What do you do?
January 11th 2009 23:59
How do you zone-out from life's stresses?
How do you fit all your committments into your day?
When I first joined the Orble community I was curious about whether there was a common thread linking the bloggers and did a post to get opinions about what Orble provided. More recently I did a post to canvass opinion for something I am writing for another website, Karmic Ecology, on the theme of balance.
This is a follow up.
My own experience with Orble is that it is a great source of diversion. I got involved because I was job-searching and writing whilst recovering from major surgery.
Stress is a huge problem in the Western world today, resulting in health issues. Unemployment is high and, if you do have a job, you are usually expected to work beyond what used to be regarded as a full working day, without compensation. In spite of all our labour-saving devices, people seem to have less time to relax.
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Comment by yapstar
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what do i do to relax:
1) I like to hang out with friends, my partner and sisters. to do something that doesn't involve being under pressure to perform I can just goof off and have fun. Eat, walk, talk and laugh or shop.
2) I have a journal that I write in when I get frustrated with life, it helps to relieve some tension. sometimes you can't get hold of people on the phone so you have another comfort.
3) I also have a diary I like to plan out my week for work and socializing. knowing that i have some fun things planned always makes me look forward to the upcoming week
4) music !! also watching re-runs of my fave tv shows on dvd always makes me chilled out. Even if its morbid stuff like 'six feet under.'
i hope this helps!
Comment by Teresa Ralton
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Comment by Cibbuano
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Probably the biggest thing that I do is that I satisfy all my base desires.
For example, I love food, so I make sure that I eat things that make me happy... luckily, this doesn't mean junk food and KFC - no, I enjoy cooking, so I derive a lot of pleasure from preparing my own meals and using ingredients that I consider high quality.
The other thing I do, which has an immediate effect, is to maintain a healthy sexual life. Without this, I'd probably be smashing cars with my fists.
Comment by Teresa Ralton
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Comment by Cheryl J
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I found the amount of hours that I could manage to work and took myself out of the comfort zone and moved cities, got a job that suited and found that it gave me a purpose which helped a lot to deal with the stress. I know it sounds like kind of an oxymoron to put yourself in what could be perceived in a stressful situation to help me out with another but it gave me goals which I could manage and a whole new way of looking at things.
I need lots of physical and mental rest so I work part time in a job that doesn't tax me too much. I am also a voracious reader and find I can lose myself completely in a good book. I spend time with my best friend who knows all the faults and foibles of my conditions and just accepts that is part of who I am. I also watch movies, TV and distract myself with things like writing for Orble, painting and sketching.
Although to be perfectly honest, even by doing what I need to when I need to sometimes things send me into a bit of a meltdown. Recently I had a major problem with anxiety and after months of trying to do things in a holistic way, I started to fall apart at the seams and started medication to help me get my balance back.
We do live in a world that throw enormous pressures at us. Work, renting/buying a home, the cost of living etc. The shrink I saw told me that anxiety and depression based illnesses are on the rise because so much more is expected of people now. That's the sad fact of society. I think you have to find your own balance which can mean giving up things so that you don't fill your life with too much pressure. Some of my friends make music, some have gotten into volunteer work but mostly we all seem to find things that are creative to de-stress and unwind.
Comment by Teresa Ralton
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I believe that state of mind paramount. I have had very low periods myself where I could barely function - with symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome. Physical, for sure, but it was always my depression that set them off. It took a lot for me to start to recognize when I was becoming stressed and to take a break, rather than keep going. You sound like you have a good approach.
Comment by katyzzz
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I, too, have some acute medical stressors, which will and do not go away.
I like to be fully busy and to have a lot of physical outlet, moving around, rather than on computers too much, but I use the spare time I have in my life this way, it helps but I still have what I consider are intolerable frustrations.
I talk to people, I make friends with neighbourhood animals, I walk as much as I can which is often not much, as after a while I tire, but I am working at increasing my physical activity.
What I really need is to get back to the full commitment of my time, which I used to have, but which now seems highly unlikely.
I am unable to find any satisfactory substitute.
To relieve stress other than above I listen to music, sometimes love it fast and furious, and attempt to build up on hobbies, in many ways I am too cerebral, but the frustration does not go away and I have days when I am just plain tired.
I do practise meditation occasionally, and in many ways want to stay stressed, to keep me moving and alert, most things I attempt to overcome stress I regard as relaxation and I am seeking to escape that rather than accept it. A little occasional relaxation I feel is good, but I do not like nor want it as a permanent way of life.
I also try to tune into my ESP of which I definitely have SOME but this is variable and differentially reliable.
I would not like to reveal more about myself but have endeavoured to comply with your request.
May your stresses be more acceptable than mine.
I agree about families and current work practices, which people seem to have got trapped into and locked into.
Money is the root of all evil, go simple for a good life.
Comment by Teresa Ralton
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You are right about simple being best. So much of our dissatisfaction and exhaustion comes from the desire for acquisition. And it's not greed; it's just natural to want to fit into the world you are in. I think people with children feel greater pressure nowadays. Any family that doesn't have a computer feels very disadvantaged guilty, especially given the high unemployment rate in Australia now. So many people seem to suffer from chronic tiredness. I used to be frustrated because I didn't have the time or energy to do all the things that I wanted to do. And the harder I tried the more tired I got and the less I was able to get done. Things became much easier for me when I simply made the decision to care more for myself and to avoid, as much as possible, putting my precious energy into doing any task I didn't really care for. Just for example, I spend very little time doing housework now whereas I used to be a bit of a clean freak.
Comment by Tommie Sandlin
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1. Don't stress over things you have no control over.
2. Don't try to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders. Ask for assistance.
3. Always count your blessings. Even during the worst of times be thankful for what you do have!
Comment by Teresa Ralton
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You are so right and, mostly, we know these things on an intellectual level but it is often extremely difficult to let go of conditioning and old patterns, live in the moment and make the most of the short time we have on earth.