Where Does Your Stress Go?

Beth @ Beth's Journey to Thin

Going for a run is one of my number one ways to destress. By the end, nothing is ever as bad as it seems and I feel like I can think clearer. Also, if I’m stressing out at night before bed, I like to make a list of whats stressing me out. It usually looks a lot more reasonable on paper than it did racing around in my head.

Keri

long walks, long baths, reading, and doing my nails!

Diana

Definitely exercise, watching a tv show or movie, or sometimes just talking a walk. Napping is good too! 😛

Jasmine @ Eat Move Write

I like to take a bath and read. It feels so luxurious. Like, I’m not supposed to be getting such a treat. I love it.

brandi

cooking, definitely.

and taking a long, easy walk or a bubble bath with a good book.

sometimes, just laying in the sun, in the grass, somewhere is the best thing ever.

Corinne

could not agree with you more. running or some form of exercise is def my top defrizzer but if i cannot do that, COOKING!! reading is another beautiful way to unwind and the end of a stressful day. enjoy your bike ride!

Shelly

Running and cooking are definitely ways that I destress. I’m kind of a ball of stress right now myself (though usually, I am not very stressed on a day to day basis- I think exercise really helps me have a calm baseline- I’m just dealing with some lousy stuff right now) and all I want to do is go home, put on my shoes, and run until I can’t think anymore.
My problem is that when I’m stressed, I lose my appetite and fail to eat.

Jenny

I go to the beach and swim, blog or get some exercise in! Tends to help:)

Julia

Recognize that! Many people don’t believe me, but making risotto (the real way, so yes: stirring!) is so calming for me. And there’s such a nice reward afterwards too, of course;)

x Julia (Taste of Living)

theemptynutjar

oh i am stressed also jenna. i have less than 2 weeks to find some job that will be “unstimulating and mind-numbing” and find a cheap dump (place) to live. With u on stress.
I used to do 15 minutes of yoga 3x a week before…haven’t touched it in over a month…no concentration whatsoever…just no concentration!
i am embarrassed to say it, but something really silly on TV is just about the only thing that works for me.

Erin (Travel, Eat, Repeat)

I like to read and escape into the book. Thanks for reminding me how important that is!

Ann @ Appalachian Appetites

A hot shower always works for me!

Kamaile

Meditation is my favorite way to de-stress. I either sit quietly for 10-20 mins and focus on my breathe in and breathe out or look up “zen meditation music” on youtube and meditate with that too. Wine works too! 🙂

Anna

This sounds cheesy, but playing with my dogs always takes my stress down a notch– I love them! Going for a run is also great!

Jenn @ Livewellfit

When I’m in the moment, step 1 is often breathing. 🙂 I just close my eyes and take 10 deep breaths focusing only on the sound of my breath. Then when my eyes open again, things will either feel better or the same! But at least they don’t feel worse! 🙂

A nice sweat session, shopping, a decadent dinner with someone close + a morning just me and R & R are fabulous ways to destress as well!

Heather (Heather's Dish)

just going on a walk or doing yoga or meditating…those are all really easy and cheap ways to de-stress. i’ll admit, a massage or pedicure does the trick too 🙂

hope you’re day gets better/less stressful!

Jin

Stop whatever you are doing and just close your eyes and breathe. Nothing else. No yoga, no chopping onions, no running.

Megan

I think it is so interesting how we all seem to have the places in our body where stress “goes” as well as the strategies for how we deal with that…physically and emotionally. After a car accident in high school, my stress always goes to my shoulders. You can probably see when I’m stressed– other than the knitted brow– because I imagine I look like a hunchback 🙂 My best stress buster is a fast-paced workout. If I am stressed to the max, I am not practiced enough at yoga to really let go. If it’s work related, I find it best to try to cut out early, go workout, and then return to work later and tackle it with a better attitude!

mkg

Putting my ipod on and walking/running with no destination. Its like with each step my problems are crumbling.
And of course crying…even though it has a bad wrap 🙂

I’m pretty stressed myself this week.

