Stress, how do you manage it? page

[Nomad1]

I don't find eating Primal difficult, I get regular exercise...so all of that is on track. But I have a lot of stress. Most of it from dealing with difficult people or family members, just that kind of stress you feel from dealing with their sh*t for the millionth time. I have distanced myself, moved 300 miles away, but it still crops up and feels residual.
What do you guys do to manage stress? I exercise, have sex or distract myself, but I still feel the results of years of accumulation from stress.
I've tried Yoga, it's not really for me. At least not on a routine basis. I do enjoy a stretching program I have.

[ErinC]

I'm not going to be much help. I deal with stress by fleeing from it/ignoring it.

A few years ago I went to my doctor to discuss some health concerns relating to my heart rhythm, blood sugar levels, and the fat accumulating around my midsection - this despite eating a "healthy diet" (CW) and exercising regularly. She told me they were telltale signs of stress and suggested I eliminate as much stress from my life as I could. And I did - I quit my job the next day. That was a few years ago, but since then I've done everything I can to eliminate stress from my life.

I got a great job that requires me to only put in my 8:30-4:30. I am not tied to a BlackBerry and I don't bring work home with me. The company I work for is awesome, fun, laid back and even though I've set myself up in this cushy rut that I may never advance out of, I really love my job. I don't have a lot of drive anymore to scale a corporate ladder. I earn a decent salary and I love what I do; I could earn more at one of the big oil companies downtown - WAY more - but then I'd be doing work that means nothing to me, I'd be BlackBerried, I'd have a crappy downtown commute every day, a dress code... nuh-uh. I believe life is too short to sell oneself out for the sake of scaling an imaginary ladder.

Another big thing I did was get rid of the busyness. Being "soooooo busy" is like a badge of honour in our society. Having 75 things on the go at any given time - it makes us feel important. I am proud to proclaim that I am not busy. I have my days where I'm triple booked, but they are rare and accidental. I spend a good amount of time unwinding, reading, partaking in hobbies and relaxing, and I don't apologize for it. I was SOOOOO BUSY all the way through my twenties and early 30s - working no less than 3 job plus scaling corporate ladders plus going to school plus renovating a crappy house and working on a crappy relationship... It's chill time now. I'm doing it for my health.

I think more people should calm down, chill out and realize that their life will never be defined by how busy and stressed they were.

[Minxxa]

LOL Erin... fleeing isn't a bad option!

I had the same issue... my thyroid was already having issues and then I landed... THE JOB FROM HELL.... A year and a half later I was dead to the world. I did have to quit that job to get better as well.

I have found that I make a lot of choices now. I say no more to things, even things I want to do if it means that I'll feel busy busy busy in order to get them done. I have at least some me time on a regular basis. I make sleep a priority. I do things that are relaxing *to me*... and while I love yoga stressing about getting to a class doesn't work right now, so I take walks with the pupper and I spend time reading fun stuff. That's my idea of relaxation.

As with family... I am older, and have suffered some really crazy family members (and I mean REALLY crazy). But I've found I need to cut people out of my life who are those drama-inducing types for my own health. I have cut ties from a few friends like that, and stuck with the ones that are grounded and supportive types. It can feel hard at first... like we "have" to put up with them. But really, we don't. I do believe with family members anyway, in telling them I'm having some medical issues with stress and that I really can't listen to/deal with x, y or z and I'd appreciate their support. That gives THEM the opportunity to make a CHOICE. They can respect my health and support it, or they can ignore my health, ignore my request and do whatever they want. My feeling is that if someone knows they're hurting you or your health (mental, emotional or otherwise) and still does it... that they're not somebody that needs to be in your life. But that's me... I personally feel if more people dumped the asshats in their lives that those asshats at some point would have to deal with their issues, if only because they lost all of their friends and nobody was talking to them. As it is, I think we put up with people's selfish, destructive BS far too much and so they have no reasons to change. Why should they? Nobody says anything, everybody is still around?

Plus, as experienced from my own crazy family... some people have real mental disorders or personality disorders going on and they are NEVER going to change.

That is just my 2 cents...

[kennelmom]

meditation and breathing practice. I use to think it was a bunch of bullshit, but it really does help (oh, also help that I "converted" to Buddhism...studying Buddhist philosophy and teachings is really helpful as well).

I've also tried to cut out a lot of the "noise" in my life...I work from home and used to always have the TV on in the background. Now, I rarely do. It helps me stay focused and present on the *thing* that I'm doing, whatever that thing is.

[reamz]

i'm reading a book on tibetan buddhism at the moment called when things fall apart by pema chodron. i recommend it!

[Arikara6]

Lately I've been taking my units' senior combatives instructor to the gym with me. Sort of puts things in perspective, and by the time I'm done I usually feel better.

[DFH]

This is a good topic.

A lot of the solutions are easier said than done.

Get enough sleep. Get good sleep. (Read up on melatonin).

Breathing exercises do work.

Avoid stressful conflicts. Don't let problems bother you, and concentrate on not letting them.

As I said, easier said than done.

If all else fails, get some drugs! Haha

[Geode]

Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) can be very helpful!