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Everyone has some kind of stress in their life. (At least, I've yet to meet anyone whose life was entirely stress-free.) So, how do you deal with it?

What are the methods you use to cope? Are they healthy, or not? What is it about each method that is helpful (or harmful) to you? What other effects does stress have on your life?


Personally, I tend to shut down and internalize whatever is bothering me. I suppose it helps me focus, but I wouldn't consider it a good thing. I know that it makes me less pleasant to be around. razz

On the positive side of things, I've found that running (or exercise in general) is one of the best ways for me to deal with stress or anxiety.

I use self harm or prescription drugs to relieve stress which I don't recommend for anyone to start doing. Cutting hurts and leaves scars, but it tend to calm me down. Overdosing is one of the scariest things ever. Never submit to doing drugs EVER!

Emo Kuromi Nui: Ah, headaches. My long-time nemesis. sweatdrop Stress causes headaches for me, too. They're miserable, aren't they?

Walking and bike-riding are great ideas. I've encountered several people who pull hair, with different degrees of severity. It's not something I quite understand. I've wondered if it's something about the sensation itself that makes people do it, or if it's just more of a distraction from the stress.

poisionivy1: Speaking from experience, a trip to the hospital as the result of either of those things is extremely unpleasant.
I found that one of the reasons that it was harder to switch to healthier coping methods was that they didn't provide the same kind of instant gratification. It's just not worth the long-term damage, though. What starts as a temporary relief ends up becoming a huge cause of stress in its own right. xp

Veneficus Monstrum: Music can be very powerful. I find it interesting how sometimes listening to sad music can actually make someone feel better. You'd almost assume it would be the other way around. smile I suppose it depends on the person, as well as the music.

I punch, kick, elbow, knee, heatbutt, hammer-fist, and foot-stomp my punching bag. I do Krav Maga.

I practice Tai'chi, qigong and yoga. Sometimes I use belly dance and drawing to cope but sometimes it increases it as well as sewing costumes. Music is great, I live off music.

I have these fighting fans I practice with. I love fans.

Video games is good. I can take it out on characters. cool

If I am under a lot of stress, I tend to cry. Especially when it comes to my Health Infomation Management classes, they are known to be killer. Ugh, you should of seen the final for are pathology class (I think no one managed to finish it due to the amount of work we were given and lack of time). gonk

I hate pain and getting sick, so no drugs, self-harm or a lot of drinking for me, it would just make it worse and not look good and would be hard to hide with some of my clothing and costuming. I kind of hate medication as it make me sicker than I already was and made the anxiety much worse. I actually gotten into a discussion about anxiety with my dance teacher while in class and she told me there are these drops you take that is supposed to help calm you down and get it at health stores.

I tend to pick a lot of stressful hobbies and career choices. sweatdrop

When I'm stressed out, I punch the wall. stare But anyway, this is helpful.

It depends on the material of the bag, the types of strikes you're doing, type of martial art/self-defense, and if you're anywhere above the 1st floor. While Krav Maga is very mobile, many fighting positions are based in ground-work, which can get quite noisy (since you'd be rolling around the floor). Also, KM promotes yelling [for intimidation and aggression purposes], so that in-and-of itself can be noisy as well.

Don't tell me you do the same. lol