How do you blow off steam?
 

People have all different kinds of stressors... work, home, sexual, relationship...

How do you cope with it? Do you internalize it, do you yell and scream, do you drink or do drugs (illegal or otherwise), do you work out, do you go hit something (hopefully inanimate)?

For me, I tend to vent things by thinking them out... but there are some things that are so bothersome or frustrating that I cannot force them out by mentally tossing them...

I go into my car and yell out for a few seconds. Just... let loose. Not like in the movies where people throw their head back all dramatic and screech to the heavens... I just grab onto the steering wheel and grip it tight and let out a loud holler. It's generally not even any words, just a loud noise. That's pretty much always more than enough to reset the system back to "good".

So how about you?

(the poll is coming)

I bottle it up like nice spring water.

My coworker and I frequently take our anger out on eachother. We have this mutual understanding that none of what we say to eachother is meant to be personal. We call eachother names and make fun of eachother all day.

You forgot to include sex... ;)

Generally, my process is as follows: think to myself, talk with ktspktsp/family/friends, chat with friends online, write it down in my paper journal, post about it on TFP, think to myself some more... repeat. After several cycles of this, it usually gets out of my system. If not, then I'll have come up with a plan of action to address the issue. Internalizing is not my thing, obviously.

If I wasn't living in friggin' expensive Iceland, I would have a lot more methods at my disposal. Driving far (not always fast) with loud music, by myself, has been a known stress reliever over the years. Also, going shopping (or at least browsing) has helped me decompress. Working out has helped occasionally, but sometimes it only increases the intensity of my feelings. And, last but not least, having a bottle of wine or a beer with my husband on a Friday night does wonders for my stress (usually followed by hot sex). :D

Um, all of the above except drugs, working out (a walk doesn't count as working out) and shopping. It all depends on the situation. Immediate rage can be dispensed with just as quickly by something like driving, punching, yelling, etc. Slow burn anger needs to be melted away with lots and lots of alcohol. And then there's the stuff you can't get rid of, so you push it into a tight little ball and release it at an appropriate time. Like when Daddy hit the referee with a whiskey bottle. Do you remember that, sweetie? When Daddy hit the referee with the whiskey bottle? Yeah...

Grand Theft Auto...

...with the cheat code for all the weapons.

When I become overwelmed, most of all I just want to be alone.

Well, a couple days ago I got really pissed at my sister and nwlinkvxd, so I yelled at them, then yelled at myself, then barricaded myself in our office to fuck around on the computer.

Ditto. Depending on just how frusterated and stressed I may just go home and read, cooking also helps. If it's not too bad, and I just need a little relaxer I'll take the motorcycle out on a windy road, that gets my mind off of things and focusing on the road ahead of me. If it's extremely bad I'll hike along a creek and find a tall rock to sit on for a few hours.

Video games always do the trick. Especially ones I own at.

I'm relatively laid back, though.

There's a notable once or twice that I've yelled, but typically it's just video games.

The other day I went for a drive for the first time, and that seemed to work too.

Scooter. Beer. Porn.

Video games wherein I kill things are always satisfying when I am stressed/my temper is flaring. If I'm REALLY in a mood, I take out my 29 twink BE mage to Arathi Basin in WoW and let her loose, and just kill, kill, kill.

I also do wind sprints on my bike when I'm stressed out/angry.

My antidepressants are helpful for anxiety, but somehow it's different...I think the wind sprints are a touch more effective when I'm angry.

I work out, drive fast, and watch movies or listen to music. It's really just about redirecting your energy. The last thing in the world I want to do is accidentally explode at someone that doesn't deserve it.

BTW, I don't drive that fast around other people.

I destroy third world countries.

friends...beer....beer...drunken rant...beer...bed and all is well in the morning except the splitting headache haha :) or music, music is always a pleasurable escape

I put work-out, but that's misleading, I go hiking in the mountains. It is a workout but that is not the intention. THe mountains clear my mind, things up there make sense. It's like taking life back to formula.

Say sarcastic, ugly things that I don't mean at all to the person who loves me most.

Working on it, though.

Take a long walk, even if the weather is bad. Come back exhausted and in a better frame of mind.

Workout and try not to drive or I will drive way too fast. Smashing tennis balls or table tennis balls works the best.

Would anyone believe me if I said I don't have stress? I do like punching walls though and driving fast, but all the time, not just in stressful situations.

Probably not, no. :)

I have a stressful lifestyle. Every time I'm in a competitive situation, I just make sure I kick the shit out of my competitors. A big win will make me feel almost stress-free.

