What calms you down when you feel like your head is going to fall off?

[DK123]

I've had a day, more like week from hell, work stress wise. I feel like my head is going to explode or fall off! I was thinking how nice it would be to have a massage right now (if only!).

What things do you do after a shitty day that instantly calm you down? I'd really appreciate some suggestions and others might find some helpful ideas!

5-2-7 breathing. Breathe in through the nose for 5, hold for 2, breathe out through the mouth for 7. Repeat it about 20 times. It calms me down enough that I can then practice other coping mechanisms like distracting myself or reframing my thinking.

I used to pour a glass of wine but I now no longer drink. In my experience, even just a little alcohol defers and amplifies the stress or anxiety.

Tonight it was a glass of wine

Other times hard exercise....preferably a PT session where I’m pushed and pushed to exhaustion or a boxing pads session

Bath, magazine, a hug, an early night!

What doesn't help but I do it: binge eating, spending hours on my phone, sulking

A long walk, hopefully in cold crisp weather

One metric-fucktonne of chocolate.

Long walk with dog. Yoga. Playing music. Listening to music.

Binaural beats on YouTube - I use headphones to listen and it kind of fills my brain with noise and calms me down. Also an acupressure mat is good.

Breathing nice fresh air, getting out into nature or at least into the garden to watch the birds, the ocean and hugs

Getting into bed. Hot water bottle. Glass of milk.

Weighted blankets work for me! When friends have tried mine, they either let out a blissful sigh as soon as they get under it or just look completely confused, so I think some people have that switch and others don’t.

Comedy works for me - my partner puts something funny on and I’m sure I’m too stressed to laugh, but after a while I’m smiling, then laughing, and much more relaxed.

Running in the day time, my weighted blanket at night time.

@ IvanTheDragon where did you get your weighted blanket from? There are so many sellers of them I have no idea where to start.

I find the Calm app helps massively, especially in the winter. I have a lifetime subscription and I love it.

I also like to lie on the living room floor like a starfish and just stare into the middle distance and think of nothing. That helps when I am stressed and tired. Or a quick powernap in the day in my bed to reset my brain.

Listening to piano music.

Hugging my great big labradoodle.

I smoke weed, I'm in Canada where it is legal, government inspected and taxed.
It helps with being calm, it helps me sleep and with my muscle spasms.

I know it's not for everyone, but it can be a help

I go for a run.
Even if it doesn't sort my head, it helps my body.

@Oryxx

Dunno. My day was crazy busy and I’ve dealt with it by ingesting several hundred additional calories in the form of carbs and sugar. Now I feel even more shit.

I need better coping strategies.

Yep that's me!

Shifting my focus solely onto the activity I'm doing to move my thoughts away from the stressful situation otherwise there's the temptation to keep chewing over it. So if I'm tidying up, I concentrate on the motion of the hoover, the lines in the carpet, my arm bending and unbending, etc. Its almost meditative in a way but it helps switch my brain back into the here and now moment rather than going in circles over what has happened/what is planned.

I play music, really bad music that I can sing along to (also badly).

I clean, hence my hoover example above, or I do laundry. The sound of the washing machine and the smell of clean laundry really calms me for some reason.

I go outside, either for a walk or to have a drink in the back garden. I used to smoke and while I quit the cigs over 12 years ago, I still associate briefly stepping outdoors with relaxing.

When I'm really stressed I go away into my own head for a bit and fully switch off. Sometimes this is with a repetitive task that my hands/body can do from muscle memory while my brain wanders or I go off into a daydream for a little while. I'm a maladaptive daydreamer and it really is an excellent way of de-stressing when done in a controlled way so that it doesn't impact real life. I usually set a timer and lie on my bed or on the sofa and treat it like others would treat a nap, only instead of sleeping for half an hour I go into whichever of my worlds is the one that I need for however it is I'm feeling. I promise it's not as loopy as it sounds!

Cuddles with my dog, some colouring in or a long hot shower.

I have an odd one that I'm not sure fits but when v stressed I go through the alphabet and name eg all the countries beginning with A then B etc.

I'm a sober alcoholic and found managing stress withoit alcohol was something I'd never bothered to learn to do, drink was easier.

But the above method works quite well 🙂

Playing mindless games on my phone such as sudoku. Helps switch my head off.

All of these things sound amazing, not to derail but do you all actually have time to do them???

My life goes up at 6am - school run, straight into zoom and an intense work day - finish at 5.30 and the kids walk in - cleaning/food/homework - all asleep by about 11.30. An hours worth of more work or hurray a bit of tv. Sleep around 1.30. Do it all a fucking gain, every day, forever.

My head frequently feel like it’s going to explode and the thoughts of yoga and a herbal bath are about a million miles away.

So any more realistic “don’t lose your shit” right now solutions?

A session with my PT. Really resets your head when you are focusing on weightlifting.

Some time outside in the garden or walking in woods/fields. Calm App is really helpful. Listening to an audiobook in the bath.

Alcohol makes me worse -more emotional/tearful so I avoid it if feeling stressed.

A walk
Sounding off to DH or a friend.
Vodka.