In a situation where it's unavoidable, how do you manage stress?

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Noah Green Profile
Noah Green answered

Previous to me beginning my journey of sobriety, I would simply indulge myself in Marijuana and Oxycontin. Since that's no longer an option, I've had to get pretty creative in the field of stress relief.

  • Go to a location that has positive significant meaning to you: For me, this is the mountains. I found myself in the rugged mountains of Northwest Arkansas. I lived off those mountains. I drank the water from the streams and climbed those trees. That is my home, no matter where I am.
  • Unplug: Put down the cell phone, laptop, iPad, beeper, all of it. This is probably the most difficult thing for me to do, but once I take time away from all of it and go engage in an activity I love, I come back a new man.
  • Exercise: Exercise releases endorphans and seratonin, resulting in an almost euphoric-state. When I get stressed, I'll often go hit the bag or knock off a few miles. Give it a shot.
  • Quality time: Sometimes a great way to relieve stress is to spend time with the ones you love. Whether it be a girlfriend, wife, mom, dad, or fiance. . .sometimes. . .all you need is love.
Those are my methods of stress relief. Hope this helped.

-Noah

3 People thanked the writer.
Lily Bradic
Lily Bradic commented
Thanks, Noah. You're completely right — having also used the substances you mentioned (as well as benzodiazepines and alcohol) to manage stress in the past, I've found it's much more effective in the long run to take a more natural approach to stress management.

Any drug you take to manage stress is going to cause other problems further down the line (even marijuana, which I consider to be relatively harmless, can make you slow and sluggish the next morning — meaning you're less likely to be active, or do things that release endorphins, so you're just 'putting off' the stress rather than dealing with it).

I'll have to try your suggestion of finding a location with a significant positive meaning — and turning my phone/laptop off! I do find that going for a long walk helps, although I never seem to have the energy to work out when I'm stressed.

Brilliant answer, and thanks again for sharing!
Noah Green
Noah Green commented
No problem, Lily. I loved your comment!
Melinda Moore
Melinda Moore commented
Great answer, Noah - thanks!
Adila Adila Profile
Adila Adila answered


Honest answer here :

  1. Face the problem/situation. Nothing works better than diving straight into the problem , through the inner layers and right in the middle of the core subject! Of course this takes courage , power , strength and determination and when you're stressed you tend to lack most of these. But there is an easy way out. If you allow yourself to wind yourself up about the situation its not going to get better. You need to keep an open mind and be civil with yourself , sensibly finding the solution and be determined to want to solve the problem before stress takes over fulltime and then in that case you are in trouble. The situation is inavoidable then what is the point in running away from it? It will always come to bite you back harder and you will fall with a louder thump. Not needed and not necessary , so I would say straighten up and do what is needed to do , telling yourself that the longer you leave it the longer you will feel like this.
  2. Drink plenty of fluids (preferably water). It will forever amaze you the effect water has on one's brain, body and mind. It really does work wonders! It refreshens you, gives you a more open mind and gives you energy once again which will in turn help you to think better and clearly and give you the boost you need. The problem will be solved using a different approach.
  3. Talking to someone. Sometimes if you distract yourself into happier thoughts it can help you solve a problem or get a task completed. This works by distracting the part of the brain that is stressed and trying to solve the problem, it places happer and easy thoughts and problems which in turn make the mind more relaxed and when you get back to the situation at hand you are generally more calm.
  4. Listening to music. Sometimes this could be a massive distraction and take you away from the problem permanently or make you feel more stressed depending on what music you listen too. But in all fairness this again helps you to relax better and then when you feel more calm you process things quicker and unclog the confused and twisted thoughts you had before. It also releases the same hormone that being in love releases.
  5. Taking a walk. Going somewhere you love and enjoy and admiring the view is always a nice thing to do when having difficulty with the daily hassles in your life. It refreshens you , makes you feel more at ease, gives you inspiration too. You may feel an idea coming up when walking around, you can think more clearly.
  6. Get active. Excercise is important here , you can ride a bike and do something active and fun that will help your mind. Body and soul. It is the main one that helps relax people, a good stress reliever.

I had a few more, but I forgot sorry! Hope this helps!

2 People thanked the writer.
Lily Bradic
Lily Bradic commented
Thanks, Addi — you've made some brilliant points here!

Drinking plenty of fluids (water, or peppermint/camomile/green tea) is a good idea for your overall health, not just for stress! Even being slightly dehydrated has a huge impact on your wellbeing. Regardless of whether I'm stressed or not, I make an effort to drink plenty of water. Some people get a dry mouth when they're anxious, so I'd imagine that water would be even more beneficial for them when they're stressed.

I love the point you made about being civil to yourself when facing the problem. It's difficult though, as I have a tendency to be very hard on myself (and sometmes quite cruel!) but you're right — being nicer to yourself always makes the stress easier to cope with, as you're working with yourself, rather than against yourself.

If it's possible to deal with the problem causing the stress, it's definitely a good idea to do so as soon as possible. Unfortunately, stress usually occurs for me when its cause is too complicated to be faced head-on. If you can't change the situation, I guess you can still change your attitude to it, and your attitude to yourself, too!
Adila Adila
Adila Adila commented
yes its easier said than done but life is a challenge. 8) The feeling of accomplishing great things cannot be replaced with a greater pride.

Water? Never heard of it! 8) Honestly speaking, I don't drink enough water at all! Then I wonder why I get stressed, ill etc.

Stress can be treated by betablockers or BZ's, but they only treat the symptoms and not the cause. I've been told of certain stress relieving activities but they are far more complex. Sticking to the natural route is fine...BREATHE and RELAX. 8)

Oh and you're welcome. 8)
Virginia Zuloaga Profile

Hi Lily,

Handling stress used to be one of the most difficult things to do for me.  My mind got clouded and sometimes I didn't see a way around a specific situation.  But many situations and experiences in the past have triggered a defense mechanism I was not aware about at those moments.  Every time I was worried about something and stress kicked in, I started looking in my mind for the worst case scenario result to the problem and started working for a solution from there. 

It sounds silly, and probably negative, but it worked for me before and it still works.  I do find it necessary to talk to my husband, or my mother, or even a colleague (a neutral person's advice always comes best when you're having a personal problem) about the situation to know their opinion because sometimes where I see a Tsunami they see a glass of water (speaking of water...).

And then I just take the bull by the horns.  I don't like to be caught in an uncomfortable situation for long.  I tend to confront my fears and do what I got to do and it's the only way to free myself from the stress that any situation can give me.

Lately I've learned that no matter what happens you can always count on the support of those who love you and that's all it takes to take the first step towards de-stressing.

Mike J Profile
Mike J answered

Get a drink of water, listen to some soft music, and get some rest.

Brendon Davis Profile
Brendon Davis , Teenager Who's Always Stressed, answered

I'm going to sort of branch off of Mike here. I agree with Mike, because that's what I do. I also really like to do things that I know soothe me. I read, I write a bit. Maybe I'll go on a walk and cool off.

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