Otherwise playing with my kid is about as stress-relieving as I could ever hope for and a great reminder of why I work so hard.

bottle it.
work out.
drink on occasion, but socially, not alone.
watch movies or listen to music.

i used to drive. not fast, not slow, but on the interstate on the loop around Jax when i was stressed. window and sunroof open, foot propped in the window, music on. it was easier to do in the jetta. now i mostly bottle it up or vent to a friend.

I used to bottle it up and I still do a pretty good amount of that, but I'm slowly working on changing it. Now, whenever I'm pissed off I go work out until I'm dead, then run as far as I can, then (now that it's summer) go swimming in my apartment's pool. By the time I'm done with all of that, I'm so exhausted that whatever had me angry isn't such a big deal anymore. Given how frustrating my work can be at times, I'm getting in pretty decent shape ;)

I've also got a punching bag that I will occasionally pound the crap out of - just depends on the mood at the time.

Oooh good question. I do a little of everything to be honest, so I couldn't tick a box. I am the type of person that internalizes a lot of things, I think of every possible outcome, ever scenario, every detail etc. It can make a person crazy sometimes. I talk a lot with my mum (she's my best friend) and get things out that way. Lately I've been going on bike rides so let out some energy and try and clear my mind. I've also been known to do drugs to avoid dealing with things or to numb myself to stress, which obviously isn't good but I with how much thinking I force myself into, I sometimes need a break. I am working on finding more acceptable ways of doing so. I include shopping in the drug category as I use it in the same way I would say, Oxycontin. The behaviour that triggers the activity is the same one that would fuel my drug use. For awhile I was also using food in the same way, as this is again, a socially acceptable and necessary thing to do, but when used as a distraction or in place of drugs or alcohol, it's the same goddamn thing. Anyways, that went a little off topic, my apologies. I think one of the healthiest ways to let off steam is definitely exercise or doing something physical (I used to punch things, but that isn't very good either, you just end up with busted knuckles and dented walls or whatever) so I definitely want to focus more on doing things like biking when I get stressed. I also think it's a good way to prevent or manage stress when done regularily.

Drive fast and play video games. But, ironically, I don't like racing games. Go figure.

Interesting differences between the genders here. In addition to leaving out sex, the poll doesn't include "talking it out with your friends," which is what a lot of women do. Also, what about meditation? Going to counseling? Cooking? In fact, the poll centers around a lot of traditionally "masculine" reactions to stress... interesting, that's all.

All of the below used to help.
Main thing I would do is to talk to friends, or rather, vent to my friends.
Shopping and going out for a relaxing happy hour with friends help a lot.
Cuddling and talking it out with my SO. And then sex.

Now, nothing helps. I don't like being alone, yet I am not much of a good company these days.
I keep a lot in. Everyday, I keep more to myself.
And I guess this is how it's going to be from now on.
I vent about work. I keep everything else to myself.

Mostly I talk to onodrim/other friends, relax with some TV or something, or take a nap. Sometimes I'll practice anapanasati.

with two turntables and a microphone..

Put on a pair of spiked boots and go about stomping cats and kittens.

Good times, good times.:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

Oh, I love a good cat-walk.

Yeah, I forgot that I also a) call my mom, and b) practice yoga meditation poses when I'm stressed out.

Savasana, or corpse pose, is amongst the most relaxing yoga poses. Lying on your back with your hands at your sides palm up, focus on your breathing...and voila, relaxation.

I bottle it up for about a month or so. Then, if the problem persists beyond that point, I reach my limit and explode. I am going through one right now. It's been going on for about a year now. The process has been as follows: get upset, don't say much. Repeat, repeat, repeat. Have a long, calm talk with gf about it explaining my frustration. Problem repeats itself....repeat previous steps for a year. Right now I am past my breaking point and if things don't change I'll either go crazy or go into depression. That's for ongoing frustrations, however.

If something is a one time thing I curse, yell, do hand gestures and rape my stress ball. That doesn't do much though so I use calming drops to do what they're made to do.

So, does it really help to do that whole bottling-it-up thing?...

All I know is that when I bottle up, it starts to kill me after a couple of hours. Any longer than that, and I start to enter a mental/physical danger zone. It's definitely not good for me.

How do you manage to function like that, in all honesty?

Seriously, I want to know...when I bottle it up, and feel like I have no outlet, my body literally starts to rebel against me. I get acid reflux that feels like my stomach and chest has turned into a burning inferno, and then my IBS flares up...oh, and I usually get a migraine, just for kicks.

I think it's much healthier to bike it out.

zkara - You are about to get a phone call, missy.

