Looking for ways to manage stress

mood

As the title says I'm looking for ways to manage stress.

I'm going to start walking as I don't exercise so that should help.
I know diet is a factor buy am not sure what to eat and what to avoid.
I was thinking about getting a relaxation CD of some sort but would like recommendations if anyone has any.
I would take up yoga only it's quite expensive.

Can anyone recommend a relaxation CD or diet advice?
Any other suggestions would be great.

boobar

mood wrote: »

As the title says I'm looking for ways to manage stress.

I'm going to start walking as I don't exercise so that should help.
I know diet is a factor buy am not sure what to eat and what to avoid.
I was thinking about getting a relaxation CD of some sort but would like recommendations if anyone has any.
I would take up yoga only it's quite expensive.

Can anyone recommend a relaxation CD or diet advice?
Any other suggestions would be great.

Hi Mood,

Exercise is a very good idea. I would also suggest trying to get a proper work life balance. As someone who in the past would have worked very long hours and been quite the Yes man, the power of No is probably one of the greatest ways of reducing stress.

What is causing you stress?

Boobar

Norderburse

Same as that OP, have been under a lot of stress this past while and I found walking a great help.

This past week I've also been trying a free learn-meditation online course that I read about in the paper last week - it's Take10 from getsomeheadspace.com - I'm on day 6 and have noticed a difference already.

If you have an iPhone or iPod Touch, the Andrew Johnston relaxation apps are really good, one or two are free to try - I think he has free MP3s on his site as well.

Hope that helps, take care of yourself!

davyjose

If you drink, do it in moderation.

Alcohol abuse causes anxiety and stress. One or two drinks after a hard week can be a stress reliever, but a few times a week or a few too many just adds to the problem.

18AD

Try some basic meditation. There're loads of different types. If you are just looking to reduce stress, practice a simple method of sitting by yourself without distraction for about 10 minutes every day. This is you time. Nothing more. If you experience more emotional discomfort, that is probably due to a greater awareness of the source of anxiety. Stick with it.

Stress depends on precisely what causes you stress. It's different for everyone. Try to recognise what causes your stress and be aware of it and you can do some basic exercises to change the tension in those areas. Alternatively you can try to figure out the root of the stress in those areas, ie, past experiences.

Walking will do you a world of good.

Your diet will probably depend on what you are trying to achieve.

Best.
AD.

Taltos

Have you tried jogging? You can build up to it. Start slowly going for walks, then integrate a run for a minute or two and slowly expand the time you are running and before you know it your half hour walk might be a 15 min job...

I used to run 2 or 3 times a week. Even built it up to do a half marathon last year. Unfortunately I now have runners knee, normal stuff not clearing it but docs cannot see anything amiss in the x-rays, so having not run now in around 3 mts I am seriously cracking up.

Glad you started this thread Mood - hope that some of the advice you get can be used by us too.

mood

boobar wrote: »

Hi Mood,

Exercise is a very good idea. I would also suggest trying to get a proper work life balance. As someone who in the past would have worked very long hours and been quite the Yes man, the power of No is probably one of the greatest ways of reducing stress.

What is causing you stress?

Boobar

My job in stressful, tight deadlines etc, but the field I work in is generally like that so that's no going to change. I also don't have any job security at all. I just hoping I am kept on as long as possible. But I don't think about work when I'm off which is good.

In general I can be an anxious person. Anything could stress me, illness in the family, job hunting, a breakup, etc. I find the dating or the start of a relationship very stressful which might be unusual.

I think I let stress effect more than other people which bothers me. As we all know stress is a major contributing factor in illnesses such as ulcers, cancer and heart disease. I need to learn how to manage it better before it effect my health. It already effect my skin.

mood

davyjose wrote: »

If you drink, do it in moderation.

Alcohol abuse causes anxiety and stress. One or two drinks after a hard week can be a stress reliever, but a few times a week or a few too many just adds to the problem.