Sarah (Oc2Seattle)

Such an appropriate post for tax day. Hmmm, deep breaths, attempts at meditation, a long hot bath with a good book and/or a massage. The only thing that works for me long term though is working through the issue causing me stress. Of course, denial’s not bad either 😉

Sarah for Real

Usually I get stressed when I have too much on my plate. Action is the only thing that’ll help me at that point, so I jot down lists like MAD and then get to work. That’s probably not the best way to de-stress though :/

Daisy

hahaha i love comment #17. maybe others said wine too but that one popped out real quick. exersizing/running/yoga really isnt my thing. Sure i’ll do it to say in shape but it has never de-stressed me in any way shape or form. going for a walk – yes. drinking a bottle of wine or any alchoholic beverage. yes.

Evan Thomas

Whenever something stresses me, I need to do it through to be satisfied. That, or let it be forgotten forever. I’m not one to pick something up and put it down

Jess @ MTL Veggie

Sometimes exercise like running and yoga will do wonders for stress as, usually, you’re not only stressed you’ve gone stir crazy and need to let the aggression out. Sometimes, just exercise won’t cut it so, I also find that just taking a day off, taking a mini vacation does wonders for your mindset. Getting out and just enjoying life- socializing with your friends, going for a walk and talk, getting dressed up and going to a nice restaurant, etc… Sometimes just enjoying life’s mini pleasures can really make you re-appreciate your life and everything involved in it so that whatever is stressing you out, doesn’t seem like such a big deal anymore.
In any case, I’m sorry to hear you’ve had a hard and stressful day and hope you’re able to de-stress.

Mom

Remembering “This too shall pass”. Reading the Bible.

Suzanne de Cornelia

That salad looks delicious. For breakfast/lunch–didn’t eat til 12:30P–I made all organic salad with huge handful of fresh basil leafs, about 10 cherry tomatoes, about 10 kalamata olives, 3 cloves of chopped garlic, generous parmesan cheese and tossed with grapeseed oil. Yum–somtimes I add a tin of anchovies to this for the protein wc grosses out many but I love anchovies.

Stress: Music, mega walks by the sea, fresh flowers, get out of wherever am for a change of scenery, turn on Rocky theme and exercise, sit down close eyes and meditate on all the good in my life. Take out yellow pad and write down what am stressed about–ID what thoughts are contributing–what empowering ones could I choose instead. Go visit beautiful garden/quiet sanctuary. If above doesn’t work–get pint of Hagen Daz Vanilla and rent a movie!

Lisa

My stress is in my neck and shoulders. They get so bad sometimes it hurts to touch my shoulders. Swimming and sitting in the hot tub help a lot.

Suzanne de Cornelia

PS re stress. When I was managing a $35 million renovation to the world HQ for a law firm , had to deal with 500 type A lawyers everyday. Incredibly stressful. I joked that had ‘wine floats’ to get thru. Often would come home, run for the Chard, and then watch a RomCom like ‘Father of the Bride’ with Hagen Daz Vanilla [fave] right aft the vino. To stomach–it WAS a wine float. The building that was being renovated was 40 floors in financial district of San Francisco and I swear built over Indian burial grounds with the unhappy spirits infilitrating that concrete tube. AND a VERY famous/household name actress lived in the Penthouse above while her home was being renovated. I had the ‘—— —–‘ complaint cell phone for the duration. When she wanted to vent and scream–I was at her service. She never met me to associate the complaint line with a person. But I would run into her in the elevator she was very charming and complimentary to me on my dress, hair, etc. I’d just smile and say thank you and didn’t say ‘Half an hour ago you were calling me every name in the book!’ She looked like an ordinary person without makeup and in jeans, etc, but fixed up. Wow. Golden Girl, totally.

Becky

Umm, sex always works for me! 🙂 And yoga!

saramariesue

I de-stress with a few…depending on what’s available for me to do. Chopping vegetables, breathing in the steam that comes off of a cup of hot herbal tea or taking a brisk walk. I do Kundalini yoga also – which reminds me to slow down and not let stress take over or run my life. uuggh. It’s hard sometimes though! I guess it’s all about being aware of yourself & what your feeling.

