Dealing with stress

jurinova 2019-10-22 05:34:28 UTC #1

I haven't been very active online lately due to a lot of school work which has caused me to be very stressed, which in turn affects my comic work. I feel like even when I do have time to draw my brain is still focused on school stuff and my writing/drawing is not as good as I'd like it to be. It's like I'm having constant fog in my brain. I'm sure I'm not the only who has experienced this, so I thought how about we share our tips and tricks for dealing with stress!

SO, please do tell how you deal with stress in situations when the source of stress cannot be removed or feel free to discuss how stress has affected you! It's totally okay if you just want to vent that stress a little in this thread, 'cause sometimes that helps too.

Here's some tips from me:
1. Take time for basic chores: I've noticed that simple things like cooking and doing the laundry don't require much thought and that sort of automatic chores can really be a moment of peace in my day. Just folding the laundry without rush can seem almost like a meditative moment for me.
2. Less coffee, more tea: This one is so difficult for me but I did notice a difference in my physical stress reactions when I drink less coffee and choose a nice cup of Peppermint tea instead.
3. Make some noise: This one seems to be a personal thing but stress makes me feel literally constrained so I like to sing out loud or just loudly talk to myself to make myself feel more free. I dunno, maybe it might work for others too!

taylorlauren 2019-10-22 05:38:26 UTC #2

I like to hang out with friends but in a super calm setting? Like, I have friends that I can just sit with on the sofa and I don't feel drained.
Or, I try to take a walk or go to a cafe I like (or try out a new one) and just, spend some time with myself?

jurinova 2019-10-22 06:55:14 UTC #3

Those are great ways to relax and de-stress! I think it's been like scientifically proven that taking a walk, especially in nature, can really reduce stress.

taylorlauren 2019-10-22 06:55:52 UTC #4

Yeah! I've definitely heard that as well

burginlewis 2019-10-22 12:30:36 UTC #5

If I recall correctly, exercise and meditation are the big two.

Might also be helpful to identify your stressors and see if there are any that are problems that need solving.

silacinnamon 2019-10-22 13:43:36 UTC #6

One thing that really helps me is to write down why I'm feeling stressed, sometimes there's something on the back of your mind and you don't even notice until you sit down and think about it. And it's kinda like just talking about your problems with a friend, expressing it can make you feel better even it it's something you can't really solve right now

Other than that, I like just going out for a walk or playing puzzle games like tetris or puyo puyo...

MirandaDrawss 2019-10-22 16:29:05 UTC #7

I cuddle with my dog and my loved ones. Sometimes a hug just squeezes the stress out.

Hot baths, disconnecting from social media, and just getting away from a screen really helps too.

And baking.

Klaustasya 2019-10-22 17:40:06 UTC #8

Defenetly agree on doing simple tasks as cleaning your room, doing the laudry or taking out the dog (if you have one) these little things kinda makes me feel like i accomplished something for myself during the day, for how small they are.

About exercise, i'm thinking about doing it too, though sometimes my thoughts just suck every positive motivation in me, but i think it's important to move around and let your muscles stress a little bit!

About taking a walk, when i feel super down, it's quite ineffective for me, but it depends from WHERE i'm taking this small walk first.

nostalgicroxas 2019-10-22 17:45:59 UTC #9

Less caffeine in general is better for you. There's a lot of studies about how caffeine does bad stuff for the body, similar to how the chemical from stress, even at short amounts for a long term can be detrimental to the body I realized sometime last year that I just don't like the taste of tea, love the taste of coffee, and a couple of years ago realized I'm allergic to caffeine in general sooooo I just make a cup of hot water with a tablespoon of (organic local) honey.

For the noise thing - that can be very helpful! The trick is finding out which kind of noise stirs you up in the way to make your more stressed, and which is better to calm you down. Learning the beats per minute can help, but that's not for "everyone" in a wide brush, but studies apply it broadly. 80bpm are generally better to help you relax than one that's 120bpm.

CodeMonkeyArts 2019-10-22 19:59:42 UTC #10

I feel ya on the chores. Sometimes washing dishes helps me kinda zone out and chill a bit. It helps that I'm generally by myself while I do them, so it's nice. Also the cold water feels good too.

Baths also help.

I need to exercise more; I find that working up a sweat or doing something physical greatly helps my stress too

OttoGruenwald 2019-10-22 21:41:08 UTC #11

Stress is a biological response. It doesn't happen in a vacuum. Learn what's causing you stress, focus on it, and use the agitation the stress causes you to solve the problem.

abcde 2019-10-23 13:22:18 UTC #12

Making comics is how I relieve stress haha. It's really fun for me and takes my mind off work.

jurinova 2019-10-23 17:57:54 UTC #13

Haha, same! I've baked two apple pies recently and some pancakes one late evening. Oops.

I agree that sometimes it helps to write things down! I've noticed that doing to-do lists can also help when it feels like there's too much to do because seeing what needs to be done can sometimes help realize that maybe it isn't impossible to do after all.

Ah, I know but coffee is the one sin I can't seem to let go completely... Being allergic to caffeine sounds difficult! I don't know if it exists in other parts of the world but I occassionally buy barley coffee, which tastes similar to coffee but has nothing bad in it really. Hot water with honey is good too, though. (Especially with a pinch of cinnamon.)

nostalgicroxas 2019-10-23 18:01:15 UTC #14

If it has caffeine I can't have it. Like I can't have black teas anymore because they have caffeine in them. I'm basically limited to just herbal teas and chocolate. I can't have coffee-flavored ice cream either anymore because it's made with coffee beans = it has caffeine. I'm glad I found out that I can't have it rather than like... three years from now. Thought I could have the ice cream still though til like two months ago when I noticed I was having the same side effects as the coffee cup.
It's funny cause I get to rip on the memes that are like "stop buying coffee and you'll save 5$ a day!!" and I'm just like "I buy a biscotti instead. "

jurinova 2019-10-23 18:12:09 UTC #15

Barley coffee is made from barley and has nothing to do with actual coffee but it tastes like it anyways, so I think it should be fine! It might be hard to find though.
Oh no, but coffee ice cream is the best! But at least you've still got chocolate! I recently discovered I can't eat oat and oatmeal cookies used to be my favourites. Still, I sometimes secretly eat one or two and suffer the consequences.