eat that day.

desertgrandma · 01-15-2009, 09:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Donnageddon

Here is where I live

I wake every morning to a cold wet tap on my shoulder from a leak in the roof telling me I am going to catch cold, I can either walk out onto the field for a morning visit to the outhouse, or into the forest to my own, private, poison ivy-bordered pool of misquito ladened swamp and open air "oil barrel cabana" with straw cot, or walk down to the creek for a cold skinny dip bath or just a lie-down and critter-watch or a read/write. The fridge and bar haven't worked in years, I've got free broadband-wifi I swipe from the rich folks on the hill to surf or blog (or not) whenever I feel like (except when they figure out what I am doing and add security to their wireless server), and I have rabid marmot shadowing me 24-7. Also, I don't have to work. Unless I want to eat that day.

No wonder you handle your stress so..........creatively..........

montsnmags · 01-15-2009, 10:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Donnageddon

Here is where I live...

Donnageddon · 01-15-2009, 10:33 PM

I knew you wouldn't believe me Marc, you young punk!

But I will have you know that here in Camp Donnageddon, the days are getting longer, and you swarthy inhabitants of Devils' Island have the days getting shorter!

Try enjoying that idyllic beach front haven in the cold dark days of July!

Hmmmph!

Yes, I said Hmmmph!

montsnmags · 01-15-2009, 11:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Donnageddon

...
Try enjoying that idyllic beach front haven in the cold dark days of July!

Hmmmph!

Yes, I said Hmmmph!

Brrrrr. Don't remind me. I remember one day last July when the daytime temperature was, like, 17C. [shiver!] I had to put a long-sleeved t-shirt on with my shorts, and even considered wearing shoes! I could barely wait for summer to come back again in August.

Cheers,
Marc

Donnageddon · 01-15-2009, 11:25 PM

Damn you!

It is rare to find a man who would respond after a repeated Hmmmph!

But being a Yank, I find your report of 17C to mean 17 degrees C(older) than the heart of the Marxist who invented the metric system, and that you are trying to distract from the fact that it is dark in July for you heathen Barbie Shrimpers!

I believe my Hmmmph stands!

montsnmags · 01-16-2009, 12:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Donnageddon

Damn you!

It is rare to find a man who would respond after a repeated Hmmmph!

But being a Yank, I find your report of 17C to mean 17 degrees C(older) than the heart of the Marxist who invented the metric system

In approximate terms, going from an average body temperature of about 37C, that's pretty close. You Yanks don't do too bad converting from your weird measurement denominations to good and proper metrical, do you?

Quote:

, and that you are trying to distract from the fact that it is dark in July for you heathen Barbie Shrimpers!

It certainly is at night, especially around the time we're barbying the shrimpies for dinner (well, "prawns" - "shrimpies" was a Yank denomination). Thankfully, any coolness in the air is compensated for by the 38C temperature of the water in the balcony-spa.

Quote:

I believe my Hmmmph stands!

"Stands dejected"?

Cheers,
Marc

Donnageddon · 01-16-2009, 12:52 AM

Damn you!!!

Hmmmph!

Sweetpea · 01-16-2009, 02:22 AM

I just remembered another way to relieve stress...

This is stress on the road, most often caused by those people that shouldn't drive (especially not during rush hours). I love to shout and curse at them (naturally, while driving, so they won't hear me...) and tell them to go home and leave the driving to people that know how to drive and what speed is allowed...

vivaldirules · 01-16-2009, 08:43 AM

I've seen Donnageddon's.....uh, house.....and it looks pretty good from the side he's shown you but, sadly, you should see the other side (hint: it isn't there; looks like the saloon on a Hollywood screen set from a John Wayne movie). It's okay, Big D, we love you. Here's a

for you.

(hey, dude, isn't that camera the Daguerrotype you picked up out of the trash heap last year?)

Steven Lyle Jordan · 01-16-2009, 10:55 AM

My music relieves my stress. With my music on, I can drive all day, work all night, and keep the bad thoughts away.

When my head gets stuck on a particularly annoying idea (or song), I start playing Louis Prima's "Basin Street Blues" in my head, and it all goes away.

When it gets too hot in summer, I play Quincy Jones' "Summer In The City" and I feel cooler. Lots cooler.

When it's too cold... well, almost anything Latin does the trick.

When I want to fantasize about the good life, I play Ray Charles' "Smack Dab In The Middle."

When I need a hit of the innocence of youth, I'm all set with Michael Jackson's "Ain't No Sunshine," or Raymond Scott's "Powerhouse."