I'm not a big drinker so it's not an issue.

mood

18AD wrote: »

Try some basic meditation. There're loads of different types. If you are just looking to reduce stress, practice a simple method of sitting by yourself without distraction for about 10 minutes every day. This is you time. Nothing more. If you experience more emotional discomfort, that is probably due to a greater awareness of the source of anxiety. Stick with it.

Stress depends on precisely what causes you stress. It's different for everyone. Try to recognise what causes your stress and be aware of it and you can do some basic exercises to change the tension in those areas. Alternatively you can try to figure out the root of the stress in those areas, ie, past experiences.

Walking will do you a world of good.

Your diet will probably depend on what you are trying to achieve.

Best.
AD.

I don't think meditation would be for me. Background noises would distract me too much. That's why I thought a relaxation cd might work. Put on headphones and I won't hear any background noise.

mood

mood wrote: »

I don't think meditation would be for me. Background noises would distract me too much. That's why I thought a relaxation cd might work. Put on headphones and I won't hear any background noise.

you can meditate to one of those relaxation cds as well. Better if you don't but you can start off that way.
Also do exercise. Cut down on coffee if you drink it

Artistic_Love

My suggestions would follow along with others - exercise is definitely brilliant, but sometimes when I'm stressed it's the LAST thing I want to do...so I'd suggest fitting it to suit you...maybe dancing - even just in the house! Good music and just having fun never fails. With regard the relaxation cd, I'd say you should spend your money on a cd of an artist you really like, whose music always cheers you up!

While meditation sounds great, I think it takes some getting used to and may not provide immediate results. Don't give up on it, but I also think a key thing is taking time for YOU. Whether you want to read, draw or just watch "trashy" tv. Do it. Don't feel any guilt for shutting everyone else out for a while and allowing yourself to touch base with what you want.

Taltos

Mood - my doc a week or two ago suggested the following - may look into them once I have some cash again.

In order of her preference
1. CBT
2. Yoga / meditation
3. Pilates (surprised me too).

She definitely seemed to favour CBT though.

kerryman12

I dont want you to think I am being flippent when I say this, because I am not but - I honestly believe

Stress is a state of mind, you can choose to suffer from it or not.

The problem is of course making that choice. Like you, and I would guess quite a lot of people I can have stress issues - thankfully this is now more the exception rather than the rule.
Like you the whole mediation thing wouldnt be for me, exerceise would I think be a good option but again I dont do enough of that.

The main thing that works for me is my diary. Yes I keep a diary .
It is purely a work diary; who said what to whom, when it was said, project progess etc. I find that getting stuff out of my head and onto the page very helpfull. I can usually draw a line under the day and go home stress free. I will still be thinking about work stuff, but usually working through solutions in my head as opposed to just seeing the problems. The nights when this dosent work I remind myself that getting stressed out about work is futile. If I get sick in the morning they will just bring on the next bring on the next slave and forget about me. The nights neither of these things work I am like a bear and best avoided.

I must like you get my ass in gear with some regular exercise.

Best of luck

PS Forgot to say that the singles best method of stress relief I have found is SEX, works every time.

mood

kerryman12 wrote: »

I dont want you to think I am being flippent when I say this, because I am not but - I honestly believe

Stress is a state of mind, you can choose to suffer from it or not.

The problem is of course making that choice. Like you, and I would guess quite a lot of people I can have stress issues - thankfully this is now more the exception rather than the rule.
Like you the whole mediation thing wouldnt be for me, exerceise would I think be a good option but again I dont do enough of that.

The main thing that works for me is my diary. Yes I keep a diary .
It is purely a work diary; who said what to whom, when it was said, project progess etc. I find that getting stuff out of my head and onto the page very helpfull. I can usually draw a line under the day and go home stress free. I will still be thinking about work stuff, but usually working through solutions in my head as opposed to just seeing the problems. The nights when this dosent work I remind myself that getting stressed out about work is futile. If I get sick in the morning they will just bring on the next bring on the next slave and forget about me. The nights neither of these things work I am like a bear and best avoided.

