Spoiler Alert: Writing is one way I relax and clear my mind.
Stress happens and it may take a toll on a person's emotional and physical health. Yesterday, I was stressed. Today, I feel fine and ready to take on the next challenge life throws at me. Everyone has their ways to de-stress, and I thought I'd share how I like to relax and clear my mind.
Please keep in mind that the ways I de-stress may not work for everyone, but maybe something I mention is relatable or something you'd like to give a try.
Deep Breaths
Oh, the power of deep breaths! Has anyone told you to "take a deep breath" when you were angry or stressed? There's a good reason for that. Research suggests doing so reduces your heart rate and relieved muscle tension. It's a natural relaxation technique that anyone can do on their own for no extra cost.
I find myself taking deep breaths out of habit when I begin to feel stressed or irritated. I don't know if I taught myself to do so when I'm anything but happy, or if it's just a natural habit. Either way, it helps in calming me down, even if just slightly.
Write or Talk it Out
When breathing isn't enough to calm me down, I write or talk out my issues. For the most part, I don't feel comfortable talking about my issues with others. Sometimes I'll vent to my Dad and my friends about something they're familiar with. Other times I ask a rhetorical question as a means for venting about something. Usually they don't answer knowing I'm simply having a moment. Otherwise, I don't like burdening others with my personal problems.
I keep a journal (or diary if you prefer that term) for this purpose. I can't focus when I have things on my mind, so I write it out. Because my journal is private, I have no compunctions with writing everything that's on my mind. Even if my thoughts change after I cool off, my journal records how I felt at that moment I was relieving stress through writing. Depending on what's going on, like sad news I learned about a relative last night, I can't help but cry while I'm writing. Yet, I consider that a method of coping and relieving some stress.
While I was initially concerned that I was wasting my time with starting a blog for the first time, it's been a great way for me to de-stress. As I mentioned in my first post, this is my public journal of sorts. I'm sure treating this as a personal blog journal opposed to being focused on a niche helps in this situation. I had a craft topic in mind for today, but I woke with a need to talk things out. Of course, I'm not sharing details of the things going on my mind, but I'm still writing and relieving some stress.
Keep Distracted
While I typically feel better after writing, especially if I write about what's on my mind before I sleep, I make the effort to keep myself distracted. The last thing I want is to let stressful thoughts take over my mind. I find keeping myself distracted in stressful situations incredibly important.
When I was working, I relied on work to keep me distracted. For example, my department with my previous job hosted multi-day conference events. There would be "dead times" where we weren't doing anything, but those "dead times" made me anxious and uncomfortable. I always had a laptop with me so I could work to keep my mind preoccupied. At least I wouldn't have to worry about what's waiting for me when I returned to the office in a couple days. I'd simply put the laptop away when something needed my attention at the event.
Now that I've been unemployed for some time, I relied on hobbies to keep distracted. Below are the hobbies I personally do to keep my mind preoccupied:
Arts and crafts. I consider myself a novice artist and crafter, but arts and crafts are hobbies I enjoy despite my skill level. I'd do anything from completing a coloring page with my alcohol markers to figuring out what I'm doing wrong when I try to complete a resin craft.
Funny videos. They say laughter's the best medicine. I don't know if I'd consider it the best medicine, but it's certainly a fun way to keep distracted. I tend to watch YouTube videos while I'm doing something else.
Video games. I mostly play simulation and strategy games. My favorite games can capture my undivided attention, minimizing the chances of sad or negative thoughts coming to mind. I'm usually too busy trying to figure out how to keep a Cow Plant from dying or eating people, ensure nurses can cure Light Headedness, provide my animals with food enrichment items, and maintain my island's 4-star rating.
Give my dogs more attention. I can't spend all my time playing videos and doing crafty projects. No matter how I'm feeling, I still need to take care of my dogs. Really, taking care of them is a great way to de-stress. My favorite part of having dogs is cuddling with them while watching Shadow's favorite types of videos: anything with dogs and cats.
Activity books. Brain teasers are another way I keep distracted. I have a small collection of activity books that I leave in my car. Sudoku, find the differences, word searches, whodunnits, and mazes are just a few of the activities I take with me on the road. I can do simple activities or focus heavily on difficult activities depending on my mood.
Loud Music
I've had doctors and others suggest I go for a nice long walk when I'm stressed. Yes, getting some exercise and fresh air are great ways to de-stress... for most people. It doesn't work that easily for me when I'm already stressed. My mind often wanders when I'm walking or exercising without any other distractions. In these situations, I need loud music. Not just music, but LOUD music through my earbuds or headphones. I sometimes need music to drown out my thoughts. Hopefully I don't listen to music loud enough to destroy my hearing (only time will tell), but sometimes I feel like I need it loud enough to not be able to think about anything other than the task I'm doing and the lyrics I'm hearing.
This probably started when I was a young teen living at home with my Mom. I lived a strict, sheltered life and was home a lot. When I wanted to escape, I'd put on my headphones, crank up the volume to fast paced and energetic tracks, and close my eyes. My Mom has had hearing issues for much of my life, so she's had the TV volume close to max and yelled while talking to others (although she doesn't know she's yelling most of the time). I'd listen to my music a little louder so I couldn't hear her conversations or the TV in the other room, so that's probably why loud music is so comforting to me.
My Thoughts
These are some of the things I personally do to de-stress. It's not for everyone, and I wouldn't recommend anyone listen to loud music through their headphones or earbuds. This will be one of those "do as I say, not as I do" scenarios. Yet these are things that calm me down, especially writing. That's why I chose to write this post today. I'm still relieving stress after hearing sad news about a relative and arguing with my Mom about how she doesn't make attempts to keep herself healthy and safe.
I can say that I feel much better now.
What's Next?
Hopefully next week I'll have another artsy crafty post to share, but I'm also going to check on my Mom back in my hometown, so I may end up relieving a little more stress next week through my posts.
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Thanks, and have a great day!
Simply Jelly Jam
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