View Full Version : Your Fave Relaxation/Stress Mgmt Techniques?
fidgiegirl
8-5-12, 12:27am
Not sure if anyone's noticed based on my posts lately, but I'm freakin' hyper the last week and a half or so. I wonder if I'm in a hyperthyroid phase, actually. (There was a time I worried I was manic depressive. Now I know it's the hyper- and hypothyroid swings of Hashi's. But that's not really the point of this thread).
I was reading in my current thyroid book just how much impact the adrenals have on thyroid function. Not even thyroid function so much, but the ability of cells to take on the thyroid hormone, resulting in hypo symptoms. They are the glands that control flight or fight, and basically in most Americans they are in perpetual use, leading to adrenal exhaustion. I can't explain it all very well, but long story short - The author emphasizes controlling stress. I seem to be doing a crap job of that lately, and here's the most stupid part - we're on summer vacation! There is NO REASON I should HAVE to get anything done at all.
This is the same kind of feeling I was routinely having before I had to leave my classroom job a little over a year ago. Always going, going, going, never doing enough, never done. And it's all artificial. I look at the fact that my former program is being cut and think - oh, it was all for nothing. Not really, a lot of kids learned something and developed a love of Spanish, but the point is, with one swoop of an e-mail, the program is gone. Done. Curriculum development that I agonized and stressed over? In the garbage. Materials I hunted high and low for and shuffled and organized and weeded and handled and repaired? Garbage or donated. It just gives perspective is all I'm saying. I stressed and stressed and stressed and really, for nothing.
So I'm going to need to work consciously on stress. There is no reason to let it overwhelm me and potentially affect my health. None at all.
Some of my stress reduction ideas (not all at once, of course - how stressful! ;) )
- Yoga again. Choose a good time and stick to it.
- No computer before work is helpful. Get some magazines to enjoy or a book instead over breakfast. Maybe a podcast.
- No computer after 8:00 p.m. Only books or sewing.
- Scheduling fun days/date days.
- Carrying on with exercise. That's going well.
- No electronic devices in the bedroom. Just the presence is too tempting, either to break sleep or immediately check upon waking up. Ask DH to change his e-mail setting if he MUST have the phone by the bedside (so every incoming msg. doesn't buzz/beep/ding.)
- Going to work earlier rather than later, especially in winter, so I can feel I have time in the evening and not have to rush rush rush.
How about you? What works well to help you control your stress?
(Geez, once again I'm finding myself apologizing for length. Part of the overstressing, methinks!)
Massages.
Deluxe PEDIcures where they spend 45 minutes on my feet and a fab massage chair
Long, hot showers.
Naps!
Keeping a clean desk, almost empty email in box (work AND personal), and getting rid of things I don't need. Clutter stresses me out!
I use a number of different guided relaxation and hypnosis CD's for stress management. It's even more effective if I can emerge from hypnosis and then go right into a nap! :)
Yes, keeping visual noise down, not having too many things on my to-do list, and a clean and uncluttered desk also really helps. Oh, and remember to make your bed every morning and go to sleep with a clean kitchen, to make the whole day feel better.
Tussiemussies
8-5-12, 1:17am
I find that not watching TV or the radio eliminates a lot of stress because for me a lot of what is on TV is negative in one form or another.
Meditation on a spiritual phrase helps a lot especially if I do it before going to sleep. Only if you are into that .
I can understand your frustration about your program being cancelled but remember that you did an exceptional job and gave it 110 percent. These children will have these memories for the rest of their lives. You know you can count on yourself to really give your all into a project. Maybe eventually you will be the person that everyone wants to work with because of your exceptional skills. Don't think negative-- reframe the situation and see all the positives. This could be preparation for something bigger down the road.
If you try meditation don't worry that your mind will wander all over, just keep bringing it back to the phrase you are using...
