(I tried to find one of those "Stress stinks! Arrid works!" commercials on youtube, but this picture from Google Images will have to take its place.)
Here's a fun little fact about yours truly: I'm pretty much a walking, talking ball of stress at just about all times. Some days are more manageable than others, but there's always some amount of stress weighing me down every day. Unfortunately, I'm not one of those people who is fueled by stress. Instead, I'm weakened by it.
I've been on a (half-arsed) quest to manage my stress. I say 'half-arsed' because most of the time, I'm too stressed out to even think about managing my stress! Many people have told me to try yoga. I have some yoga DVDs I could dust off, but I just haven't gotten around to laying down the ol' mat yet. Others have suggested meditation. Meditation creates something like an earthquake inside my head; when I'm forced to be quiet and "clear my thoughts," that's when all my thoughts go NUTS and fly all around inside my head and usually get destructive. It is impossible for my mind to be "quiet."
Someone in the blogosphere shared this meditation video, and I really liked the message.
It was really difficult to follow this meditation, but I think I made it through about half of it. It was nice to listen to while thinking about 8 million other things.
A friend shared this video on facebook. Short, visually pleasing videos like this are good for me: they're short, I have something to watch, and they're pretty. I can tune out for 30-60 seconds, and that's good enough for me.
Wasn't that nice?
I know the best way to deal with all of this stress is to just LET IT GO. Unfortunately, that is easier said than done; I'm just not wired that way. I care way too much about everything.
I really do feel better when I'm traveling. Being thrown into a brand new place, trying new things, meeting new people, and leaving everything behind... that's my heaven. Unfortunately, I'm not a zillionaire, and therefore cannot live my dream of non-stop travel.
How do you manage stress?
Teaching makes me bad at this at home. Because I have no way to just eliminate stuff at work, I far too often eliminate stuff at home (like, you know, cleaning).
ReplyDeleteFor me, my job is my biggest stress. When I have horribly stressful days, like this morning for instance, I just plan on giving myself some me time later. I know that's not a great answer, but it's important for me to have time where I'm just reading, internet-ing, video gaming, etc. I'll keep thinking about this one!
"most of the time, I'm too stressed out to even think about managing my stress!" - I can so relate to that, and also to what you said about your mind going haywire when you've tried meditation.
ReplyDeleteI usually try and distract myself with something inane like a tv show...I say "try" because I am not very good at it...
Amber Shea
I would have had no idea that you were a stressed out person! You hide it well.
ReplyDeleteI have GAD or generalized anxiety disorder. I stress about everything, even things I have -0- control over. I found any type of exercise helps, especially morning exercise, no caffeine, healthy diet (which you have down), and plenty of rest. When you are having an extremely stressful day take some time for you to do what you love, whether it is eating, gardening, sleeping, watching Flight of the Conchords.....anything to get your mind preoccupied. I too can't do the complete quiet time. For me I had to get a low dose of a happy pill. My stress and anxiety were running my life but try those things and just remember you have a great life and awesome friends. Chill Yolanda, chill! (Pulp Fiction reference)