Johanna B

My main form of stress relief is walking. I also enjoy hot baths with lavender essential oil, candles, and piano music. I find that I respond less to stress when I am taking care of myself by exercising and eating cleanly. Prayer and meditation also help.

Lisa (bakebikeblog)

Exercise is always my best de-stresser!!!

Kelly

Sorry about the stressful day. I relieve stress with exercise (trying to get more into yoga) and tv watching 🙂

Julia

Pumping iron. Heavy too. Enough to make me grunt and hurt (in a good way, of course). Gets out a LOT of aggression and I get toned in the process too 😉
Also I let myself enjoy the things that I really love. In my case, chocolate. Sometimes indulging is very stress relieving.
Also, what my boyfriend has taught me is to honestly evaluate the situation. What are concrete things YOU can do to control the situation? Have you done them? If not, do them. What are the things you absolutely cannot influence? Let those worries go. Do everything in your power to help the situation and hope for the best. This advice has helped me tremendously. Hope you feel better soon!

Tina

Definitely reading a good book in my bed. I love being deeply sucked into a story! Just being in my room makes me feel better-I just remodeled it, so its calm inducing. And I love reading food magazines & making notes for the next day or week. I usually turn the Soundscapes music channel on TV for a little calming background music. And if its winter, my heated mattress pad is the best thing ever!

MMiller

I’m not good at stress anymore! It effects my health! I would say a walk on the beach maybe?! But mostly I just watch silly TV! And I pray! If I have too much time to think it gets worse! Exercise helps if I can make myself do it!

Hope the rest of your day is stress-less!

Staceyhttp://stacey-healthylife.blogspot.com/

I’m having one of those days also. Working out and just relaxing seem to really help. Trying to let it go out of my mind is challenging.

Sarah

I’ll add that I’m working at eliminating one of my defaults, though, which is just eating, eating, eating!

kate

I love to destress by hanging with my pups, reading a book, doing some yoga, or going for a walk.

Deva (Voracious Vorilee)

I like to destress by going outside for a run or throwing a ball around with The Boy. Cooking and cleaning are both great destressors for me too!

Kristin (Cook, Bake and Nibble)

My stress goes right to my shoulders. Usually I request a nice massage from my amazing boyfriend, or do yoga!!

xo
K

eatmovelove

I’m really really bad for stress. Even trying yoga doesn’t help because I just can’t concentrate or am so anxious. There isn’t much that does help actually. I tend to eat alot during stress too and continuously snack WHILE making my dinner, so that doesn’t help much either…I kind of just have to wait it out and try to distract myself with cleaning or typing or something…and then just pray for sleep eventually.
Oh and going to a movie really helps sometimes too.

Blaine

I can totally relate. I love doing a really really intense yoga class where I sweat my booty off. For me, the actual act of relaxation does not succeed in relaxing me (like a calm yoga class) – sometimes it takes some real sweat and good ol’ exercise to FORCE you to think about something else and get the blood flowing.
THEN – an epsom salt bath with lavender essential oil to sooth my whole achin’ bod.
Hang in there, Jenna, you have SO many people rooting for you! 🙂

Teresa

STARBUCKS CHAI LATTE ! Calms me down!

Susan

Wow, I’m with you on a stressful day (and week). A soak in the hot tub and of course reading yours and a few other blogs – very relaxing.

A

Jenna! I recommend some comedy and music to de-stress… or why not both?!??! 🙂
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-4tEUTxdjs&feature=related
(p.s. this is a link to a funny music video of Say Hey by Michael Franti — I swear it will put you in an awesome mood!)

sherri

reading a new post from YOU (ELR) is the perfect stress reliever…p.s. my sis won a pulitzer prize this week and that was pretty awesome too!

Rachel @ Suburban Yogini

All of my tension ends up in my neck and shoulders and gives me awful migraines and tension headaches too.

My big stress relievers are yoga and cooking. You know where you are with yoga and cooking.