ApatheticNoMore
8-5-12, 1:35am
Well I like massages (swedish massages - other types of massages are nice also but swedish is the basic massage for relaxation). Heck a person could *learn* relaxation for the first time just from getting enough of these done well :)
Besides that spending time somewhere natural. It can just be a city park - some trees and grass, it can be the woods, the mountains, etc.. I judge these things mostly by feel, the best places to me have a relaxed feel to them whether it's a city park or something more natural (I have several such favorite places). Then I just spend time there, walking is fine sure (and can also be stress reducing), but so is just laying around. Lie in the grass get enough oxygen and grass and earth in my lungs (i don't have many seasonal allergies as you can guess). Observe stuff. Listen to birds. By the time I'm done, I'm breathing deeply, have more energy or I feel a deep calm (unfortunately entering back into "civilization", artifical lights etc., and I do feel the stress ramping up a bit).
I've tried just about everything. This is all I do for now :). Hypnosis tapes - I've tried it. It *is* relaxing (but massages and nature more so - but hard to get much nature when the days become so short in December! so ....). Gentle yoga (not the serious exercise stuff, but the relaxing, gentle stretching yoga), I've tried it, it is quite relaxing, but I'm a bit lazy to do it regularly (lying around in nature is more my style :laff:). Meditation I've tried it and while it did produce some temporary short lived relaxation that was worked very hard for, it's also backfired, it used to backfire physically, I'd get restless legs while doing it, I started doing it sitting rather than lying, that helped physically, and *then* it seemed to coincide with serious backfiring mentally. I went to a very very dark depressing place mentally, like it opened up a vortex. I quit. Maybe one of these days but not now.
I don't usually overschedule because I have a personality that becomes deeply unhappy when overscheduled. I know this, I'd rather be lazy and bored even, ideally I'm neither, but bored is the lesser evil :).
Oh it's probably best for the adrenals to give up caffeine. I was reflecting today on how I feel better off of it (my drug of choice being black tea), and feel better off of it than even moderation, oh but it's the drug of this civilization, it's a hard hard drug to give up when you have to be alert regardless of whether you are well rested.
I remind myself frequently to care less. I'm a natural over achieved. I could cut my work performance in half and still get a good annual eval. I work hard at under achieving. ;)
- stalking in the woods, practicing quiet mindful movement, trying to sneak up on deer, birds, and tourists
- open-ocean rowing, enforces mindfulness, as errors can result in death
- blacksmithing, especially when working large billets of metal, which requires a quiet-mind technique, not brute force
- cold water swimming
- fencing saber and single-stick with my daughter. Rapier requires too much thought to be relaxing.
- felling trees, splitting wood
- cooking
- taoist-inspired interpersonal activities with wife
- precision target shooting
- Tsoi Li Ho Fut Hung martial arts drills
- kettlebells
I've been in hyperdrive as well. Happens to me every summer with the long daylight hours.
To some extent, getting things done reduces my stress level, rather than having them nagging at me. But as Tammy said, sometimes I need to tame that overachieving tendency.
- sit down with a cup of tea and read a book. Not just page and skim through it - read. (I review books so am an expert skimmer.)
- tai chi. Works better for me than yoga. I have trouble slowing to the yoga pace, but I love the moving meditation of tai chi.
- go for a long walk in a beautiful neighborhood or the woods.
- limit exposure to advertising
- never turn on the tv
- meditate
- chop vegetables for the coming week (this is still getting stuff done but also very meditative)
- knit or some other craft project that requires calm focus. I find knitting in particular to be very meditative. DD and I often craft together and it's excellent sharing time for the two of us. We can be quiet and focused together and it invites conversation.
- lunch with friends
- getting up very early in the morning for some quiet calm time before the family wakes
- do a puzzle
- in general, being organized reduces my stress level a lot.
I do many of the things mentioned already:
- make sure I get outside at lunchtime in a natural area
- qi gong - because yoga doesn't always stop my mind from going going going
- breathing exercises (the ones that come from yoga work well for me, the book Breathing Space was a story of a woman who tried out these techniques and her experience. Does a good job of describing how to do them) The nice thing about breathing exercises is that you can do them anywhere anytime, even in the middle of a stressful situation, unlike yoga poses.
