Guided imagery. Breathing deeply while counting to 10. Meditation... No, I'm not listing off the hobbies of those that don't have cable or Internet access, I am looking at ways to handle stress.
It's something we all deal with, whether it's related to work, school, or one's personal life. Some people have legitimate reasons to be stressed out, others can be thrown into a tizzy (please note: this is the first ever occurrence of the word "tizzy" in one of The Writings... mark it down. You can even print this to preserve this historic occasion.) by just about anything. Whether the source of the stress is worthwhile or not, everyone needs ways they deal with pebbles, stones, or boulders life might toss their way. Luckily, you now have this guide to all things stress relief. I'm searching the the farthest corners of the web (unless the web has no corners... crap) and presenting the positives and negatives of various stress reducers. After all, going on bender and headbutting car windshields won't make you feel any better (and might be frowned upon by the cops, too).
Self-hypnosis
I am getting sleepy... I am getting sleepy... Nope, I'm not reminiscing about an old economics class. I'm hypnotizing myself to relieve stress. According to one website, going Manchurian Candidate on yourself is an effective stress reducer.
Why it's good - Because it's SELF-hypnosis, you don't have to pay big bucks to some weirdo spinning a spiral-adorned umbrella.
Why it's bad - If you're like me, your mind tends to wander. Such can be disastrous when performing self-hypnosis. One minute, you're triggering your relaxation response; the next, you're singing a song that's been stuck in your head. The result? When your boss asks you to come to his office, you walk in belting out the lyrics to the Garfield and Friends theme song.
Meditation
This one seems close to self-hypnosis in my book... but not quite as creepy.
Why it's good - Have you ever seen someone meditate that seemed stressed while doing it? Exactly. Also, if the meditation doesn't take, it at least might lead into a nap.
Why it's bad - Again, minds wander. And personal silence isn't always golden... especially when you're someplace with thin walls.
Journaling
Writing down your thoughts, no matter what they might be... Seems like a crazy idea. I doubt I could bring myself to do it.
... Oh.
Why it's good - You can express whatever you'd like, no matter how absurd it might be. (See: Larson, The Writings of Derek).
Why it's bad - Well, if you're writing your own stuff, who is going to read this? Forget that I even mentioned this option.
Playing games
Whether it's Duck, Duck Goose or Duck Hunt (that's right, I'm old school), who doesn't love a good game?
Why it's good - Your options are broad. You can enjoy the camaraderie of friends with a game of touch football or can take quiet solitude while gunning down zombies on your X-Box. (Something tells me that any female readers might be struggling to grasp this point right now... The Writings - We really understand women.)
Why it's bad - If you aren't very good at the game and/or you're a poor loser, this can actually add stress. Don't try to convince the controller to eight-year-old Derek's Nintendo otherwise.
Laughter
Some say it's the best medicine... Others prefer antibiotics.
Why it's good - You're enjoying yourself.
Why it's bad - If you're a person that gets his/her kicks by punting puppies, socking war veterans in the nose, or eating all of one flavor out of someone's Neapolitan ice cream, you're probably doing more harm than good. I'd try something else.
Taking a walk
If you are reading this, you probably aren't taking a walk... Think about it.
Why it's good - You're getting exercise. Your cardiovascular system thanks you.
Why it's bad - Unless you really enjoy walking laps in your home, this one requires a bit of cooperation from Mother Nature. Unfortunately, she's not always the most accommodating lady. Walking in the rain can leave you sick. Walking in the heat can leave you in desperate need of a shower. Walking in the snow can leave you cursing the ice you slipped on.*
*This applies only if you have the balance of a manatee attempting to perform a nose-stand... Oh, odds are you won't curse the ice until after you have gotten back up really quickly and looked around to make sure no one saw you come crashing to the ground... Lousy ice!
Planting a garden
How does your garden grow? Hopefully quite contrary Mary's answer doesn't contain any curses.
Why it's good - You can see progress. What you plant as a seed can turn into something beautiful down the road.
Why it's bad - This is another case where you might be inviting more stress. Pesky varmints can leave you plants looking like the buffet at a sumo conference. Anything that leads to you shooting a shotgun out of your bedroom window at something 1/16 your size cannot be considered stress relief.
Reading a book
LeVar Burton would approve.
Why it's good - It can spark your imagination. It can be educational. It can be inspirational.
Why it's bad - Pages can get stuck together, causing involuntary rage. They can also cause wicked papercuts. It could also lead to people calling you egghead.
Squeezing a stress ball
Ooooh... squishy.
Why it's good - It's exercises hand muscles and relieves muscles tension.
Why it's bad - It's not very big, so you will misplace it at some point. Crawling underneath your desk in a vain attempt to locate your frog-shaped piece of foam rubber is not exactly conducive to slashing your stress level.
Well, nine strategies and 900+ words later, I guess it's pretty obvious which strategy I use to relieve my stress.
(No, not drinking.)
