What's something you guys use to relieve stress?
Keep yourself calm?

I've always firmly believed in my "breathe, exhale, and it'll be okay" motto, but lately it hasn't been working well and I've been super stressed.

Curious to see how others handle their stressful situations~

Doing things I enjoy. Even then, I get stressed out though >< I like to play video games, but if I keep dying or get stuck on a part I get mad. I like to read, uninterrupted. I like to roleplay, but if I'm stressed to begin with I might not be able to post from lack of muse.

So, I get on Menewsha or just talk to other people :P

See, I try to get into the things I enjoy, but lately everything just seems to be stressing me out. I think it's because college has started back up, and it's got me so stressed (early classes, etc) that it's driving me insane. Plus, I've recently gotten promoted at work, which means more hours. :gonk: I can't just say "Hey, can I have fewer hours? I just can't take it all", my boss would never let that fly. Plus, to top it off, I'm saving to move out, and need all the money I can get my hands on.

Mene is definitely my best stress reliever though, but I can't always be on Mene. I know I won't be able to when the homework picks up. ; ^;

For me it's writing, normally it's poetry. Or I like to create fantasies that take me off to far-away places. Daydreaming is a nice hobby of mine, it requires little physical work other than some brainpower.

Another guilty pleasure is food :3 And another is listening to my ipod.

I'm sorry about your classes and work clashing by the way. I know how that is, which is why this semester I opted for student leave (employers weren't too happy about it, but my grades come first before some job).

I always have to stop and take a deep breath or two just to keep myself from going into shut-down mode... In general, the best way for me to de-stress is to have a nice, quiet place to myself for a while. If I can't have that, well, taking deep breaths will only get me so far. I'm not great at handling stress in social situations where I can't get away from everyone.

Start counting in 8s.
1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8
2-2-3-4-5-6-7-8
I used to do it to keep time in dance, and it was very relaxing then, just as it is now. I use it when I'm at the dentist.

Sometimes I resort to self-destructive things like gnawing on my hands though...I need to stop that.

i would like to think i handle stress well, because i rarely let things get to me; but when they do i try to lock myself in my room before i yell at people so i can read or take a nap. mostly when i'm stressed out i stress myself out more by trying to calm down, so i just try to do things that will eventually distract me. If i think about why i'm stressed out, then i'll probably have one of my mini-panic attack things :sweat:

anywho, tl;dr: distractions, sleep, reading. :)

Sometimes Loud Music helps me when I'm stressed, sometimes typing out in detail everything that's bothering me and then deleting it makes me feel better but when things get too much to deal with and neither of those things help, sleep always works for me. I'm very lucky that a hardly ever have a problem falling asleep, so it's just a way to switch off and escape from what's bothering me. Usually when I wake up I feel more able to cope with what ever's bothering me.

I find crying always makes me feel better, but I don't do it often (I'm a "bottle things up" kind of person in the real world) and it helps much more when my Other Half is there to comfort me.

Originally Posted by chronic_heartbreak14

i would like to think i handle stress well, because i rarely let things get to me; but when they do i try to lock myself in my room before i yell at people so i can read or take a nap. mostly when i'm stressed out i stress myself out more by trying to calm down, so i just try to do things that will eventually distract me. If i think about why i'm stressed out, then i'll probably have one of my mini-panic attack things :sweat:

anywho, tl;dr: distractions, sleep, reading. :)

THAT is soooo me lately, o.e Drives me crazy...

@Deviant - Luckyy! o: I wish I could do that, but fast food places don't work like that, sadly. ; ^;

I think what's working best for me right now is just distracting myself. If I sit for too long just doing nothing my mind wanders to why I'm stressed, and then I get more stressed, so it's a huge circle of...stress? :gonk:
Games, Mene, and just keeping busy are doing well so far today. ^^ Also helps I didn't have to worry about classes, as there's no way I'm driving in snow and ice at 7:00 am to go to a math class. No way am I risking my life, rofl.

Stress? I crank up loud music and I dance until I'm exhausted....

or I ---> (Not Appropriate)---> masturbate.

Well, there is always sex! But it can be stressful to try and please your partner, so it's usually best done by yourself ;) Also.... I work at at the gym, or watch a sappy movie. I always feel better after a good cry. And no matter what, I call my mama or papa :heart:

xD that is also a lovely alternative, but ultimately it will probably return in a while :gonk: or ya know, i like to sing songs in my off-key way... at night so nobody can yell at me or anything, then i'll go to bed or something. but drowning out whatever is stressing you is probably key ;)

my sister showers... or yells at people.

focus your energy on hating something. :D

Gin works, too.

Music, sleep, comfort food, just sitting and breathing for a few minutes helps me as well. Sometimes I will panic and I'll have to remember to breathe in and out slowly for a minute or so just to recompose myself. The stress may still be there, but I'm not going into a panicked frenzy.