- chocolate
- hot tub/long bath
- petting my cats
- turning off the tv and computer after 8
- getting stuff ready for the next day, so I'm not laying in bed thinking about all the stuff to remember
- ditto with making lists of things to do so its off my mind
- funny or inspiring videos, to get me out of my head
Glad to read that I am not the only one who finds that the pace of yoga is not suitable for them.
* I find that going for a daily walk with dog for at least 30 minutes morning and evening helps me. I let the thoughts come and go as we walk. Observe, take note of insights and let go.
*TV is off unless there is one short program that I am interested in watching on the public channel -TVO/The Agenda
*Making lists is important for me to know where I am going in the day and for peace of mind.
* Quiet meditation is the early morning and prayers start my day if at all possible. If I don't, I notice that I get more perturbed about things and then go and do the exercises of peaceful meditation.
Love this thread and the ideas!
Simpler at Fifty
8-5-12, 10:48am
Walking the dog or petting the dog. He also likes to snuggle up to my neck when it is getting dark. I fall asleep like that often. It totally reduces me to jello.
fidgiegirl
8-5-12, 12:33pm
Thank you everyone for these wonderful tips. I don't often print threads but this one might be print-worthy! Today we are going to have a bike ride on a beautiful trail. The weather is cool and it's a mini adventure. :)
One more -- doing things for the sake of doing them rather than for the sake of getting them done makes any task meditative.
I had of course read this many, many times, but I am finally learning to relax enough to actually do this.
I've been using a hypnosis tape on reducing fear and anxiety. It seems to work. My life is pretty stress free so I always feel foolish having stress, but it is truly self induced so the hypnosis takes that away. I meditate with tapes, 3 pages of writing in the morning, underschedule things if I can. The hypnosis seems to have been the biggest help of all I do. And XANAX a half pill at a time as needed...maybe once or twice a month.
My insane schedule - up at 3:30am and working on projects almost all day until 9pm, sleep at 10pm - finally caught up to me and I took a 90-minute nap this afternoon. (I never nap - disrupts my night sleep too much!)
It made me slow down because now I won't have time to do what I had planned!
One more -- doing things for the sake of doing them rather than for the sake of getting them done makes any task meditative.
I had of course read this many, many times, but I am finally learning to relax enough to actually do this.
Really trying to keep this particular tip in mind today.
I was filling a glass with ice and water at the fridge door. A cube fell on the floor (typical). While I was still filling the glass with water, I was trying to bend down and pick up that cube. Not sure why, but it felt particularly illustrative of how I've been operating - too many things all at once. There was no net savings in time by picking up that cube with the glass of water suspended far above my head (luckily, still under the stream of water and still upright). And if I had dropped that glass - it would have taken a lot longer in the end. So I stood up, finished filling my glass, and reminded myself that next time, I will just fill it up calmly, set it on the counter, get the cube off the floor, and be on my way.
I walk in the woods 1.5-2 hours per day with my dog. I find this really relaxing. During the school year when I am more stressed I really look forward to the day ending so I can get out there. On Sunday, this is my church. I feel sorry for those who are spending the day in any church that tells them how wretched they are and what an abomination they are before the Lord. (I know not all churches are like that but some are.) They could be out enjoying nature--which my guess is what the Lord would really want us to do.
I have pretty much no stress right now and not that much in my life at all. You had it pretty much right in your first paragraph when you said there really was nothing you SHOULD have to do. I'd just change it to "there is nothing you have to do." Flat out. It's freaking vacation. Life's too short. Do what you want to do.
I don't own a TV so I'm not sure how much that would add to my stress level if I had one. Probably some. There really is a lot of negative on TV. Even the most uplifting shows are broken up with stress-inducing COMMERCIALS.
I've never taken a yoga class or anything Eastern like that so can't comment there.
