Stress relief

[Jay Sherman]

I know the subject and title probably set me up for disaster here, but I'm coming here to ask for some stress remedies. I get it from my dad, who owns a family business. For as long as I've known, he's been a stressed out dude. The only time he's not stressed out is when we go to the beach, and he even has trouble relaxing there sometimes just thinking about what's going on at the store while he's away.

I should add that my mom is the type to jump to conclusions without thinking everything through.

With those terrific genes intertwined, I come to you SJ, because certain days are more stressful than others, and sometimes my blood pressure goes through the roof. I'm a 22 year-old kid in his first gig. I have no mortgages to pay for, no college debt, and my parents help me out with a few things financially until I have a bit more saved up.

With that said, I get so stressed when a friend calls me with a problem that is out of my hands. It happens fairly frequently. It happened when I was looking for an apartment and my girlfriend wouldn't commit to a lease, leaving me to scramble at the last minute to find housing. It made me really stressed when all I needed was some relaxation heading into my job. Of course things worked out fine, but these problems keep popping up every once in a while and I don't know how to handle it besides getting really stressed out and it getting to me all day.

Do you guys have any remedies to lower your stress level, besides the obvious suggestion that the next person to post in this thread will offer (fapping)? TIA :-\

 

[Ace]

Why not focus on trying to fix what you can fix and not worrying about **** that you can't control.

That's what I do.

 

[jps]

Borrow mikey's Full House box set, maybe?


(I tend to smoke a good Dominican cigar on my balcony. Works wonders.)

 

[forever_town]

Learning to let go of what you can't control and fix what you can control.

Go for walks. Grab your iPod or MP3 device and give yourself a chance to tune the rest of the world out.

Hang out with/find friends to hang out with.

 

[BYH]

Post on SJ. Until a handful of idiots **** you off and begin stressing you out even more.

 

[qtlaw]

Enjoy what you have. Its amazing when you take an accounting of what you have to be thankful for, your appreciation for life increases.

Think of the little things, health, family, friends, significant others, running water, a roof over your head, your youth.

You seem to have it well right now, no mortgage, no debt, that's great, keep it that way.

Stressing out over things you have no control over, and what may or may not happen is a no win situation; why do it?

I know, I'm an eternal optimist, but heck, its free.

Good luck, really.

 

[spnited]

Post on SJ. Until a handful of idiots **** you off and allow you to blow off the stress by villifying them for an hour or so.

Fixed.

 

[Buck]

Drink more. Work your way up to about a half to two-thirds of a bottle of Wild Turkey a night.
Every night.

 

[Cadet]

I know this sounds patronizing, but in my experience you really can grow out of it a bit. I am hard-wired to be a stressball, and sometimes it does get the better of me. But the older I get, even with more responsibilities, the more able I am to say '**** it' about things I really can't control. I guess I've got more perspective. Sure, certain things still really get to me (ahem, my mother), but I'm a lot more relaxed than I used to be. I don't feel like everything is a four-alarm emergency.

 

[cranberry]

1. Embrace it. Think of all the stressful moments you've come through just fine. You'll probably find that you're someone who works well under stress. Ta da -- something to be proud about.

2. Put it in perspective. You're already doing this when you remind yourself that you're a 22-year-old kid with no mortgage, debts, etc.

3. Study Buddhism. Hey, it worked for Kerouac. Oh wait, it didn't. He drank himself to death. Never mind.

 

[Jay Sherman]

Typing it out felt pretty relieving. Reading your responses, especially the funny ones, made me feel better, too.

The backstory of today's stress was that my old apartment management went to clean my roommate's room and threw out all of his stuff in that room, including our old futon, because it's company policy. It was a really frustrating moment as I got panicked calls at 10am from my buddy who is spending the summer in Massachusetts. Blech.

 

[Gomer]

Exercise helps.

Oh, and mastur-(looks up fapping in the urban dictionary)... never mind.

 

[Boognish]

I know this sounds patronizing, but in my experience you really can grow out of it a bit. I am hard-wired to be a stressball, and sometimes it does get the better of me. But the older I get, even with more responsibilities, the more able I am to say '**** it' about things I really can't control. I guess I've got more perspective. Sure, certain things still really get to me (ahem, my mother), but I'm a lot more relaxed than I used to be. I don't feel like everything is a four-alarm emergency.

Makes sense to me. Letting the small stuff fall to the side isn't natural for everyone, for most it has to be learned. It gets easier, too, like you said. Finding something that you do for yourself that makes you happy and relaxed can be just as hard for people who, often without knowing it, do almost everything for reasons other than to please themselves - for others, to satisfy a stadium of invisible judges. Or maybe I'm just crazy.

 

[dixiehack]

You have a new mantra. Repeat to people who bring their problems to you until they get the point.

"Failure to plan on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part."

 

[hondo]

get drunk
get stoned
get laid

With the right chick, all three at once.

 

[Buck]

Crank up some kick-ass Eagles tunes on the stereo.

 

[Flash]

I lift weights. By the end of an hour, I'm too tired to think about everything.

 

[User 1019]

Jay,

Google this: FM 3-04.301

It's the Army's medical manual for aviators, and contains an entire chapter on stress. Even though it's written in Army medical speak, it's quite interesting and will help you. Seriously.

Chapter 3 is the one on stress.