This seems relevant right now, what with some of us working demanding jobs, others moving to new countries, and school being back in session either now or soon, plus everything and anything else that I didn't mention.
So: stress. How do you handle it? Is it something that you handle well or poorly? What sorts of activities do you engage in to reduce your stress? Stress eating: is it a thing for you? If so, what food(s)? Other nosy questions. All the nosy questions!
Posted: Sun Aug 20, 2017 10:30 pm
I'm going to bed, so quick response. (But I wanted to make a thread and prove that I'm still here... even if I'm super busy right now.)
So. Yes. Stress is a thing in my life. emotion_facepalm Some days I handle it better than others. It helps when I can be alone and just have a moment to myself to breathe and simply be. (The curse of a serious introvert.) Sadly, that hasn't been the case lately so the stress has just been building and building and I'm one stupid comment away from b***h-slapping people and/or screaming some pretty vile obscenities at them. It'll be bad if it happens.
Otherwise? Eh. If I get stressed, I bake. Sometimes I'll sew but usually I bake. Meaning? My stress foods are desserts. Chocolate and cinnamon are my weapons of choice. If that doesn't work, I read a book, watch a comfort movie like Monster's University or the Princess Bride, or maybe listen to nostalgic music from my childhood like the Backstreet Boys or N*Sync. Simple, little things but nonetheless effective things.
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Posted: Wed Aug 23, 2017 10:49 am
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Aww, I'm sorry that your life is so stressful right now. Feel free to share with us if you ever feel the need to rant! That's what I do sometimes, to relieve some of my stress: rant anonymously on the Internet lol
When I feel really angry, I sometimes post about it in a random thread on Gaia that has high activity, so my post tends to just get washed out by all the other posts. When I feel really sad, I would mourn about it in a private blog. It's not really meant for anybody else to read; I just need a place to release all my negativity, so I don't blow up at people.
But when I feel stressed, I think I typically ignore it lol I would hide, escape, try not to think about it. I would occupy my mind with online games, anime, dramas... the more episodes, the better. These efforts consume a lot of my time, so they're actually really counter-productive when I have a lot to do, and are therefore not recommended lol
Baking, on the other hand, sounds like a really productive coping measure 3nodding At least, you're honing a marketable skill, and I hear that sweet foods have a calming effect. Also, if you don't stress-eat, you could share all that delicious food with your family, friends and neighbors, and they will love you forever emotion_kirakira
Posted: Wed Aug 23, 2017 12:02 pm
Armadilla
I'm not at the ranting stage quite yet but I might utilize Aleye's ranting thread eventually. (It's a good thread.) Plus, as of tomorrow I'll finally get to be alone for the first time in three months! I just have to make it through one more night at work. One more night. I can do it. Probably.
Actually, if I remember correctly, journaling has been proven to be an effective coping mechanism. There's a good reason that so many psychologists recommend keeping a feelings or thought journal: it works. It's been a while since that class so I don't remember the exact thought process behind it, but I imagine it's something about the honesty, about saying exactly what you're feeling at a given time, that makes it valid and more real and allows you to move past it. Or, like you said, that it's a release or a cleansing for your more negative feelings.
Although I don't see anything wrong with video games or TV as an avoidance method! Sometimes that's all you need. Still, if you haven't tried baking and think you might like it, I recommend it. There's just something about the creative process. With certain recipes, there's a decidedly calming violent aspect. Like... if I'm really stressed, I make chocolate babka. Then I knead my frustrations out on bread dough and pound some chocolate into bitty pieces with a hammer to make my filling. emotion_dowant Worth every minute.
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Posted: Thu Aug 24, 2017 11:01 am
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Oh yes, there's her thread too 3nodding No alone time in 3 months sounds horrible burning_eyes I remember on 2 separate but similar occasions, when some of my relatives had an extended stay with us, I completely blew up after only 3 weeks. From one introvert to another, you're doing great! Just one more night, you can do this Lumi! Hang in there!
True, journaling does help, and I often feel like that is the only place where I can be completely raw and honest. Ooh! I have a question for you, since you took Psychology. I sometimes look for mental health information online, but you know how the Internet is, anyone can write anything and call it legit. Would you happen to know any trustworthy online resources for articles on psychology or mental health?