At my school in my department we have a mantra that we throw out to one another when the latest bit of crap (in whatever form it takes whether system wide or personal) is issued from upon high by The Administration. "Nothing matters." There is nothing like saying that to make you realize that in the scheme of things regardless of what you're looking at, in the end, it's not going to amount to anything. Saying "nothing matters" completely sucks the anger and frustration out of any situation regardless of how critical it appears. So let it go.
awakenedsoul
8-6-12, 9:52pm
Great thread. I love all these techniques. I'm fortunate in that I feel my life is very stress free. Here are the things I practice:
Ballet barre: The music inspires me, I enjoy making up the choreography, and it's the only thing that really keeps my legs toned and muscular. I do this in my living room, holding the back of a chair. I have a mirror along the wall. I wear a leotard and BARE LEGS! It's very grounding and centering...
Hatha Yoga: I do the old 60's style. I don't like the new stuff, it's too hard and it doesn't feel meditative to me. I do lots of relaxation and breathing between poses. The inversions really help with hormonal balance. (I know you mentioned the thyroid.)
Kundalini Yoga: I do the Beginner Sets. They are deceptively simple. I like the chants and the breathing, too. It energizes me and keeps my body looking young.
Walking and Biking: Every a.m. I take my dogs either on the Walkydog along my bicycle, or for a walk. They love it, and I like it for mental health. I see other dog walkers regularly and I stop and chat with them.
Knitting and Crocheting: I spend a couple hours a day on this. I really enjoy making my own soft furnishings for my home. It opens the heart chakra. I feel happier and like I have a better sense of humor when I knit. I belong to a couple of knitting groups and I like the social contact. Most of the people are really nice.
Reading: I read everyday, too. I don't have television anymore. I don't miss it.
Ask DH to change his e-mail setting if he MUST have the phone by the bedside (so every incoming msg. doesn't buzz/beep/ding.)
OMG, if SO did that I'd soon be guilty of homicide. We were in a hotel once when he forgot to turn off the sound on his blackberry and it dinged in the middle of the night and I got up and spent 5 minutes trying to figure out how to shut it up before I finally just removed the battery.
As far as stress reduction techniques I only have a few but for the most part they seem to do the trick for me:
-make a comprehensive to do list at work at least weekly. I usually do this on friday afternoon. That way I can go home for the weekend confident that I've gotten everything essential done that week and have a clear plan of attack when I get to work monday morning. No stressing about work over the weekend.
-get outside at lunchtime, even if just to take a 10 minute walk around the neighborhood.
-no electronics in the bedroom.
-don't commit myself to too many social activities or other commitments. Although i have good social skills I'm a pretty hardcore introvert. I need lots of quiet time to avoid the stressful feeling of being over-busy. For instance I'm not afraid to say no to a saturday dinner invite if we've already got something planned for sunday.
-take long, fast-paced walks every weekend day. When I do I tend to sleep really well saturday and sunday night. The result is that unlike many people I get to work monday feeling really refreshed.
Fidgie, getting back to your frustration at the wasted efforts making the curriculum. I hope you didn't literally mean that they were now in the garbage just because they were no longer currently needed. All that work you put into them may well be useful at some point in the future. One never knows where life will take them. Perhaps 5 or 10 years from now you'll have another opportunity where you need a Spanish curriculum. Admittedly, keeping the materials would require space (and maybe isn't necessary if you could find them again now that you know what they are, but just as a musician will likely build a library of sheet music over time, perhaps a teacher needs to do the same with teaching materials.
fidgiegirl
8-6-12, 10:09pm
Hatha Yoga: I do the old 60's style. I don't like the new stuff, it's too hard and it doesn't feel meditative to me. I do lots of relaxation and breathing between poses. The inversions really help with hormonal balance. (I know you mentioned the thyroid.)
I very very first learned with a Hatha teacher, and she remains my fave. I think I will try to get into her class again.