I must like you get my ass in gear with some regular exercise.

Best of luck

PS Forgot to say that the singles best method of stress relief I have found is SEX, works every time.

Unfortunately I don't have a boyfriend :rolleyes:

The work diary idea might work for you or other people but not with the nature of my job at present.

Zen65

kerryman12 wrote: »

Stress is a state of mind, you can choose to suffer from it or not.

Stress is more than simply a state of mind. It is a process by which your body "reprimands" you for lifestyle choices you may not even be aware of. Certainly very few people choose to be affected by stress.

At the heart of the issue is that many of us think we are managing our lives in such a way as not not become too emotional, nor too anxious about the events around us. Many of us cope with the knocks life holds for us by staying busy. In doing so, we may overlook the important issue of getting sufficient rest, both physically and mentally. Regular exercise (which is cheap) is a great way of shutting down the "busy centre" of the brain and allowing ourselves to get in touch with our own bodies again. Something as simple as going for a brisk walk or cycle while listening to music on an MP3 player can help you burn up nervous energy and most importantly, allow you to establish a healthy breathing pattern.

Short, shallow breathing occurs when we are distracted by a high-stress situation. It's an anthropomorphic reaction of which we are scarcely aware. Continued shallow breathing reduces the amount of oxygen in our blood and leads to dizziness. Sometimes the body forces you to yawn in this state, thus restoring some of the oxygen to the blood. Where the stress situation continues for a prolonged period of time, a general feeling of anxiety can occur, with the sufferer unable to link the feeling to any specific issue. Indeed, often the sufferer is not consciously troubled by any of the events happening around them.

So the best advice I could offer Op is regular exercise. By "regular" I mean at least three times a week, for at least 30 minutes at a time.

Using a Wii is not the best way to exercise. There is too much artificial distraction, which prevents your brain from getting proper time-out.

Also, do take time to do nothing. Have some "downtime" where you don't watch TV, or do anything that requires thought, but if you wish you could listen to gentle music (preferably without lyrics). While doing this, practise to breath deeply (pulling your breath as if into your abdomen), and allowing a few seconds before breathing out again. I have found that if you hold your breath for about a count of 3, and then exhale through the mouth, you can actually feel the stress leaving your body. Do this for about 20 minutes every day to help your body get its fix of good oxygen.

While doing that, and when you feel you have achieved a pleasant level of relaxation, make a habit of holding one wrist with the other hand. Focus on the sensation of doing this. During the day, when feelings of stress arise, you can recreate some of the relaxed feeling simply by holding the wrist with the hand as you do during these moments of deep breathing.

Other things to think about which might help you:

• Cut out/down on caffeine drinks. They affect your breathing adversely.
• Reduce your intake of spicy food.
• Don't drink large amounts of alcohol, it upsets your body's metabolism.
• On the other hand, sex is good for reducing stress. (Well, I don't actually know this for certain.... but it seems highly plausible!!)
• Eat regular meals, sitting down at a table when you do. Distinguish between mealtimes and other times when you might eat a snack.
• Reduce your consumption of sugary snacks. Fruit is a much healthier alternative.
• Be sure to get plenty of fresh vegtables in your diet.
• Make sure to spend some time each week with adult friends in a relaxed setting. We are social animals, and without social contact we become anxious.
• If you have specific concerns, fears or bad thoughts, be sure to share them with friends. The reassurance of understanding by our nearest and dearest is key to our social sense of belonging.
• If you can afford it, yoga, pilates or martial arts are a great way to get exercise, be social and practise good breathing all in one go.

Best of luck, Op.


Be at peace,

Z

Zen65

mood wrote: »

Unfortunately I don't have a boyfriend :rolleyes:

Not wishing to be crude, but for simple stress-relief it is not necessary to be accompanied. Use your imagination, and/or any appropriate Ann Summers type device to achieve the end result.

Be at peace,

Z