How do YOU deal with psychological stress?

Music and Nature.

I try to play as many genres on the guitar as I can, but I'm more drawn to Metal and Blues because they give me the best venting opportunities in my opinion. When I'm stressed out, nothing relaxes me more than just sitting back with my guitar and doing a nice improv for hours on end. Or when I'm particularly ticked about something, I tend to vent it into lyrics, and then write something pretty heavy and technical to go over it. Heavy to get the aggression out, technical to keep my mind on the fretboard and off of the subject at the same time. I find it quite soothing.

I also love to go for walks through the local fields and forests around here and just look at the wildlife. I'm particularly fond of reptiles and snakes, but sometimes that just makes things worse because you come across some things that just make you lose the tranquility. Such as an area that was once vibrant with life completely cleared out by construction crews, or an animal that you could tell was beaten to death for the sake of 'fun'.

That's how I try to deal with it all, though..

reply to post by Akherousia


holy crap dude. I love your signature. thats Draconian. Through infectious waters right? Man, I really MUST play my guitar when I get off work tonight. Thanks for the insight to everyone.

reply to post by Mr. Toodles


denial

avoidance

walking

sitting by the water - any water

looking at the stars

I need to work on the order

reply to post by Mr. Toodles

Wow man, I've had this signature on so many forums and you're the first person to ever recognize where it's from. Kudos to you!

Yeah, it's Through Infectious Waters (A Sickness Elegy) by Draconian, my favorite song by them. Glad to see another Draconian fan here

That's not easy for me. I'm on SSDI and had originally went off the deep end around 9/11/01. I walked away from job,home car, bank acount, identification for about 7 weeks before I gave up and committed myself to the hospital for suicide atempt. I suppose doing what I had done was enough to prove being suicidal.

At any rate, I've pretty much repressed many things throughout my life already. I've been diagnosed as having DID or dissociative identity disorder. I suppose it may have just been dissociative disorder. IDK

For quite a few years it wasn't easy to escape from my paranoias. Even while asleep. Many news, documentaries, science fiction and sitcoms helped in a small way. But mostly science fiction like Stargate Atlantis and alien disclosures to hope for.

Many times it was the thought of the end of the world like 2012 and not just a suicide.

So, basically, I'm still waiting for 2012 and my monthly SSDI payment. The past 5 years have been like sleepwalking. Medications can do that also. Actually, I think my memory is going like alzheimer's.

Yesterday a cop followed me for about 5 minutes and I'm thinking about not going that way anymore. I've been trying to avoid traffic and when you're the only one in front of a squad car, it's not happy time.

Sorry for rambling.

reply to post by aleon1018


Wow dude. That really sucks. I am sorry to hear it. Meditation is probably the only universal technique that I know of. Even If I don't like doing the meditation, the end outcome is always good. Maybe you should try it. I know how the medications can cloud things. I was on more medications than I care to discuss when I was 18.

Meditation, as many said, does wonderful things. Getting a hug from a person you love works even better

I know it's not PC, but a glass of red wine has never failed to take the edge off my stress. Moderation is the key, of course.

reply to post by Mr. Toodles


I deal with psychological stress through mood swings. You see, it all depends on the current mood swing I'm involved in. If I'm swinging high I believe I'm positive and creative in dealing with the stress, when I'm swinging low, I am a negative contributor to everything, including my psychological stress. So, psychologically my stress levels vary as do the solutions thereof. Mood swings are my psychological approach to stress both physical and mental.

reply to post by Hazelnut


Lol I like that reply. So very true for a vast majority of westerners. You know, big pharm would consider that Bi-polar disorder? I consider it "quit screwin our country up" disorder.

reply to post by Mr. Toodles


Oh yes, big pharma would love to label us all if they could....you know there IS a pill for that!!! In 10 years time, 5 professionals assigned me 5 different labels so that I too could partake in the mood enhancement program (otherwise known as prozak).

I'm cool with the mood swings, it makes life interesting for myself and everyone I know. Besides, I always entertain myself. I am a new person every 45 minutes. Now that's living.

I'm currently on the medication Lamotrigine for Bipolar and oddly enough, so are two of my kids in another state for seizures. Kinda makes me wonder if this is actually something else that it's been created to control. I drink distilled water, because I don't trust regular tap water or drinking water. Maybe it's all in the drinking water afterall?

My dad used to say; " It's all in your head." so, when he was diagnosed with primary brain cancer, I coudn't help but say that back to him. Pretty cruel, I know.

When I was younger and used to trip on something, he would say it outsmarted me. My family is: " funny" that way.

it is honestly a tough thing when something "presses" your stress button.

I realized awhile ago, to keep the rampant stress and anxiety in check is to audit how often i thing about certain things..because of that one.. what the bleep movie the sequence about emotional peptides and such It made sence to me how a stress or anxiety reaction literally was like getting a cigarette or a drink. Thinking over and over causes the reaction.

Cutting down on the repeat pressing of the stress button (compulsive constant thinking) went a long..long way. Some might think its mood making or self editing..err Nonlegitimate living by dealing with stress in this manner but Im pretty sure taking biotics and drugs to throw against the flood of peptides you yourself is manufacturing is throwing fire on fire.

The source of it is you and your choices with what you think about.. over the long run you tackle the beliefs that make you think and thus feel bad and hopefully find a better perspective in which to live.

I cry, I paint, I write poetry, and I have an uncanny ability to go to a quiet place within myself...I have done this since childhood. Its my haven. Its like getting in a sound proof box and closing the lid... I really don't know how else to describe it ...

Go walking or some other form of exercise.

Fishing.

Listening to music, watching something I like on TV.

Those work pretty good for me. I liked reading what everyone else does too.

Originally posted by Mr. Toodles
What gets me is that some people actually enjoy hearing of the horrible nature of the bad things that go on in the world.

Um, no offence, but that describes pretty much everyone on ATS, myself included, as distateful as this may be to admit.

Go into a different room.

There are many rooms in the mind that one should leave the doors closed.

Rooms you do not enter.

Rooms you do not even crack the door.

There are rooms filled with fear, loathing, regret, hatred, jealousy, envy, contention, apprehension, and another one hundred or so negative emotions and substandard behavioral patterns and memories that will only crowd out the moment.

Today is all you have. Yesterday is gone, and you aren't guaranteed the next five minutes.

When the pressure builds, change channels. Do something different. Get real busy on something productive.

After all, you can't be thinking hard on two things at the same time.

Don't believe everything that comes out of your mind.

Detach from the ratrace mentality.

Avoid television and newspapers.

Find joy in keeping life simple.

Go to a nice dark bar with a decent band, order a drink, ask a lady to dance, tell her a joke, make her laugh, play the game. Make a friend or lover, it's all good.



[edit on 25-8-2009 by whaaa]

We all have stress in our lives, we have to learn how, or what works to

alleviate the stress, its always an individual thing. Sometimes little things

will help like, reading, going for a walk, listening to music. But when you

are more stressed, it not quite as easy to de-stress ourselves some times

talking to a friend can help, also writing down, seeing it in black and

white is good therapy, Some times a weekend get away does the trick.

The best advice is to not keep it inside, work through it, you will feel

much better....imo.

reply to post by Mr. Toodles


well, don't think...if you can do it, that is