NWR: Self-care in stressful times

JCbride2015

Lots of us on this board are going through some stressful times.  Even getting married or starting a new job-- those good life changes are still stressful to your body!  Today I'm feeling frustrated about some random things.  So I'm going into Manhattan to my favorite fitness studio for an afternoon class.  Then I'm going to walk around Soho and enjoy the nice weather.  And snark on some tourists in my head, that always makes me feel better.

What do you do to take care of yourselves when things get overwhelming? 

climbingsingle

Yoga 

Wine 

Getting together with my girlfriends, which usually involves massive amounts of cheese and wine. 

Hiking 

luckya23

Right now I'm mostly just overwhelmed with housework, so I chipped away at a little of it this morning... Things like vacuuming only feel relieving for about a day though!

To relax I like to go shopping even though I really shouldn't!

Cookie Pusher

Mild stress - wine

Moderate stress - Xanax

Heavy stress - whiskey

doeydo

Have a bubble bath

Read

Watch some of my favourite movies

Eat some goodies (I know, not the best option)

beethery

Play ESO and kill BigBads

Peruse Target and/or HomeGoods

Sleep. I am a stress-escapist sleeper most of the time.

JennyColada

Food.

But not, like binge stress eating: even just a 6 piece roll of sushi, or going to a sit-down restaurant and splitting an app. Just in general being able to focus on a food experience.

Coffee with friends, but sadly with alternative schedules it's hard to make impromptu coffee runs.

Liatris2010

The gym is my best stress relief. No matter how awful I feel, I always feel better after the gym. Swimming is probably the best thing for clearing my head, with yoga being a close second. There is something to be said for thinking about nothing but breathing for an hour.

If I'm feeling in the dumps a hair cut usually picks me up. There is an Aveda school here and $12 gets you a head massage, shampoo, cut, and dry. Totally worth it.

JennyColada

I just remembered that I have a Groupon for a massage/facial. So using that next week!

missdelilah

I make things.  I must be really stressed a lot of the time.  I give up on the sewing machine when I'm overwhelmed.  I enjoy things with repetitive movements- knitting, embroidery, needlepoint, etc.  I've finished half of my current needlepoint in the past week.  Must have some unaddressed issues.

chibiyui

I stress eat, stress drink and stress shop.

sarawifenow

Bubble bath, watching a movie, cooking, and taking the pup for a walk are my top stress relievers.

beethery

I am a big stress-eater as well. I find myself with a pint of ice cream watching something like Bad Girls Club and go "HOW DID I GET HERE??? Oh wait there's ice cream, I'm gonna stay."

falsara

I read, drink wine.... if it angry stress then I clean.

daria24

The best thing is swimming, but I don't have a pool membership at the moment. I love that you have to spend so much time thinking about your breathing, staying in your lane, watching out for other swimmers. You can't think about anything else. And it exhausts your body completely. I always sleep best after a long swim. Running. Even if I'm thinking about whatever is stressing me out, I feel like i can work through it better while running. Jane Austen movies. As much as I love a good hot bath, ice baths feel amazing. And your shower afterwards is a great reward.

lurkergirl

Wow, some of you are so healthy!  I am the opposite of a stress eater.  I completely lose my appetite when I'm super stressed.  And if it's really bad, I have been known to make myself sick with stress.  No bueno

princessofgenovia

I listen to loud music and punch stuff. Not in a destructive manner, I go to the boxing gym and punch punching bags. Knitting and walking around shopping for stuff I don't need or want help to. Usually I don't buy much, I just like walking and looking.

larrygaga

Exercise, paint and game. All things that occupy my mind!

KatieinBkln

Usually I like to work out, but I've been sick with a cold all week and haven't been able to. It's making me CRAZY (and probably FI too). I was all set to go to early morning boot camp today since I finally felt better last night--only to wake up coughing at 3 am. I took a cough suppressant, which did wonders for the coughing, but just destroys me physically. I was asleep so hard and so drugged up that there was no way I could even jog to the end of the hallway, let alone boot camp.

cupcait927

Eat, sleep and drink. A giant glass of wine or something ridiculously yummy to eat does wonders for my stress level.

raissyrais

I tend to eat less when stressed out. But I always find a nice glass of red wine will help calm me down. As well as a nice hot shower.

afox007

I am not good at taking care of myself when I'm stressed. I am a huge stress eater and stress drinker. Sex also makes me feel better; I can't exactly think about all my problems with FI on top of me!

Senecaf

Music and working out. It makes me feel strong, I love the the way my muscles pop after some heavy lifting. The beat of the music helps me zone out.

mschristie123

Unfortunately, my go-to stress reliever is to eat or drink wine. Hence not losing as much weight before the wedding as I wanted to. I talk through my problems with my mom or DH (unless they're the ones causing problems!), and doing yoga/working out helps too, if I can motivate myself to get moving.

JCbride2015

Ladies, so I went to the gym. And Stephanie March was in my class. At the barre spot next to me. It was awesome.

Inkdancer

If I'm frustrated at a specific person, I play video games.

If I'm just overwhelmed by a bunch of stuff, I have wine and a bubble bath.

If it's really really bad, I ask DH to sex the stress away. He seems to like that.

cupcait927

JCbride2015 said:

Ladies, so I went to the gym. And Stephanie March was in my class. At the barre spot next to me. It was awesome.

So super jealous.

missdelilah

lurkergirl said:

Wow, some of you are so healthy!  I am the opposite of a stress eater.  I completely lose my appetite when I'm super stressed.  And if it's really bad, I have been known to make myself sick with stress.  No bueno

I'm exactly the same.  I think I lost 20lbs in my last year of high school, while all of my friends were piling it on.  

Jells2dot0

A lot of the ways I typically de-stress have been useless to me during the most stressful part of my life. I can't run, go to the spa, work overtime (yes, I de-stress by working more!), or travel. So, instead, I've just been crying. Oddly enough, it is working. I end up crying several times a day but always feel better afterwards. 

esstee33

Jells2dot0 said:

A lot of the ways I typically de-stress have been useless to me during the most stressful part of my life. I can't run, go to the spa, work overtime (yes, I de-stress by working more!), or travel. So, instead, I've just been crying. Oddly enough, it is working. I end up crying several times a day but always feel better afterwards. 

Crying is SO cathartic when I'm really stressed. A lot of my stress is compounded from trying to maintain composure all the time, so letting go of that and just having a good wallow is a very satisfying release. 

JCbride2015

esstee33 said:

Jells2dot0 said:

A lot of the ways I typically de-stress have been useless to me during the most stressful part of my life. I can't run, go to the spa, work overtime (yes, I de-stress by working more!), or travel. So, instead, I've just been crying. Oddly enough, it is working. I end up crying several times a day but always feel better afterwards. 

Crying is SO cathartic when I'm really stressed. A lot of my stress is compounded from trying to maintain composure all the time, so letting go of that and just having a good wallow is a very satisfying release. 

I agree.  I'm not a crier but when I do cry with abandon, it feels so good.