Unproductive vs. Productive Stress-relieving Strategies

[Alpacalia]

Is it beneficial or detrimental to turn off your brain by watching TV or doing something "unproductive" to alleviate stress?

What are some effective stress-relieving strategies in your opinion?

[Wiseman2]

I alternative. Tinkering, working, mindless entertainment, etc. 

What works for me is a sort of reward system. When I get done what I have to get done, I then do whatever I want.

There's categories. For example washing the car is sort of relaxing as well as productive, so is fixing some stuff.

Basically it all sort of boils down to stuff I need to do and stuff I want to do. 

Interestingly both sort of relieve stress because one gets things out of the way and the other is fun.

 

[d0nnivain]

5 hours ago, Alpaca said:

What are some effective stress-relieving strategies in your opinion?

I'm currently reading a book called The Upside of Stress by Kelly McGonigal, PhD.  It's about using stress & the adrenaline that is generated to help you.  If you see stress as a positive -- source of energy that gives you focus-- it doesn't have deleterious effects & can help you.  One of the suggestions in the book is to use times of stress to help others.  When you care for others you reduce your own stress in a positive way.  

[glows]

Yes, of course. I don't necessarily think of it as turning the brain off. It's just thoughts redirected or channelled differently. Your brain (hopefully) doesn't ever get turned off, not even in your sleep. Ever wake up with the answers to something worrying from the night before? 

Do you ask this because you feel shy or a bit ashamed for watching too much TV? Just curious. 

In terms of detrimental effects, if someone starts to live vicariously through TV characters that might be an issue. I watch a mix of documentaries, movies and random shows. I never watch the news - just read articles and headlines to eliminate fluff. 

Stress relief for me is gardening, reading, learning new things in general. Removing people who cause stress and the way we use our technologies (apps and phone) also decrease stress levels for me. I do more of what I love, less of what I don't like and voila.. joy.

 

 

Edited April 10, 2021 by glows

[Alpacalia]

6 hours ago, glows said:

Do you ask this because you feel shy or a bit ashamed for watching too much TV? Just curious. 

Me? No. I haven’t watched television in a while.

I was reflecting on how I cope with daily stressors and what works (or doesn't work) and I wanted to reevaluate to see if there is something I can do differently that I hadn't considered before.

Arigato gozaimasu for the feedback!

[glows]

Welcome! 

I think it's a great thread/good questions. Hope more people will join in. I think anything that takes me out of myself or out of my usual way of thinking is a huge plus. When times are stressful it helps to try and look at things in more than one way. It's instant de-stress when I am taken out of my own regular thought process. This is why documentaries, whether scientific, historical or more contemporary to our time, are interesting. I'm usually wary too and ask questions about the lens and the directors/filmographers and others on set. How are things being portrayed and who is at a disadvantage from that standpoint? What's not being said? 

Also, walks, adventures outdoors, yoga and good food help. 

Too much sugar or caffeine are no good for adequate sleep and sleep helps a lot with stress reduction and being able to see things a bit more clearly.

 

[Alpacalia]

13 hours ago, glows said:

Welcome! 

I think it's a great thread/good questions. Hope more people will join in. I think anything that takes me out of myself or out of my usual way of thinking is a huge plus. When times are stressful it helps to try and look at things in more than one way. It's instant de-stress when I am taken out of my own regular thought process. This is why documentaries, whether scientific, historical or more contemporary to our time, are interesting. I'm usually wary too and ask questions about the lens and the directors/filmographers and others on set. How are things being portrayed and who is at a disadvantage from that standpoint? What's not being said? 

Also, walks, adventures outdoors, yoga and good food help. 

Too much sugar or caffeine are no good for adequate sleep and sleep helps a lot with stress reduction and being able to see things a bit more clearly.

 

Thank you so much.

I believe sometimes we get trapped in our minds, and it takes a moment to deconstruct those thoughts in order to move forward.

I used to watch a ton of documentaries. They can teach us about realms we are unfamiliar with and show us realities we are already acquainted with.

Yes. Nature has a soothing impact. When I go for walks, I like to look up at the sky and take in the scenery and I’ve been trying to walk without looking at the ground or what’s in front of me.

[Angelle]

Years ago, when my mum was stressing about something work-wise, she couldn't even relax to watch a move with us. She fell asleep, because she was exhausted, though. Later on that night, she came out of the bedroom, and we put the movie on again. She managed to get her mind off her work, and as the movie was finishing, she had an idea, and went to the kitchen to start working on it.

I find that when I do finally manage to really relax, I'm more productive, because I feel better. 

[Taramere]

I think yoga is a really good one.  Growing up in the '80s we were taught to subscribe to the "no pain no gain" philosophy, and a lot of people still do subscribe to that. Those military bootcamp sessions people conduct in the park really sum that up for me.  I would participate in one if you paid me, but there's zero chance I would actually pay to participate in something like that.  I kind of understand why people participate in them, and it was the sort of thing I gravitated to up until my late thirties - but yoga offers a more holistic approach that focuses on mental wellbeing as well as physical fitness.  I think the "bootcamp" approach to fitness doesn't always promote a mentally healthy outlook, even if it brings about rapid physical improvements. Even if the words the trainer is speaking are encouraging, the delivery tends to sound angry and aggressive.  There are other effective, calmer and (in my opinion at least) enjoyable ways to increase fitness

