You're Stressed Out. What Do You Do?
 

(I'm going to be deliberately unspecific here.)

What do you do when you're stressed out?

I'm getting that way recently. Combination of work and personal stuff. Woke up last night, heart thumping, mind racing. Blood pressure is lately running about 10 pts above normal.

I'm attacking the root causes, of course. But in the meantime . . . ?

Do you
- Drink? I'm not a routine drinker, but we do have tons of booze around.
- Smoke? I was kinda tempted, this weekend.
- Medicate? I used to take a beta blocker (25 mg atenolol) for high blood pressure/elevated pulse. Haven't needed to take it for several months. I could take one.
- Exercise? I felt better today, maybe because I start and end my workday with a little bike ride.
- Meditate? Scream therapy? Pull wings off butterflies? What works for you? (I do think I need to stay away from motor vehicles. Took the Vespa out of winter storage yesterday, wanted to see if it ran, and found myself riding around rather faster than my rusty skills really merited, T-shirt and sneakers . . . Stopped, turned around and went home.)

Exercise.

one drink and a nap.

Run.

Middle of the night a couple years back I drove myself to the ER thinking I was having a heart attack.

4 hours and several thousand $s later doc says, you're stressed, quit smoking, drink less coffee, drink more wine and have more sex.

Asked for a script for the last part.

Knowing you are stressed is the biggest part. It's mental so you learn to recognize the early onset and work to keep it in check. The more you allow it to grow the harder it gets to turn it around.

These days I keep a stash of Kolonopin around so when it sneaks up on me I can pause it long enough to regain mental control.

Only need it 2-3 times a year.

same boat, here. work and neighbor.

i bought a T-shirt that says "the beatings will continue until morale improves." i wear it to work under my scrubs. it makes me smile.

Perhaps a cigar?

Losing sleep due to stress is bad news. It's only happened to me a few times, thankfully. My method is sleeping pills in the short term, remove the stress-causing factor in the long term. Really, that's the only way to deal with stress. If your job is stressful and you're finding yourself increasingly unable to handle it, maybe it's time to look for a new job.

Seriously, life's too short to waste time miserable.

What is Kolonquin?

benzodiazepene. same family as valium, IIRC.

I find ways to use the "morning panic" to be productive. Doesn't always work.

When I'm stressed, I'll escape and work on the p-car, take bike ride/walk, or pull out the bow and shoot arrows at my target in the backyard.

When I feel the stress coming on, either from work or personal issues, I have to force myself to do something fun I haven't done in a while.
•Hike (Drive a half hour to the gorge or 10 minutes to the wildwood trail. An hour up and down a quiet trail will do wonders for the psyche)
•Soak at the Kennedy School hot tub
•911 is usually ready for a drive, Bonneville dam and back on the Washington side only takes a little more than an hour
•Putter around the house. Recently spent an hour wiping down my toolboxes. It gave me garage ideas.
•This afternoon, I spent an hour after work chasing squeaks and tuning up the front brake of my commuter bike.
• Read, or watch a movie.
Or, if the planets line up properly, there's always the old standby;
•http://forums.pelicanparts.com/off-topic-discussions/669426-viagra-vs-cialis.html

the hot tub there is awesome. i like the one at st francis in bend, too. :)

Prioritize.

Wish I could help, I don't do stress.
Jim

Easily said....

I try not to. Taxes on property are due tomorrow, the house payment was due 8 days ago and the income tax refund is a lot smaller this year. I don't have the money to do all of this.

And I don't give a rat's ass. Sometimes you just have to say fvk it. Another day things might be better. Somehow I got this far.

I've been going through a 7.25 year divorce.
My .5 million $ House was sold which was paid for before marriage by yours truly.
The money is still intrust after being sold 2.25 years ago-x embezeled $152K and I caught her.
I wish to have custody of my Son.
I haven't seen my Daughter for 3.5 years.
My mother passed away recently
I was hit by a vehicle and broke my back for the second time.
Not able to work right now.
Money is tight.
...............................One day at a time along with ADALAT 4hypertension and a little prayer on occasion but god is busy.

Walks really do help as well.

Master-bait ;)SmileWavy

damn.... get feeling better, soon.