There was a period in my life that lasted about 4 or 5 years when I refused to admit that I needed to decompress. I had multiple employers, spent 6 days a week leaving before the sun came up and coming home after dark. I was drinking upwards of 10 coffees per day plus loads of soft drinks. When I did get in I would watch series or movies late into the night. I gained weight and developed anxiety. I also began having migraines multiple times a week. Then I developed pericarditis. I lived like that for a long time. Just popping Xanax to get through the day.

Finally, I managed to see a neurologist who confirmed my migraines (unilateral acephalgic etc. etc.) and gave me a doctor’s note and strict instructions. The TL;DR of those instructions was: REST.

So, I gave in and admitted defeat. That was the first step.

Very quickly my stress levels dropped. It took a few months for the pericarditis to stop.

I stopped all caffeine and other stimulants. Stopped the Xanax. Energy levels exploded.

Step 2 was doing something with that energy. Something I hate with a deep passion: EXERCISE.

After almost 5 years of thinking my life would just be like that it only took 6 weeks for things to get back on track. I deflated and dropped from 108kg to 82kg.

You didn’t need to story, but everyone else here is right. Rest and moving your body helped. Mentally, I was even more creative. I was friendlier. I was even recommended to apply for a promotion.

If you need to decompress, I think sleep is the best. If the sandman ain’t visiting, then combine with movement and fresh air.

Just sleep longer.
6 hours is too short. 7.5 hours is OK. 9 hours is best in my case.

Washing my face! Sometimes something as simple as some refreshing skincare, and maybe a little something extra - like a scrub or sheet mask, makes me feel calmer and relaxed. Paired with a warm drink like tea or coffee, this usually helps soothe me when I’m anxious.

I like to bottle it all up and explode at a later date over something trivial

Honestly: Smoke weed. It helps chill me out.

My favorite is to smoke in the back yard with a little fire in my Solo Stove going. Preferably with marshmallows. I can zone out for hours out there. I live in town, but there is greenery along most of my fence, so it *feels *secluded even if it really isn’t. My neighbors have a new fountain they put in a little pond in their front yard, too, so I get to hear the water :)

I have a few things I like to do! In no particular order:

1. Make a pour over coffee. From measuring, grinding, pouring, and all, it takes 10 to 15 mins. It’s the perfect amount of time to make for a break for something. Then you get all the nice aromas, warm mug, and caffeine general helps stabilize my mood too.

2. Walking or sitting outside! Gets the blood moving, change in air, sometimes you hear the birds or insects.

3. Take a relaxing bath. You can go extra hard with bathbombs for fragrances and stuff too.

4. Light candles, incense, dim lights, put on jazz or some other nice background music. Dim moods and calming smells and good sounds help bring good sensory experiences to block out any bad feelings.

5. Lose myself in my instruments. Playing anything requires my focus and forces me to turn off my depression spiral thought patterns and focus on creating something wholesome and pure.

I like to dance. Sometimes it’s angry dancing, sometimes it’s happy dancing, but it helps me blow off steam and express emotions in a healthy way.

Definitely exercise is great for stress management. Something about cardio cuts through stress like a knife through warm butter.

Get a lower paycheck for a stress-free working environment.

Put on some music and sing your motherfucking heart out. 👍

This is always a good idea, but it’s an especially a good idea if you have a lot of energy that you can’t just will away or let go of. Sometimes when you can’t calm down or slow down, you can redirect and reframe that energy instead, until you’ve vented it out.

I do meditation. Not mindfulness because I need dissociation for my chronic pain management. I basically do a version that I altered to stay as disconnected from my body as possible and just focus on emotions and observing them.

I also use a yoga ball sometimes, helps me regulate as well

Edit: I am physically disabled please do not peddle me a CBT based chatbot or whatvever.

Biggest thing for me is mindfulness in whatever I’m doing. It’s such a difference between “I am going to relax” and “I am staying busy relaxing to avoid processing my feelings”.

Usually a hot bath is my go-to. It’s helpful to have some music and quiet to ponder why I am compressed, what changes need to be made, or if I just need time to be allowed to feel.

Honestly, I smoke. Usually hookah, sometimes I’ll have a cigarette. I know it’s bad, but I want a good life, not a long one.

For me it’s yoga. Doesn’t have to be long or even a structured session, just taking the time to stop and stretch and reconnect with myself and my body does wonders.

I really enjoy working on my car. It’s almost meditative. When you’re under the car with a rusty bolt to remove, all stress disappears as you focus everything into an extremely small problem. When that bolt gives, you move to the next small problem until the job is done. At that point, you’re left feeling satisfied knowing that a complex problem had been solved with your own two hands.