Stress

[eredien]

So I used to deal with my stress through:

- Writing
- Working obsessively

I have decided that these are not useful or healthy coping mechanisms for working through stress, as they both lead me to set the stress and problems aside and use the stress-energy on something productive/creative instead of on working through the stress, so at the end of the writing I still have the stress as much as before and am also tired from the hard work, I just also have a poem or essay.

This explains why I haven't been writing much lately (hint: it's not because I'm not stressed).

What other more healthy coping mechanisims do people use or recommend?

I have thought already about exercise but I worry that it, too, will turn into a thing I use to put aside the stress, only to come back to it later.

Is there anything that helps you process the stress and work through it?

Comments

[eredien]

Mon, Feb. 16th, 2009 09:59 am (local)

Thank you all for your comments.

I have decided that my approach to stressors will be multi-pronged:
1.) I will try and use some of my traditional de-stressors (writing, etc.) as de-stressors, since it has been pointed out to me that there's no reason to ditch them entirely, but neither is it good to make those activities dependent on stress.

2.) Exercise. Instead of it being a stressor (I should get more exercise!) it can and will be a de-stressor. I'm writing this from a treadmill so I feel pretty accomplished on this one already.

3.) Find new de-stressors. I already did this organically with cooking, but if I go and hunt new fun de-stressors down I will pick up new skills and gain a range of activities I can use when stressed.

4.) Cut down on stress in general. Going back to therapy on a weekly basis as well as praying and some walking meditation have helped with this so I should keep doing them. Also, gardening.

5.) Volunteering - reaching out to other people will help me feel more connected to people, and that I am doing something to combat issues and problems that I care about. I am going to be doing this by learning more about the world I live in (dealing with educating myself about racism) and also by actually volunteering. I have narrowed it down to a few possibilites: literacty volunteering, volunteering with teenagers, volunteering for LGBT rights issues, and volunteering for environmental issues. Ideally I would like to combine all of these things.

Edited at 2009-02-16 10:00 am (local)

[thoughtsdriftby.livejournal.com]

Sounds like a good mix and I would always encourage more gardening and cooking. :-)

Volunteering is a hard fit sometimes. The needs are well beyond any groups capabilities and many organizers will use guilt to take what they can. Churches, YWCA, youth groups, habitat, all have a variety of programs from serving food, working phones, political action... Since this is to be a learning process start there. Find out who they are and what they do. Check them out. On the political side, drop in on any open meetings or hearings in the area. City council, county council, school district, courts... Track down the various political dockets and see what is on their calendars. When these open for public comment more can sometimes be done with a well formed thought put to words. Oh, public officials... The city, county, and state have programs too. A few hours a week helping at a job center, public library... My sibling started out adding books in Spanish to a small library and taking on that portion of the children's summer reading program.

I just advise, keep it simple and for stable blocks of time. It's to pull the world up just a little bit and not by pulling you down. Can't save the world, but a bit less litter/pollution and a few more smiles/helping hands it is a better place.