It's something we all deal with, whether it's related to work, school, or one's personal life. Some people have legitimate reasons to be stressed out, others can be thrown into a tizzy (please note: this is the first ever occurrence of the word "tizzy" in one of The Writings... mark it down. You can even print this to preserve this historic occasion.) by just about anything. Whether the source of the stress is worthwhile or not, everyone needs ways they deal with pebbles, stones, or boulders life might toss their way. Luckily, you now have this guide to all things stress relief. I'm searching the the farthest corners of the web (unless the web has no corners... crap) and presenting the positives and negatives of various stress reducers. After all, going on bender and headbutting car windshields won't make you feel any better (and might be frowned upon by the cops, too).
Self-hypnosis
I am getting sleepy... I am getting sleepy... Nope, I'm not reminiscing about an old economics class. I'm hypnotizing myself to relieve stress. According to one website, going Manchurian Candidate on yourself is an effective stress reducer.
Why it's good - Because it's SELF-hypnosis, you don't have to pay big bucks to some weirdo spinning a spiral-adorned umbrella.
Why it's bad - If you're like me, your mind tends to wander. Such can be disastrous when performing self-hypnosis. One minute, you're triggering your relaxation response; the next, you're singing a song that's been stuck in your head. The result? When your boss asks you to come to his office, you walk in belting out the lyrics to the Garfield and Friends theme song.
Meditation
This one seems close to self-hypnosis in my book... but not quite as creepy.
Why it's good - Have you ever seen someone meditate that seemed stressed while doing it? Exactly. Also, if the meditation doesn't take, it at least might lead into a nap.
Why it's bad - Again, minds wander. And personal silence isn't always golden... especially when you're someplace with thin walls.
Journaling
Writing down your thoughts, no matter what they might be... Seems like a crazy idea. I doubt I could bring myself to do it.
... Oh.
Why it's good - You can express whatever you'd like, no matter how absurd it might be. (See: Larson, The Writings of Derek).
Why it's bad - Well, if you're writing your own stuff, who is going to read this? Forget that I even mentioned this option.
Playing games
Whether it's Duck, Duck Goose or Duck Hunt (that's right, I'm old school), who doesn't love a good game?
Why it's good - Your options are broad. You can enjoy the camaraderie of friends with a game of touch football or can take quiet solitude while gunning down zombies on your X-Box. (Something tells me that any female readers might be struggling to grasp this point right now... The Writings - We really understand women.)
Why it's bad - If you aren't very good at the game and/or you're a poor loser, this can actually add stress. Don't try to convince the controller to eight-year-old Derek's Nintendo otherwise.
Laughter
Some say it's the best medicine... Others prefer antibiotics.
Why it's good - You're enjoying yourself.
Why it's bad - If you're a person that gets his/her kicks by punting puppies, socking war veterans in the nose, or eating all of one flavor out of someone's Neapolitan ice cream, you're probably doing more harm than good. I'd try something else.
Taking a walk
If you are reading this, you probably aren't taking a walk... Think about it.
Why it's good - You're getting exercise. Your cardiovascular system thanks you.
Why it's bad - Unless you really enjoy walking laps in your home, this one requires a bit of cooperation from Mother Nature. Unfortunately, she's not always the most accommodating lady. Walking in the rain can leave you sick. Walking in the heat can leave you in desperate need of a shower. Walking in the snow can leave you cursing the ice you slipped on.*
*This applies only if you have the balance of a manatee attempting to perform a nose-stand... Oh, odds are you won't curse the ice until after you have gotten back up really quickly and looked around to make sure no one saw you come crashing to the ground... Lousy ice!
Planting a garden
How does your garden grow? Hopefully quite contrary Mary's answer doesn't contain any curses.
Why it's good - You can see progress. What you plant as a seed can turn into something beautiful down the road.
Why it's bad - This is another case where you might be inviting more stress. Pesky varmints can leave you plants looking like the buffet at a sumo conference. Anything that leads to you shooting a shotgun out of your bedroom window at something 1/16 your size cannot be considered stress relief.
Reading a book
LeVar Burton would approve.
Why it's good - It can spark your imagination. It can be educational. It can be inspirational.
Why it's bad - Pages can get stuck together, causing involuntary rage. They can also cause wicked papercuts. It could also lead to people calling you egghead.
Squeezing a stress ball
Ooooh... squishy.
Why it's good - It's exercises hand muscles and relieves muscles tension.
Why it's bad - It's not very big, so you will misplace it at some point. Crawling underneath your desk in a vain attempt to locate your frog-shaped piece of foam rubber is not exactly conducive to slashing your stress level.
Well, nine strategies and 900+ words later, I guess it's pretty obvious which strategy I use to relieve my stress.
(No, not drinking.)
1 comment:
Just a thought concerning journaling (and its cousin blogging),
If you write it but no one reads it, does it still count?
(You know, as... if a tree falls in middle of the forest and there's no one there to hear it, does it still make a crash!)
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