I hope you didn't literally mean that they were now in the garbage just because they were no longer currently needed. All that work you put into them may well be useful at some point in the future. One never knows where life will take them. Perhaps 5 or 10 years from now you'll have another opportunity where you need a Spanish curriculum. Admittedly, keeping the materials would require space (and maybe isn't necessary if you could find them again now that you know what they are, but just as a musician will likely build a library of sheet music over time, perhaps a teacher needs to do the same with teaching materials.
Yes, I am still in the process of sorting this out. Actually, a lot of the materials are electronic, and I will keep everything I created myself in an electronic format. The new principal said that I should package up some for storage because the school's program could make a comeback. That said, I don't think it will - not trying to be negative there, just not sure how there would be $$ for it - and so I am going to store a minimum of materials that belong to the school (at the school). And I will take all my items home. I think teachers are in this conundrum of space v materials. Thanks for your thoughts . . .
Most so-called stress relieving practices haven't done squat for me.
For long term success, I have been developing a mindfulness practice, especially as I've learned that I simply cannot live the mainstream life popular culture suggests.
I like "Every Day Zen" as a western perspective insight into the Zen practice, which is more about building an appropriate self-awareness rather than pursuing a mental peace. For perspective, it points out that our brains have merged physical self protection thinking with psychological self protection thinking, thus increasing our stress unnecessarily, without bounds.
Walking the dog or petting the dog. He also likes to snuggle up to my neck when it is getting dark. I fall asleep like that often. It totally reduces me to jello.
Yes, my favorite is to take the dog out and I just sit in the grass with her and snuggle with her, or I'll throw balls and she'll retrieve them or she'll just sit and meditate and I'll sit in my glider and read a book with a cup of coffee or glass of wine.
Peace, calm, quiet, relaxation. No schedule, no appointments, no outings. Home-time.
fidgiegirl
8-13-12, 11:15pm
I have been working on this. When I feel my heart rate rise, I am trying to remind myself that in the grand scheme of things, that's hurting my health and to really assess if the thing I'm getting agitated over deserves that kind of stress. Mostly it does not.
Successes include reintroducing some yoga videos into my life.
Also am paying closer attention to sugars/carbs and when I eat them and with what. I didn't realize they contribute so much to problems until I read a book recently. I mean, I did, but I didn't really understand HOW something as wonderful as sugar could REALLY do anything bad to us. Now I get it.
Additionally, doing something just to do it, and enjoy it, not to finish it. It's ok if it's not done right now, or if I don't finish 1000 things in one day. Especially important now that I'm back to work. I don't want to spend the weekend working like a mad woman.
Challenges continue to include computer time. And for as much noticing as I'm doing about diet, no changes yet.
I find that it's far easier to continue a dietary change than to begin it. Every time I go off sugar, I postpone.. but after about 2 days it's no big deal, just the way I eat. It helps to eat at home as much as possible - fewer choices. And for sugar in particular, I feel so much better when off it - no energy crashes, no aching joints. I eat a lot of fruit, have smoothies - I don't get these problems from fruit.
I have recently added LeechBlock to Mozilla Firefox and it has resulted in a lot less time on the computer. You program it to block the sites you don't think you should be visiting so much. You can block both certain times of day and access after a time limit has been reached.
I've been indulging in hours of garden therapy every day. It's very therapeutic to dig in the dirt!
On Saturday evening, I attended a crystal bowl meditation. The musician (?) plays seven rather large crystal bowls that are each in a different tone. Each bowl is a slightly different size. She plays them for about an hour. The crystals give off a vibrational musical sound. The tones are soothing and calming. This is something special and an event such as this might be found at stores that offer alternative healing products. This definitely soothes the body and soul. I can say I let go and let the tones work their magic. The next day, I felt fine but was impressed by the level of energy I had. I am pretty sure you can buy a CD with this sound, but the real thing probably has more power. Kind of like listening to music and being in the audience. Two different experiences.