And I see that my attempt at getting free dessert failed emotion_8c Jk lol But that "calming violent aspect" of baking is definitely one that I hadn't thought about before xd I also googled "chocolate babka". That looks heavenly, and I bet it tastes even better when it's fresh out of the oven. Hopefully, I will get to bake more eventually c:
Posted: Sat Aug 26, 2017 11:19 am
Armadilla
Hm. It's been a while since I left my master's program, but generally anything .edu or .org is alright. The .org websites especially since most of those have to be thoroughly vetted and sourced. Anything with .edu might be student-written and could contain errors or misinformation, but there should still be some good info there. The only specific websites that I can think of are Psychology Today and American Psychological Association. The APA are the ones that determine licensure in certain states in the US and set the standards for research, so everything they provide should be pretty solid.
Beyond that? The most I can do is recommend that you avoid any online-only or email-only counselors. Unless things have changed and I haven't heard about it, they aren't held to any standards and literally anyone can claim to be a licensed psychologist. I mean, that's not really psych info, but it's something that should be said regardless. Um, there's the Emotional Baggage Check website. It's kind of neat. No psych info, but it's a place to anonymously share your personal troubles with complete strangers and either send or receive advice. We talked about it in one of my classes once. I used it after my stalker-cat died a few years ago while I was still away at college. I got some very sweet emails sent to me through their server. (Still don't know who sent them, but they were incredibly kind.)
Dessert-wise... I mean, I'd send you some over the internet but I'm not sure how that works. Is it kind of like sending people farm animals on Facebook? I never quite understood that, either. But since I couldn't find a cinnamon roll emoji (because that's what I'm hoping to bake today), have a cookie: 🍪.
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Posted: Mon Aug 28, 2017 12:16 pm
ElegantlyLuminous
Hm. It's been a while since I left my master's program, but generally anything .edu or .org is alright. The .org websites especially since most of those have to be thoroughly vetted and sourced. Anything with .edu might be student-written and could contain errors or misinformation, but there should still be some good info there. The only specific websites that I can think of are Psychology Today and American Psychological Association. The APA are the ones that determine licensure in certain states in the US and set the standards for research, so everything they provide should be pretty solid.
Beyond that? The most I can do is recommend that you avoid any online-only or email-only counselors. Unless things have changed and I haven't heard about it, they aren't held to any standards and literally anyone can claim to be a licensed psychologist. I mean, that's not really psych info, but it's something that should be said regardless. Um, there's the Emotional Baggage Check website. It's kind of neat. No psych info, but it's a place to anonymously share your personal troubles with complete strangers and either send or receive advice. We talked about it in one of my classes once. I used it after my stalker-cat died a few years ago while I was still away at college. I got some very sweet emails sent to me through their server. (Still don't know who sent them, but they were incredibly kind.)
Dessert-wise... I mean, I'd send you some over the internet but I'm not sure how that works. Is it kind of like sending people farm animals on Facebook? I never quite understood that, either. But since I couldn't find a cinnamon roll emoji (because that's what I'm hoping to bake today), have a cookie: 🍪.
Ooh! Jotting those websites down. Thank you for sharing them with me! And I'm sorry to hear about your stalker-cat sad How are you feeling now?
Thank you for the cookie heart I was mostly kidding about the dessert lol but I would never turn down food p0rn I mean, pictures of your delicious masterpieces emotion_drool
Posted: Tue Sep 19, 2017 12:51 am
★ /looks to destress by totally procrastinating, welp
How do you handle it?
Avoid the stressor, knowing that I'll get back to it later. Let myself de-stress doing something else that I enjoy, whether it's unproductive like games, or productive like...sleep...LOL, but once I feel better, I get back to the stressor and defeat it bit by bit, hopefully.
Is it something that you handle well or poorly?
I'd imagine poorly tbh, but in reality, maybe better than those who can't really handle it? I handle it poorly in that I immediately try to do whatever I need to do to get the stressor off my chest, like talk to people about it in a rant or ramble. But I handle it a bit better in that I try to talk to only people that I can trust, people that I can tolerate, people that can understand I need to rant. If I rant to the wrong person (for example, I don't see my parents as a support system), the ranting and rambling and stressors come back at me two-fold. And I think some people don't realize that who you talk to really counts.