Stress? I ain't got no steenkeeng stress! Ah-Ha ha ha ha ha ha!

AprilHare · 01-17-2009, 07:56 AM

I've always wondered how people deal with stress..
Internalizing stress has its' downsides!

desertgrandma · 01-17-2009, 10:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AprilHare

I've always wondered how people deal with stress..
Internalizing stress has its' downsides!

Oh, AprilHare, internalizing stress is baaaaad........dont' you know you could literally explode that way? And from the size of your chicken, that is NOT a good thing......

nekokami · 01-17-2009, 03:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vivaldirules

Right, depression for me is just another room down the short corridor I walk all the time. I get behind on tasks, which lead to anxieties and stress, which build up until I have sleepless nights, which then lead to anger, self-disgust, and "Oh, what the hell does it all matter anyway?" depression (Yoda had it a bit wrong, in my opinion). At that point, they play off one another for weeks or months until I somehow dig myself out or reboot. The key for me is to avoid getting behind in the first place and to realize when stresses and anxieties are building and deal with them (how is still a bit of mystery for me) quickly. But if I do that, I can pretty reliably avoid all the other pains. I wish I had learned it all long ago.

By the way, comforting things like tea, chocolate, food, MobileRead (Ahem!), time alone, time with friends, music, reading, etc. do not help but make things worse for me unless they are done, of course, in moderation as brief breaks between periods of calm but efficient productivity. I have often let myself indulge in this or that diversion and before long the day is over and now I am yet another day behind with more people disappointed or pissed at me and the number and ferocity of the demons at night just increases.

VR, you and I are twin souls. I'm still struggling with the problem of overdoing the "avoidance" stuff, particularly at work. But in moderation, the following do seem to help:

1 - Reading - usually SF or some other kind of speculative fiction. "Cozy" sorts are fine, but I actually prefer something a bit more challenging, as otherwise my mind still has too much time between words to spin on my troubles. This is my main way of dealing with stress.

2 - Talking with a friend - Particularly if I can sort out some of what's troubling me.

3 - Creative projects - as long as I haven't promised the results to anyone. (Otherwise it becomes another obligation.) Jewelry making, 3d art, fiction writing... all of it helps. Even thinking about creative projects helps, e.g. if I'm trying to get to sleep and my troubles are nagging at me. This has become my main tool for getting to sleep if I'm stressed.

4 - Meditation... but sometimes it's hard to focus, if I'm really stressed. I have a biofeedback program (The Journey to Wild Divine) that has helped with this a lot. That was how I discovered that creative projects help so well.

5 - Carbs - It used to be that I couldn't eat when stressed. That changed somewhere in my mid thirties, and I now weigh considerably more than I did then.

But sometimes when I can't get to sleep, a bowl of oatmeal is just the ticket. And my weight isn't excessive yet... just poorly distributed.

6 - Meds - I don't like this at all, but the anxiety attacks and depression got bad enough at one point that I had to really look at this option. I take a very low dosage of an SSRI, and that seems to have taken the edge off the depression. If I have a serious anxiety attack, I have a mild sedative I can take a small dose of. It does help with getting to sleep as well, but tends to make me even more drowsy the next day, so I try to avoid this if possible.

7 - Naps - This is pure avoidance. When I get depressed or stressed, I get drowsy. This doesn't help at work. I'm trying to develop better strategies. Generally if I can find a way to do something "clever" I'll have a lot more energy that will carry over into the rest of my activities, whether the clever thing had to do with what I'm being paid to do or not. So sometimes I'll let myself try to solve non-work-related puzzles while at work. It's an imperfect solution.

8 - Yoga - I find this very helpful, except that being in a large room full of people I don't know moving about is ironically very stressful. I'm still trying to figure out how to work around this.

lilac_jive · 01-17-2009, 04:50 PM

Neko- watch out for those SSRIs. I was on a spinoff of Effexor, and coming off that drug was almost worse than depression. I got these things called brain shivers, it was like someone was electrocuting me all day long. Luckily my doctor got me low dose Prozac to ween me off and that did the trick.