As for stress... I am an internalizer. I keep it in until it's too much and start acting out shit that isn't helpful, or get snippy for no reason. I'm usually pretty good at comparmentalizing things and living in a state of denial. For minor things, you'll probably have heard me vent a little - I do like to talk, and I can talk about minor aggravations without hesitation. That helps the day-to-day stuff. But if I'm living in an overall state of stress, I tend to procrastinate, deny myself into ignorant bliss, and read/watch TV/go on TFP more.

You forgot reading and procrastination.

Oh, this isn't handling stress, is it? :p
Abaya - (and I'm working on it, don't worry!) You don't go about intending to internalize it. It just IS. Our saying that this is what happens isn't because we planned it (or at least, *I* didn't!), this is just observation of past occurrences.

OH! Try this site, maybe it'll help give ideas!

I shoot stuff. And smoke pot.


:D

Excellent point... I do all of those things, except counseling. I think I answered three or four different things on the poll the other day, but none of them were completely true answers. My #1 way to de-stress is to talk out my problems with my mom, friends, husband, or even just my cat if there are no humans around.

I figured out as a child that animals never tell my secrets. :orly: But they do look at least slightly sympathetic/interested, especially if you hold a treat near your face.

Since the internet came around, I also tend to vent on a message board and then laugh over the witty responses I receive, which usually makes me feel better, too.

I explode at whoever happens to be in my way.

What about creative processes such as sculpture, ceramics, painting, and the like?

I believe some people relax and relieve stress in that way as well.

A very good point, though I kinda was thinking about that in the videogames/tv/movies section... just some sort of leisurely activity that you enjoy... though I suppose some creative outlets aren't entirely "leisurely". :)

counter-strike / unreal tournament (original)

*headshot!

multi-kill!

ultra-kill!

m-m-m-m-monster kill!

GODLIKE

lol

/nerd-mode off

I grab a bat and head off to the local preschool...

Seriously though...

I like to do modeling work. Example here

If someone pisses me off at work, I go into the network closet and ... well, I'll let the animation tell you the story http://img516.imageshack.us/img516/9...kisdownbl6.gif
If I bottle it up, it just goes away after a while. For all I know, I could be heading toward a breakdown, but it works at the time.
Shooting and smoking in post, Ron Paul signature. Fits perfectly.

JustJess : :eek:

Abaya : No, bottling it up never helps. It's not like I decide to keep it all in. It just happens. Especially when the situation happens at a point where I don't feel I have anyone to turn to, and just.. talk. I don't talk easily. Because I have trust issues. Working on it though :)

I would love to kill babies sometimes. Like right now.

Alright, that's not true.

Well, sometimes just saying that and cracking myself up with the morbidity of it helps.

i go biking.
it works remarkably well: if you do not focus on what you are doing, and on what's around you, you will likely be killed. it's repetitive and physically demanding and there we are.

i dont think of it as working out, however: i ride as transportation, as leisure activity, as therapy--but i am convinced that if i called the same thing "working out" i wouldnt do it.

I also go biking to blow off steam. Video games, metal and cooking help. I can only watch movies when I'm relaxed. Yelling at people has never helped.

Since I like to think if I'm stressed out or anxious about something I'll just think it over in my head for a bit. Then once I've come to some type of conclusion about it I move on. The few times in my life when I've really felt down or overwhelmed I've found that sitting down and writing something really helps. I think the key is not so much about effective ways to deal with stress as it is with effective ways to put it off for a little bit. For me a small break from life can really help put things in perspective.

Work is my main source of stress. I do my best to leave work behind me once I punch out, but no matter what I do I always have to worry about what I need to do tomorrow. I've found that turning on my Ipod and going for a run is a good way for me to chill out and make a game plan for tomorrow.
Of course, if I don't work the next day, calling up some friends to go out for a few pints works pretty well too.

boxing and grappling.

My biggest stress-release activity: Music. When I'm done with work, if I feel stressed, I pick up my violin and let it all pour out. Evidently it works great because usually when I start I go non-stop for 3-4 hours; when I'm done, I'm usually spent and I fall asleep (sleep happens to be my second favorite stress-release activity).

Third place goes to Counter-Strike/Guitar Hero 1&2/F.E.A.R./etc... Finally, if nothing else fits the moment, I open up WinAmp, set it on random, lay down, and just enjoy my music collection.

The best thing for me is just to go for a hike and sit down next to a river or a cliff and just sit there for a while.

The worst thing for me is music, some of my music just makes me more mad or sad or whatever.

When I'm at work and pissed off about something I tend to just work harder and make drinks faster than anyone thought possible. I work at a coffee shop (or used to) and I've been known to clean and stock the whole store by myself just to have something to keep me occupied.