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Somebody get my punching bag...

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by D26, Sep 14, 2010.

  1. D26

    D26
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    Just posted this rant.

    I am incredibly stressed right now. I don't know how to deal with it. When I was younger, I worked as a manager at McDonalds, and I was an angry dude. It was a stressful job full of customers screaming at me and asshole teenagers ignoring anything I told them to do. To relieve stress, I'd scream, curse, and go in the freezer and punch boxes of frozen french fries and the like.

    I've since mellowed out significantly. I really, really hated the person that I was at the time. Now, I play video games and do anything I can to attempt to relax. Sometimes I channel that stress energy into being extra productive (lots of homework, scrubbing the house), but more often than not I ignore it, and just let the stress and anxiety fester. I'm fairly sure this is going to result in a stroke by the time I am 35.

    So, help me out:

    FOCUS: How do you deal with stress?
    ALTERNATE FOCUS: How did you used to deal with stress? Why did it change?
     
  2. DrFrylock

    DrFrylock
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    The White

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    When I am really stressed out, my entire body/brain tries to shut down and go to sleep, I guess figuring that I'll wait out the trouble? I dunno. How do you all deal with stress?
     
  3. LessTalk MoreStab

    LessTalk MoreStab
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    Beer, lots of beer.
     
  4. scootah

    scootah
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    New mod

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    You are not so smart talks about cathartic venting and why it's not as awesome as it seems. Fantstic blog.

    I have no comment here. I have a really hard time dealing with stress that I can't resolve. It's why I was a drug addict and why I know what 5 flavours of anti-depressant taste like. I generally try and resolve what's stressing me, and failing that drink/play video games/tie people up and do bad things to them. It works more then half the time - so that's a win right?
     
  5. Nate17

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    You would think writing tickets and harassing kids would be the way cops lash out, but thats not the case (with what I'm accustomed to). I listen to talk radio, talk to the wife, or just read shit on the net when agitated. Now, if the stress is caused by some asshole I've pulled over/ arrested, the usually end up with more paperwork. Taking out aggression on a person who doesn't deserve it can get you in some shit, sooner or later.
     
  6. selective misogyny

    selective misogyny
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    I ride my motorcycle, and I punt babies. Not necessarily in that order.
     
  7. Disgustipated

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    I have different ways of dealing with stress, totally dependent on where they've come from.

    In response to work stress, I speed up. As in I literally do everything faster. If I don't consciously slow my speech down people can't understand me. I then work at blistering pace until I have overcome the source of stress. Unfortunately, in the past, this had been for periods of months and I have burnt out as I would go hell for leather all day until I collapsed. Then I would wake up and do the same all over again. Not healthy in the least.

    In response to relationship stress, I clean. I will scrub the fuck out of my house.

    If it's just general stress or nothing too significant, I need to find an activity that I can devote total concentration to in order to stop my mind racing. What I found that worked really well for me was painting miniatures. The more intricate it was, the more I had to block out absolutely everything. Of course, once I finished the stressor was still there. So maybe that wasn't too effective.
     
  8. lostalldoubt86

    lostalldoubt86
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    I have a punching bag in my garage. When that doesn't work, I take a ride up to the country and hike until I feel like my legs are going to fall off. It's easy to be unstressed when you don't have the energy to feel feelings anymore.
     
  9. TX.

    TX.
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    The Mad Pooper

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    Run

    Yoga, but NOT the meditative kind...Power Yoga, where you flow the entire class. It's difficult to think about Life when you're focused on not falling on your head during an inversion.

    Wine. I drink a glass every night when I come home.
     
  10. Guy Fawkes

    Guy Fawkes
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    I use to have an incredibly tough time dealing with stress. Mostly because I incorrectly assumed that if you have a certain type of job, and live a certain type of life then the trade off is you have to be stressed the fuck out all the time.

    This is untrue.

    My stress relief solutions:

    1. Think about what is actually stressing you out. Boil it down to it's most simple form. Then if it warrants it, shake your head and laugh at the ridiculousness of letting something so stupid and insignificant cause you this much turmoil.

    2. Take time off/out. When you can't just laugh it off then as soon as you're done dealing with the cause of the stress take a day off. You've got them, use them. Tell family, friends, co-workers to politely fuck off, turn off your phone and go do something you really enjoy without interruption.

    3. Exercise. More specifically soul sapping, vomit inducing exertion. Be it weights, martial arts training, running, or biking... just do something. If you're doing it right you won't have time or energy to think about what's stressing you out. Plus the endorphins you receive after the workout will make you feel like a new person.

    4. Smoke marijuana. It works perfectly if taken in proper dosages. It does not make you a couch zombie unless you smoke too much and it allows you to break down problems from a different angle.
     