What sorts of activities do you engage in to reduce your stress?
Definitely talking it out to someone. I learned early on that bottling up isn't good, so talking it out helps get the stuff out of my system. Outside of that, eating/sleeping/crying/playing games...all the unproductive stuff LOL.
Stress eating: is it a thing for you? If so, what food(s)?
Whatever I'm craving. If I want fried stuff, I go for fried stuff. If I think soda is better than water and I feel like my day's bad, I'll drink soda. etc etc. I'm not much of a sweets or chocolates person tho, even if I'm stressed.
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Posted: Tue Sep 19, 2017 8:44 am
So: stress. How do you handle it? Is it something that you handle well or poorly? What sorts of activities do you engage in to reduce your stress? Stress eating: is it a thing for you? If so, what food(s)? Other nosy questions.
Huuuuuu. In all honesty, I wish I handled stress better. I mean on sometimes I handle it pretty well but on other days its really just terrible. And when I'm stressed, I just kinda put myself in a bubble and barely talk to anyone just because if I do I might explode at them >.>.
As for dealing with it, I'm trying to get into the habit of stress exercising instead of stress eating. I've gained way too much weight since I started college (huhuhuhu >>>once ate a tub of ice cream all by myself). Besides that, I usually just read or watch anything that calms me down really but on the bad days this just makes it worse because procrastination = more work = more stress hahahaha (do you see why I handle this badly).
Nearly forgot to add that playing with my dog relieves my stress xp. It's gotten to the point where I would play with him an hour before heading to to school for exams. Really helps me clear my mind.
Posted: Tue Sep 19, 2017 8:44 am
How do you handle it?
I feel like I'm always lowkey stressing. lol I'm always worrying about something whether it's work, actual interaction with other human beings, phone calls, worrying about where I'm gonna end up, (is looking for a place to rent.)
If I'm seriously stressing out. I try to complete or fix whatever I'm stressing about. So if that involves the dreaded phone call. I motivate myself to do it.
If I'm being swamped with a lot of tasks to complete. I like making lists, lists make me feel better. I try to complete the easy tasks first, seeing things crossed off my list make me feel like I'm getting somewhere.
Is it something that you handle well or poorly?
Since I am a Gold Star Procrastinator. I'm probably not handing it as well as one should. Seeing that I leave a lot to the last minute and so I'm like super stressed.
I'm not really one who outwardly shows that I'm stressing and so people think I'm handing things well when internally I'm like freaking out. lol
What sorts of activities do you engage in to reduce your stress?
If I cannot fix what I am stressing about or I'll done what I can. I try and do things I know that make me feel safe and/or better. So like wearing my favourite comfy clothes, making one of my favourite suppers. Watching my favourite show, disconnecting from everything and taking a day to myself.
Ideally when possible to tackle the thing that is stressing me. For example, I'm planning a fundraising supper. My first one with little direction. So cue the stress and freaking out. The passage below is long and a little more of me kind of venting. Read if you want.
I made a list of what I need to do, I did some research to see what was done last year. Added to my list. I also remind myself, this is my first time doing this, I took this position with barely any training.
So I sent out a tender to try and snag a catering service. So it's put on the website. I want to put it in the paper. But alas my advertising budget is shot. *still stressing about this*
I need a DJ for music (note it's a lumberjack supper, I work at a museum), I worked up the courage and made the dreaded call and confirmed them for the service. *I gave myself a pat on the back for this lol*
Next is that it's also a Silent Auction, so I need to try and get donations. *cringes at having to ask for donations* So first step, since I hate face to face interaction, I've sent out a mass emails to local businesses/organizations. Next step is to mail out the letter for donations. I've decided against all odds this weekend, I shall go out to the businesses.
Another way to handle the stress is to get volunteers to help. I have a committee meeting tomorrow and I'm gonna ask for help.
Stress eating: is it a thing for you? If so, what food(s)?
Yes and no, I guess it's more of making food I really enjoy when I've had a stressful day. I think I'm more of stress binge watcher of shows/movies when I'm stressed. As I watched the entire X Files during my last semester of college to escape the workload. lol