Spending time in nature (preferably in a place far away from people conducting military bootcamp training sessions...) and being around animals is a big one for me.  But sometimes we're stressed because of very real life circumstances that require our attention but that we're procrastinating on.  I think whenever possible, we're best approaching these issues in bite sized chunks.  So if the house is a mess, focus on making one small corner look great, getting a sense of accomplishment from that and it'll inspire you to do more.  Same thing goes for a big pile of work that you're dreading tackling.  Including one "heartsink" piece of work that you've been procrastinating on in your to do list frees up your mind and boosts your confidence so that you can tackle other things in that "things I really don't want to deal with" pile.  Often these piles of things to do are eminently manageable, but the act of procrastinating and feeling guilty about procrastinating is part of what makes them feel overwhelming.  For a lot of people out there, a bullying, controlling boss or colleague (who may well have their own pile of things they're secretly procrastinating on) can add to the feeling of being overwhelmed.   Work is one of the hugest stressors for a lot of people, and while I think more and more workplaces are taking the issue of mental wellbeing seriously, there are still some dinosaurs out there who nurture that old 1980s "greed and bullying is good, lunch is for wimps" mindset.  For anybody who's stuck in a situation like that, I think it's vital to hang on to a strong core belief that there are far better, more positive, productive and professional ways to run a workplace.  These core beliefs help us from sinking to a place where we accept the negative attributes of people who are more powerful than us (in that particular situation at least) as somehow good or admirable.

Finally, one thing I've found recently is that steering clear of discussions about politics, controversial current events and divisive public figures has done a lot to help me lately.  I still listen and contribute a bit if I'm in a social situation where somebody wants to talk about these things, but I no longer venture my own opinions very much and I'll try to find ways of changing the subject.  I think there's a fine line between being politically aware, and participating in fundamentally negative discussions that encourage a sense of anger, hopelessness and feeling overwhelmed.  Sometimes it's tempting to focus on these toxic discussions as a temporary diversion from problems in our own lives that we're not really tackling but that we could actually address (unlike the state of the world) if we turned our minds to it.  The mental energy I employed, until very recently, to participating in political discussions I now use for other things.  I'm trying to read at least one book a week, do at least one yoga session and 10,000 minimum steps a day and I'm planning to add in things like cooking one new dish a week, learning a new language etc.  Most of all, though, I like to be out in my garden with a couple of close friends/family members and my animals.  I can't think of a better way to spend the day, really

Edited April 12, 2021 by Taramere

[Findingme18]

I too am trying to learn how to manage stress in productive and healthy ways. I love yoga, working out, reading and yes even tv/movies. I think it will have to be something that you do for yourself to find what works for you. It’s always a different way to cope for me in any given stressor. Example, right now my body is fighting a virus and working out and physically activity isn’t an option for me which I think has made the stress worse. Not to mention taken me out mentally. I’ve really had to focus on just being still and tuning into my body. 
hope you find some things that work for you 

[Alpacalia]

13 hours ago, Taramere said:

Finally, one thing I've found recently is that steering clear of discussions about politics, controversial current events and divisive public figures has done a lot to help me lately.  I still listen and contribute a bit if I'm in a social situation where somebody wants to talk about these things, but I no longer venture my own opinions very much and I'll try to find ways of changing the subject.

I, too, attempted to reduce it about a year ago, and it has been a huge source of relief. I dabble from time to time in discussions, but for the most part, I try to steer clear. Too much zaps my energy.

 

8 hours ago, Findingme18 said:

hope you find some things that work for you 

Thank you, you as well!

Edited April 12, 2021 by Alpaca

[Wiseman2]

17 minutes ago, Alpaca said:

I, too, attempted to reduce it about a year ago, and it has been a huge source of relief. I dabble from time to time in discussions, but for the most part, I try to steer clear. Too much zaps my energy

Exactly. Sometimes reducing stress is as much about what to avoid as what to do. I would blow my brains out if it had news channels on all day.. Ditto with social media.

ALL my phone notifications are turned off/muted, so I can check when I want.  I'm not Amish🧙‍♂️ but toning down some of the bells whistles pings etc., etc. helps take back control of your mind and time.

[Alpacalia]

1 hour ago, Wiseman2 said:

Exactly. Sometimes reducing stress is as much about what to avoid as what to do. I would blow my brains out if it had news channels on all day.. Ditto with social media.

ALL my phone notifications are turned off/muted, so I can check when I want.  I'm not Amish🧙‍♂️ but toning down some of the bells whistles pings etc., etc. helps take back control of your mind and time.

I'm not Amish either but I do enjoy a nice snooze on the phone from time-to-time.  And, that "Amish" emoji?  Excellent! ☺️

[Mrin]

Exercise, meditation, vigorous/violent sex works best for me. 😉 TV is bad bad bad IMHO. 

[Wiseman2]

10 hours ago, Alpaca said:

.  And, that "Amish" emoji?  Excellent! ☺️

Emojis reduce my stress because they lighten it up but more importantly communicate more than just words.

[Angelle]

On 4/12/2021 at 4:54 AM, Taramere said:

 

Finally, one thing I've found recently is that steering clear of discussions about politics, controversial current events and divisive public figures has done a lot to help me lately.  I still listen and contribute a bit if I'm in a social situation where somebody wants to talk about these things, but I no longer venture my own opinions very much and I'll try to find ways of changing the subject.  I think there's a fine line between being politically aware, and participating in fundamentally negative discussions that encourage a sense of anger, hopelessness and feeling overwhelmed.  Sometimes it's tempting to focus on these toxic discussions as a temporary diversion from problems in our own lives that we're not really tackling but that we could actually address (unlike the state of the world) if we turned our minds to it.  The mental energy I employed, until very recently, to participating in political discussions I now use for other things.  I'm trying to read at least one book a week, do at least one yoga session and 10,000 minimum steps a day and I'm planning to add in things like cooking one new dish a week, learning a new language etc.  Most of all, though, I like to be out in my garden with a couple of close friends/family members and my animals.  I can't think of a better way to spend the day, really

I'm wishing that I'd managed to do this a lot more, over the past four years. I'm reading more at the moment, too, although I just woke up thanks to anxiety.