How do you deal with stress?

[aurevoir]

Throughout the year, this time seems the most apparent when I am under a lot of stress.

I have exams.. school.. my mother and her constant narcissistic behavior, my father and his problems.. what school I will get into, worried about keeping my job, guilty feelings about what happened in the past etc..

And the fact that I seem so irritable, angry, and distant towards everything.

I finally realized the real reason why I can't seem to concentrate on anything. - I have so much crap going on in my mind and have no idea how to release everything. -

 

Everything keeps piling up. Just last night, I woke up around 2 am. I only ended up getting 2 hours of sleep. It was hard to fall back asleep. I ended up just having this terrible mental breakdown.. bawling and everything. I decided to get up and go for a walk. Yeah I know kind of crazy but I couldn't be there.

 

I was just wondering, how do all of you guys deal with a heavy amount of stress?

 

I'm going to see my therapist this week.

[Speranza]

Personally I meditate. ON something. Emptying my head never did me any good when it was so full that thoughts would creep back in on me!

 

I love Deepak Chopra's book 'Synchronicity' (it will be in the Library). He writes a lot but you don't need to read it all if you don't want - just find the seven daily meditations and do those. The beauty of the mantras he gives is that you can use them if you wake in the night, and they will help you to calm down.

 

And cling onto this: You are doing really well, and soon you will be looking back on this period of your life, and you will be able to be really proud of yourself for coping.

 

Hugs to you.

[Cognitive_Canine]

I make lists. I'm a list person. It is the ultimate form of organization for me and organization de-clutters my brain. I clean and dust my living area.

 

Exercise is always a great stress fighter. Especially if you take up a activity that focuses on stretching and balance such as yoga or pilates. A lot of people swear by running.

 

The weather is getting quite nice if you're in the northern hemisphere. Going outside for a stroll, swimming, or simply reading in the sun will make you feel better. It all depends on what you personally like.

 

Good diet, surprisingly, helps mood over time. Replacing water or tea for soda, or eating a few more green veggies. You do not have to do anything drastic. Small changes are more likely to stick with you. It will probably be hard to completely revamp your diet. And you'd be less likely to stick with it.

 

Some people love light reading or video games or watching certain types of movies. It's all about finding things that you find enjoyable and taking you time to enjoy them.

[Speranza]

Yes, agree with all those. I had forgotten about Exercie cos I've been on crutches for months - but definitely! I miss it!

[biddo]

i am sort of going through the same thing at the moment.

 

I was talking to a friend and how he did it was to prioritise the things from 1 to 10 obviously being first meant that he'd had to do it soon and 10 meant that it was things that was due down the track, I hope that helps.