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01-15-2009, 09:48 PM	#91
Donnageddon Now you lishen here... Posts: 2,494 Karma: 479498 Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Seattle-ish Device: Sony PRS-650. Kobo Touch, Kindle Fire	Here is where I live I wake every morning to a cold wet tap on my shoulder from a leak in the roof telling me I am going to catch cold, I can either walk out onto the field for a morning visit to the outhouse, or into the forest to my own, private, poison ivy-bordered pool of misquito ladened swamp and open air "oil barrel cabana" with straw cot, or walk down to the creek for a cold skinny dip bath or just a lie-down and critter-watch or a read/write. The fridge and bar haven't worked in years, I've got free broadband-wifi I swipe from the rich folks on the hill to surf or blog (or not) whenever I feel like (except when they figure out what I am doing and add security to their wireless server), and I have rabid marmot shadowing me 24-7. Also, I don't have to work. Unless I want to eat that day.

01-15-2009, 10:33 PM	#94
Donnageddon Now you lishen here... Posts: 2,494 Karma: 479498 Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Seattle-ish Device: Sony PRS-650. Kobo Touch, Kindle Fire	I knew you wouldn't believe me Marc, you young punk! But I will have you know that here in Camp Donnageddon, the days are getting longer, and you swarthy inhabitants of Devils' Island have the days getting shorter! Try enjoying that idyllic beach front haven in the cold dark days of July! Hmmmph! Yes, I said Hmmmph!

01-15-2009, 11:25 PM	#96
Donnageddon Now you lishen here... Posts: 2,494 Karma: 479498 Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Seattle-ish Device: Sony PRS-650. Kobo Touch, Kindle Fire	Damn you! It is rare to find a man who would respond after a repeated Hmmmph! But being a Yank, I find your report of 17C to mean 17 degrees C(older) than the heart of the Marxist who invented the metric system, and that you are trying to distract from the fact that it is dark in July for you heathen Barbie Shrimpers! I believe my Hmmmph stands!

01-16-2009, 12:52 AM	#98
Donnageddon Now you lishen here... Posts: 2,494 Karma: 479498 Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Seattle-ish Device: Sony PRS-650. Kobo Touch, Kindle Fire	Damn you!!! Hmmmph!

01-16-2009, 02:22 AM	#99
Sweetpea Grand Sorcerer Posts: 9,707 Karma: 32763414 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Krewerd Device: Pocketbook Inkpad 4 Color; Samsung Galaxy Tab S6	I just remembered another way to relieve stress... This is stress on the road, most often caused by those people that shouldn't drive (especially not during rush hours). I love to shout and curse at them (naturally, while driving, so they won't hear me...) and tell them to go home and leave the driving to people that know how to drive and what speed is allowed...

01-16-2009, 08:43 AM	#100
vivaldirules When's Doughnut Day? Posts: 10,059 Karma: 13675475 Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Houston, TX, US Device: Sony PRS-505, iPad	I've seen Donnageddon's.....uh, house.....and it looks pretty good from the side he's shown you but, sadly, you should see the other side (hint: it isn't there; looks like the saloon on a Hollywood screen set from a John Wayne movie). It's okay, Big D, we love you. Here's a for you. (hey, dude, isn't that camera the Daguerrotype you picked up out of the trash heap last year?)

01-16-2009, 10:55 AM	#101
Steven Lyle Jordan Grand Sorcerer Posts: 8,478 Karma: 5171130 Join Date: Jan 2006 Device: none	My music relieves my stress. With my music on, I can drive all day, work all night, and keep the bad thoughts away. When my head gets stuck on a particularly annoying idea (or song), I start playing Louis Prima's "Basin Street Blues" in my head, and it all goes away. When it gets too hot in summer, I play Quincy Jones' "Summer In The City" and I feel cooler. Lots cooler. When it's too cold... well, almost anything Latin does the trick. When I want to fantasize about the good life, I play Ray Charles' "Smack Dab In The Middle." When I need a hit of the innocence of youth, I'm all set with Michael Jackson's "Ain't No Sunshine," or Raymond Scott's "Powerhouse." Stress? I ain't got no steenkeeng stress! Ah-Ha ha ha ha ha ha!

01-17-2009, 07:56 AM	#102
AprilHare Wizard Posts: 2,981 Karma: 11862367 Join Date: Apr 2008 Device: Sony Reader PRS-T2	I've always wondered how people deal with stress.. Internalizing stress has its' downsides!

01-17-2009, 04:50 PM	#105
lilac_jive Grand Sorcerer Posts: 5,870 Karma: 27376 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Pennsylvania Device: PRS-505	Neko- watch out for those SSRIs. I was on a spinoff of Effexor, and coming off that drug was almost worse than depression. I got these things called brain shivers, it was like someone was electrocuting me all day long. Luckily my doctor got me low dose Prozac to ween me off and that did the trick.

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