Stess relief. . .how do you do it?

[ShrowdedPoet]

Ok, we all have stress and we all have our own ways of relieving it. . .so. . .what's yours.  I'll go first.

I like to drive really fast with all the windows down blaring incredibly loud angry death metal music. . .always makes me feel better.

[Ket]

Bubblegum dance and Europop! 
And if that doesn't work....I head on to things that can't be discussed in a PG-13 thread...

[Caeli]

Tennis, swimming, and running.

If I can't do those... playing video games that let me hit things. :]

[Greenthorn]

I honestly just escape in my own mind.  The more stressed I am..the quieter I get...but also, the more productive I get...I welcome stress!

[Kalen]

I write to relieve stress. 

As I'm here a lot, I must be a very stressed person.

[Brandon]

Theres a way to relieve stress?

Acctually I just tend to talk to someone I trust about whatever's bugging me. If that doesnt work its usually a problem that wont be solved at all. I also find that writing or video games help

[Trieste]

Depends on the kind of stress... but for the most part, I stick to physical activity and loud music... anything with a beat and some energy. Aqua, Black Eyed Peas, techno remixes of various things (I have a bunch), VAST, ThouShaltNot... and I run, I jog, I swim, and I ... *looks around guiltily* do Tae Bo. Punching the living hell out of air-people is pretty cathartic, so even though people tend to look at me weirdly, I'm not likely to give it up. ^_^

[Xillen]

Watching something. A movie, some anime, etc... Since I don't have any influence in it, not even it's speed (which would be different from reading a book/comics) my mind can't do anything and will eventually calm down.

[Lithos]

I have two major things that help usually. First one is to have a jog, the longer and harder the better

Second is the non PG things in more affectionate / sappy way than usual x.x

[Maeven]

First one is to have a jog, the longer and harder the better

Running. Yep.  And for me, the hotter and stickier the better. Always clears my head. 

Also... sitting outside on the deck, sipping a beer and throwing a tennis ball for the dogs.  It just doesn't get much better than that. 

[Cutter]

I relieve stress by violating certain civil liberties..................

WEll, not really. Only on the most egregious offending  miscreants.

I go to the gym. Get lost in my routine.

And to echo Maven, a cold beer on the back deck while enjoying the tang of a bay breeze melts away the tensions of Life.

[ShrowdedPoet]

Ah yes, so many good ways to relieve stress.  I have done most of them often enough as well.  Though when I'm stressed I do perfer my non-PG13 stuff to be rough and hard instead of sappy and affectionate.

[Sherona]

Ah yes, so many good ways to relieve stress.  I have done most of them often enough as well.  Though when I'm stressed I do perfer my non-PG13 stuff to be rough and hard instead of sappy and affectionate.

Me too. when I am particularly stressed out I do not play on any of my light games, or even medium. THe only games tht tend to get love from me when I am stressed is my extreme games.....lovely stress relievers.

[Lithos]

Though when I'm stressed I do perfer my non-PG13 stuff to be rough and hard instead of sappy and affectionate.

From most friends and my SO, and most here it seems that most are that way, I am kind of opposite, not sure why. For me it works that way, usually get it away just by running, and if not then feeling really comfy and nice works guaranteed. I am not really badly stressed very often to begin with though.

[ShrowdedPoet]

Stress is PoetFuel!!!!!

[Gathering Wilderness]

Music: On
Volume: A soothing fourteen trillion decibels
Hair: Down
Neck Injury: Imminent

[The Overlord]

This thread makes me think of a quote that I see on a coffee mug or T-shirt every so often. "Stress; the confusion caused when the mind overrides the body's urge to choke the living shit out of some asshole that desperately needs it."


In that regard my methods, in no set order-



1) Gaming; shooting, killing and nuking as many online targets as possible. Psychologically suppresses the urge to do it in rl.


2) Timetables and detailed plans on dishing back stress and duress on the parties that caused it to me. Even if I don't actually deliver on 95% of it, but this is where #1 becomes even more crucial.


3) Spending time alone, where I don't risk dragging others into that dark stormloud over my head and killing their mood as well. Sometime I lose myself in the virtual online, other times in the natural (a walk in the woods seems to reclaim my energy).

[OldSchoolGamer]

For me, a simple walk does wonders.  Gives me a chance to get away from people (I leave my cell phone behind).  Of course, here in the Central Valley of California, the heat starts to build in late May, and by July is simply abominable.   Walking is a chancy proposition until the last week or two of September.  All this week we'll be over 100 Fahrenheit in the afternoon.

If I can't walk, some computer games soothe my nerves, as does meditation.

[Psi]

For me my big stress relief is grabbing a nice book of the shelf, or firing up my VM to run an eBook while having a nice glass or two of red wine...   (ok... or three or for)

Its rare when I get to the point of needing to relief stress as I am always reading which helps to get rid of the stress if its building up bit by bit.
Of course there are the other more energetic ways to relieve stress too :p

[HairyHeretic]

Conquering the world / universe from the comfort of my PC :)

[Sabby]

Gaming. Nothing like busting a bums teeth out with a pipe to get your stress levels down.

[The Lotus Eater]

1 - Practice martial arts
2 - LOUD and BROOTAL music
3 - RUDE THINGS
4 - BOOZE
5 - The power of the mind

[HairyHeretic]

1 - Practice martial arts

True. If you've had a rough day, tossing someone around on the mats for an hour or two does work wonders.

[Rhapsody]

Housework.

Nothing like slamming around brooms and scrubbing the bejesus out of dishes to work out your frustrations.

[The Overlord]

Gaming. Nothing like busting a bums teeth out with a pipe to get your stress levels down.

Yeah but busting up a wine-sodden destitute on a street corner isn't much a challenge, it's good to have a risk factor with enemies that are actively trying to kill you. A bum might get my sympathy vote; gang bangers, orcs, or a squad of Stormtroopers never would. Nothing like return fire whizzing past your head to get you into a full-tilt burn. I like to MMO including Everquest and Star Wars Galaxies...this is the perfect time to load up the wizard or the Jedi, whip out the spell tome or lightsaber and go absolutely batshit medieval fucking loco on something. Works wonders for stress.