Groovy stress reliever;)
Tussiemussies
8-23-12, 11:39am
On Saturday evening, I attended a crystal bowl meditation. The musician (?) plays seven rather large crystal bowls that are each in a different tone. Each bowl is a slightly different size. She plays them for about an hour. The crystals give off a vibrational musical sound. The tones are soothing and calming. This is something special and an event such as this might be found at stores that offer alternative healing products. This definitely soothes the body and soul. I can say I let go and let the tones work their magic. The next day, I felt fine but was impressed by the level of energy I had. I am pretty sure you can buy a CD with this sound, but the real thing probably has more power. Kind of like listening to music and being in the audience. Two different experiences.
Groovy stress reliever;)
Hi Cypress, I have the crystal bowl CD that also has a meditation that is spoken while the bowls play. I love that too. It must be really quite an experience to be there and hear them in person.:)
Tussiemussies
8-23-12, 11:48am
Also have a Tibetan type bowl that can be used for meditation, you key in a time period and when it's time the bowl is hit with something and makes a nice noise, instead of the loud noise of a timer. You can also get them to replace your doorbell or your ringing phone. I always thought it would create such a nice atmosphere to hear them instead. :)
Came back to update this thread and found that I had missed some replies! The bowl meditation sounds beautiful.
I should also try LeechBlock!
going to add that I have been having a lot of success by reminding myself that I am doing things not to finish them, but to do them. It really takes the stress off.
Also have added in some more yoga, especially from yogatic (her username) on YouTube. I like her pace and clear instructinos. I have a little yoga experience, but not enough to remember all the elements involved in doing the poses correctly.
When I get crazy about getting things done, I write down a gratitude list and in doing so, I am reminded of how much I have, how much I am blessed with, the amazing people, the finished projects and it helps me calm down. I also get regular exercise, hang out with friends, have a carefree day to myself, and snuggle with the kitty cats!
Gardenarian
9-6-12, 4:21pm
I do many of the things others have listed, but I'd like to mention Mala beads (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_prayer_beads). They are wonderful for controlling monkey mind. Sometimes I repeat a mantra, but more often I use an affirmation or expression of gratitude. Many a night I have woken up and I always reach for my beads - I usually fall back asleep before I'm through with one round. I also took them with me when I had surgery recently and the doctor was amazed at how still and calm I was.
(dd's joke: When monkeys are stressing, they call it "human mind." :)
Gardenarian, I love this idea. I think I know what you mean by monkey mind, but will you expand? Like when you just keep thinking of a bunch of stuff, or the same things over and over?
Gardenarian
9-6-12, 7:21pm
Ha, I looked it up in Wikipedia and they have a TON on monkey mind (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mind_monkey).
Monkey mind is the opposite of stillness. It is when your mind jumps around all over the place, sometimes coming back to the same place over and over. You could be obsessing over something "why did I write that stupid post, everyone is going to flame me, I'll look like an idiot, why can't I keep my mouth shut...."
It's all that chatter in your brain that keeps you from enjoying the present, that blocks you from experiencing joy. The Mala beads are an aid to meditation. Meditating even for a short time can help break the monky mind cycle. The beads are a good tool to have, along with walking, deep breathing, challenging activities - all things that help quiet our crazy brains.
I might have to give it a try!
Walking in the park that runs along the river in my city. I also love hiking in the mountains but they're nearly a 2 hour drive away and I don't get there often.
I find taking my daily 4-5 mile walk in the park very relaxing and peaceful.
One Sunday as I was walking the City Parks Department had a big CAT in the park clearing fallen trees from the paths. It was very loud and very disturbing. As I walked, despite the noise, I ran into one of the other regulars at the park. She was very frustrated just as I was and complained vociferously about the work being done on the weekend. "Why do they have to do this today?" She asked me. "Don't they realize this is my church?" That pretty much sums it up for me.
Gardenarian
9-10-12, 5:07pm
"Why do they have to do this today?" She asked me. "Don't they realize this is my church?" That pretty much sums it up for me.
+1
Nature, thou art my Goddess...
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