  11. Frank

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    This. I don't usually lift or run to failure, but when I'm stressed I'll just keep going until my body gives out, wait until I'm pissed off again and continue until my body gives out again. Rinse and repeat until I either pass out from exhaustion or I'm too tired to care.
     
  12. Harry Coolahan

    Harry Coolahan
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    Martial arts, rock climbing, weightlifting, running. Basically, anything where I can burn myself out.

    Weightlifting is especially good because it still requires focus/restraint/humility to avoid hurting yourself, so I find it's a good way of burning energy while forcing everything back into perspective. I always show up to the gym thinking I'll toss weights around in a cathartic rage, then I start squatting and realize I still need to focus on my breathing and precise movement—it's never as satisfying as I expect but I always feel better afterwards. I like this a lot more than doing simple exercises (e.g. pushups) until I puke.

    Martial arts is a great way of reducing stress but not a place I like to go when I'm already stressed, because I don't like to talk to people when I'm in a bad mood.
     
  13. audreymonroe

    audreymonroe
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    The most powerful cervix... in the world...

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    Healthy Ways: Usually, I'll listen to my iPod and go for a really, really long walk. Usually when people get stressed and say "I'm going for a walk," it means around the block a few times, but I mean miles at a time. When I lived in Boston, there were a couple of times when I tuned back in and realized "Oh, I just walked across the entire city." In Manhattan and Brooklyn, that's not so likely, but I've still managed to cover some good distances. When I start out, I can focus on what's stressing me out and rant about it for a while, but then between the music and the sites around me there's usually something to shift my train of thought until I calm down.

    I'll read (magazines in particular have a magic power to lower stress) or play with my roommates kitten. Or, watch TV or cheesy movies with some popcorn or dessert.

    I'll direct all my focus into a big project. I'll cook an elaborate meal, or do a crafty project, or plan a party or a scheme or redecorate or something. Sometimes, though, this backfires big time. I won't be able to focus and am too distracted by my thoughts so I'll mess up a whole bunch of little things or one crucial big thing, and then I'll become even more upset or stressed because I ruined it.

    I'll masturbate. (How am I the first person to bring this up?)

    Unhealthy Ways: Sometimes I just need a drink or two or three. These days, that usually means drinking alone. Oh well.

    I'll wallow. There have been days where I haven't gotten out of bed unless it's to pee or get something to eat.

    In the past two years, I've started to get pretty serious panic attacks. Every now and then I can talk myself out of them before they get too bad, but if I can't then they get pretty damn bad and I just sort of have to wait until it passes.
     
  14. KillaKam

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    Running tends to help me out a lot, or any type of cardio activity.

    Music is a huge stress relief as well...basically any of your hobbies is bound to take your mind off stress and tension. Reading helps me wind down before I go to sleep, because I've found that a lot of shit starts coursing through my brain when I lay down at night and has led to many sleepless nights.

    At work, when something gets me over worked, I try to stop for a second and take a few deep breaths. Usually helps.
     
  15. Danger Boy

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    Weeeeeee!
    [​IMG][​IMG][​IMG]
     
  16. katokoch

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    I typically slink down to my man cave in the basement and work while listening to good tunes on the radio on a nightly basis. If it was an especially rough day, I'll finish up work with a beer or two.

    Spending a few hours at a range by myself with a few rifles and doing some focused target shooting is the absolute ultimate for me.
     
  17. caseykasem

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    I go to the gym and do supersets and then I do plyometrics until I throw up. The endorphin release combined with the fact that I'm pushing myself physically instantly make me feel better and less stressed. I also like to sit on my deck and smoke a good cigar and watch the sun set over the mountains. If all else fails, like audreymonroe, I masterbate.
     
  18. gogators

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    Skeet shooting or target practice are my preferred methods of stress relief.

    Nothing like taking out your aggression on a 100 round box of clays or a picture of a rodent.
     
  19. Nick

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    I was going to say this too, but then again, I like to masturbate just as much when I'm not stressed. The only difference is whether or not I'm crying while I do it. I'm kind of an equal opportunity masturbater.

    One of my good friends used to say that his favorite thing in the world was day drinking, followed in a very close second by night drinking. I view masturbation in the same light as it relates to stress.
     
  20. Primer

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    There has been very few instances that exercise hasn't help relieve stress. There's a reason that I was in my best shape when I was the mos stressed out (ie: school), I would swim three times a week in the morning and twice a week in the evening. Now, I swim twice a week just to maintain myself and do stress management and if I've had a bad day, I'll throw on some shoes and go for a run.

    It's dual purpose and works wonders.