Going through a stressful time at work right now, and I am finding it very hard to relax. I have a continuous tightness in my chest that I can't kick (no pain), and a general feeling of extreme angst.
Yes, I know about happy endings and blastings in the butt - thanks - but any serious answers would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Good luck.
A change of job is worth considering too.
I'm no doctor, but I do know at least 4 people on a mild anti-anxiety medication regimen with successful results, including a close relative.
Yoga and meditation can help as well, but require considerable discipline that can be hard to achieve when one is anxious to begin with. .
I also usually rub one out on my own 3 times a day whether I need it or not. Definitely keeps me centered.
Exercise
Maybe not in that order, but all 3 can help!
But when things are good, puff puff pass.
Try some out and find the one that works best for you.
Try some out and find the one that works best for you.
What was wrong with mine? That helps me tremendously when I get stressed out.
i read it, on my phone, on the bus to work everyday. before bed sometimes, too.
tao te ching- stephen mitchell translation - ( New Window )
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All of the replies so far on this thread have been really good and will all help to some degree (except FEK's).
Try some out and find the one that works best for you.
What was wrong with mine? That helps me tremendously when I get stressed out.
Just my opinion, but I don't think apathy is the way to go. Sure, you won't be stressed for a bit, but in the context of your life certain things absolutely do matter and opining about being dust in the wind isn't going to change that.
I also usually rub one out on my own 3 times a day whether I need it or not. Definitely keeps me centered.
2) Find what makes you laugh your balls off and watch it
It's not apathy. On a day-to-day basis we are of course going to regularly care about virtually everything we do. Anything from what we decide on for lunch to the people we choose to keep in our lives and the jobs that burden us. There's no stopping it because we are hardwired to care.
But in a particularly stressful time, which the OP seems to be experiencing, I absolutely think it's helpful to take a step back and appreciate how little it truly does mean... then go back to life as you know it when you're ready.
2) Find what makes you laugh your balls off and watch it
Even when I'm not stessed, I always found it to be a nice release to let go a bellowing yell while under water.
Once you're moving in a positive direction, the other stuff will keep you from getting back to this state.
Another idea is to write a vicious letter to those who are behind your stress - or who you can conveniently blame - make it vicious and nasty, then destroy it. It helps to extract the venom and make your problems tangible instead of intangible.
I was going to suggest the same thing. Get on the floor and wrestle around with them. Nothing melts stress away faster than your little laughing their asses off.
Nothing says relaxation like a job interview.
Do you not have stressful periods at work?
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Do you not have stressful periods at work?
I have indeed and the escapism of looking for a new job, plus actual prospect of getting what might be a better job if the stress doesn't go back to normal is helpful.
Completely random, but agreed. I recently asked my stepfather to call me when he needs to chop it up since I love doing it. Also great exercise if you are at it for more than 20 minutes.
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In comment 11630312 chris r said:
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Do you not have stressful periods at work?
I have indeed and the escapism of looking for a new job, plus actual prospect of getting what might be a better job if the stress doesn't go back to normal is helpful.
Interesting - that wouldn't work for me at all.
Playing with your kids is also a great idea.
One thing I never really understood was how going to the range relieves stress. Unless you get pleasure from just destroying things or the loud noise (then more power to you), I don't see how shooting a gun is at all stress relieving. Now if you take it on as a hobby and just enjoy getting better at shooting, then I can see it becoming your "zen" thing...but I think that's still sort of counterproductive since trying to master something requires some amount of stress inducement...no?
Something you can do at your desk is take 5 minutes to just to deep Yoga breathing:
Breathe IN, though your nose, on a count to 4 ("one-one-thousand, two one-thousand, three one-thousand, four one-thousand)...taking care to start at the bottom of your respiratory tract (breathing from the diaphragm) and filling up into the lower, then upper chest from there.
Hold the breath for 10 seconds.
Then exhale through your mouth, lips pursed, on a count to 6 (in same way as above).
As you breathe in close your eyes and envision that you are breathing in clean, crisp blue and golden air.
As you exhale, envision that you are expelling out, with your breath, all the brown smoke of toxins, stress and poisonous thoughts and feelings...all the tension coming out.
You can also imagine, as you do the breathing exercise, that you are moving blue-golden light from the tips of your toes and gradually up the body and ultimately out of the crown of your head...think rays of light coming out from the crown.
This is one powerful little exercise. Helps you get build your mind-body's awareness that you are storing stress in your chest. Be sure to spend extra time envisioning the golden blue light filling your lungs and chest...easing the tension.
Another thing I used to do when I had monkey-mind (brain and thoughts racing and stressing me out) was to focus on the feeling of my feet in my socks.
If you can make time for a Yoga class, it does help immensely to relieve stress and help you build a discipline and practice for coping with stress in the middle of your day.
You should try more things that can relax you. If you were already running or doing some type of exercise, continue that, but don't add something now.
I find Epsom salt baths very relaxing. I try to make it as hot as I can and add 2 cups of Epsom salt and soak as long as I can. Your body actually absorbs the magnesium through the skin and that relaxes you. Plus it is great for your skin. And if you have aches and pains, it helps with that too.
You should try more things that can relax you. If you were already running or doing some type of exercise, continue that, but don't add something now.
I find Epsom salt baths very relaxing. I try to make it as hot as I can and add 2 cups of Epsom salt and soak as long as I can. Your body actually absorbs the magnesium through the skin and that relaxes you. Plus it is great for your skin. And if you have aches and pains, it helps with that too.
Just don't do bath salts...I heard that will just make you hungry.
Find that something or somebaody and make sure its feeling more stress than you are. The whole mechanism of stress is to get you to deal with difficult situations. Take it for what it is, deal with it and move on