How do you handle stress

[VAHeel08]

How do you handle stress?

I get stressed about things I have no control over. For example, I had a 5:00am flight from Austin back home to Richmond. As I wake up at 3:00am to get ready to head to the airport, I have a text that my flight is now delayed six hours because of mechanical issues and they can’t guarantee I actually get a connection to Richmond. I sorted it out in about 30 minutes on the app, but I can’t go back to sleep and I’m overly stressed even though it’s resolved, I’m just getting home about eight hours later than planned.

Any tips from IC peeps? Yes, this extends beyond airline shenanigans, but in general.

 

[UNCatTech]

driving.
work.
the world.
my kids.
my marriage.

I have no tips. I'm working on it, but it often feels like one step forward 14 steps back.

 

[Aguia Vitoria]

It took heartbreak for me to get the world in perspective. My husband was diagnosed with cancer and died quickly a few years ago. I learned then about what I could handle (a lot) and what I didn't need to handle, i.e., get stressed over. For a while after his death, nothing mattered at all - but when I began to resume my life without him, I realized I had a new perspective, recognizing I had faced a worse-case scenario in my life and came through it - not unscathed for sure, but radically changed. Sweating the small stuff - and most stuff is small - isn't in my repertoire anymore. And I am better off for it.

 

[Tyler4Cameron0]

Exercise is my main stress reliever. I try to do at least 45 minutes of vigorous cardio at the gym at least 5 days a week. That helps immensely. Also, I’m pretty Type A, so when I stay in my daily/weekly routine that helps keep stress levels reduced.
I’m pretty fortunate (I think) in that I have a virtually stress free marriage, even after 21 years. My wife and I have an amazing relationship and that helps us both reduce stress levels. We have two teenage kids, so we need all the stress reduction we can get.
I also have a fairly stress free job with a great employer that I have worked for over 25 years. I am also fortunate there as well.
But I have realized as I have aged that I seem to always find something to be stressed or anxious about. When one stresser subsides it seems to be replaced by something else that causes me anxiety. So I’m working on trying to not let that happen as much going forward, but it is a challenge.

 

[Chamtrain]

It took heartbreak for me to get the world in perspective. My husband was diagnosed with cancer and died quickly a few years ago. I learned then about what I could handle (a lot) and what I didn't need to handle, i.e., get stressed over. For a while after his death, nothing mattered at all - but when I began to resume my life without him, I realized I had a new perspective, recognizing I had faced a worse-case scenario in my life and came through it - not unscathed for sure, but radically changed. Sweating the small stuff - and most stuff is small - isn't in my repertoire anymore. And I am better off for it.

I'm really sorry you went through that, I hate cancer.

 

[Aguia Vitoria]

I'm really sorry you went through that, I hate cancer.

Thank you for your kind words. I hate cancer too.

 

[ronjon]

It took heartbreak for me to get the world in perspective. My husband was diagnosed with cancer and died quickly a few years ago. I learned then about what I could handle (a lot) and what I didn't need to handle, i.e., get stressed over. For a while after his death, nothing mattered at all - but when I began to resume my life without him, I realized I had a new perspective, recognizing I had faced a worse-case scenario in my life and came through it - not unscathed for sure, but radically changed. Sweating the small stuff - and most stuff is small - isn't in my repertoire anymore. And I am better off for it.

I’m sorry you went through that. It’s unfortunate it takes big events like this to bring lasting perspective. I’m a fortunate 2xcancer survivor (for now I suppose) and while the first go through wasn’t all that impactful, after the second go round I find I don’t give two figs about much these days.

Beyond major life upheavals, exercise and meditation work for a lot of folks. Thinking about nothing is a gift, but it’s hard to do and takes practice.

 

[SomeBeach1]

Exercise and meditation with the Headspace app.

 

[unctarheel1984]

 

[cr333]

It took heartbreak for me to get the world in perspective. My husband was diagnosed with cancer and died quickly a few years ago. I learned then about what I could handle (a lot) and what I didn't need to handle, i.e., get stressed over. For a while after his death, nothing mattered at all - but when I began to resume my life without him, I realized I had a new perspective, recognizing I had faced a worse-case scenario in my life and came through it - not unscathed for sure, but radically changed. Sweating the small stuff - and most stuff is small - isn't in my repertoire anymore. And I am better off for it.

I'm so sorry you have faced that heartbreak in your life. Nothing is harder to face than the loss of a loved one. Though you've gotten through the hardest times and progressed to where you can move forward, that emptiness will always be there. That takes strength and obviously, you have that.

 

[2forheels]

Specifically sit down and listen to music for at least 30 minutes every day. And do biofeedback relaxation. Yet I'm still stressed most of the time. These relieve my stress temporarily but it's constant really.

 

[ronjon]

Therapy is good for more extreme cases. Find a good one. I’ve never been able to find a good one as I’m always on guard with folks that don’t quid pro quo, but I know it works for a lot of folks.

 

[VAHeel08]

Thank you all for the responses, I am going to try and implement some of these things. I work 100% remote, and my job is relatively isolated to about four people, all executives though, so I do have downtime about 90% of my work days and will try some of these out. @Aguia Vitoria , I am so sorry you have had to go through such heartbreak, but I am happy to see you gained what you could from it.

 

[OakForestHeel]

Cold plunging is amazing for stress relief

 

[Heelfiend]

With a good old panic attack.

 

[Wilson8]

Exercise (cardio and yoga are my favorite though I do light weight aerobics also), meditation, and RC drugs are all winners for me.

 

[Icthyphile]

The two main things I do are Go fishing if I can, always works. The easiest and most
Common thing I do is……. I’ve got a small parking block and two 6’ sections of curb I've poured. Take them out of the garage into the neighborhood street, break out the Lucero Black Label or Grosso Anti Hero and slappy, boneless, no comply my stress away. Works every time. If I’m really stressed out I’ll hit the Neuse River Trail with my trusty skull bucket and bomb hills.

I’ve been banned from having a board at the office as a co-worker decided to get it from my office one day when I was in the field and proceed to eat crap in the hallway at work, idiot. So I do breathing exercises during the work day or put on some green noise. Not as effective but it does relieve the stress.