If you are stressed and an introvert, what helps you to de-stress?

[Superlooper]

And what makes your stress worse?

I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed at the moment, work is usually ok but a bit of pressure and stress at present plus the usual trying to keep kids/house/school running. And when I get 10 minutes, I go on mumsnet or similar but I think I'd be better going for a walk! So looking for your help, what helps and what hinders you relax?

Helps
Any kind of exercise
Walking, particularly in fresh air
Reading a good book
Mediation app

Hinders
Scrolling through social media looking at others "perfect" lives and fun
Reading about Brexit
Watching the news/reading the paper
Eating crap

I think I must have written this

Meditation app helps me a lot. Basically everything you said.

If you feel like you must have your Brexit fix, I’m finding that podcasts are doing a good job of keeping me informed but not getting me too wound up. Listening to a bit of swearing and joking about the whole shitshow makes it slightly less stressful.

Eating healthy meals and having a clean house (or clean corners of the house) help me a lot too.

Music can be good.I like radio 6 Music instead of radio 4 for when the Brexit is taking over! Also pottering about.

For me and this is completely honest - loud angry death metal helps me when I’m stressed in an angry sort of way (played through headphones as I don’t want the neighbours thinking I’m antisocial).

If it’s to recharge after hosting several people visiting my twins (sometimes the IL’s travel here en force) then I will ask DH to take over childcare, go upstairs and lie on the bed playing music (through headphones again) that soothes me, mainly orchestrated covers of old video game music that brings me back to my childhood happy place.

After the twins are down for the night and I get a little window of time to myself I manage to recharge doing any of the following:

• Playing a good story based RPG.
• Night walks in the wee hours if my insomnia is kicking my arse. I love the silence of the world at that time of day.
• Reading
• Drawing or painting if the mood strikes (and the cats don’t! They choose my drawing time as “fuss me” time)
• Wordsearches and Crosswords/Word Fits also help

As for exercise I don’t have a set regime but running after twin toddlers almost all day every day counts right? 😂

Hinderances - Half finished jobs around the house, or if I finish a job then it immediately gets ruined because DH decided to wait until I finished washing the pots to bring his manky coffee mug into the kitchen.

Unexpected visitors turning up before I’ve had my chance to wake up properly.

Unexpected social encounters when out doing something like the shopping or what have you. I manage these of course but I often find they drain me more than planned encounters.

A lavender capsule ab hour before bed and
lavender oil sprinkled liberally on your pillow and sheets.

Helps:

• A walk in nice surroundings
• Sitting in my garden and watching/photographing the birds
• A run (outdoors, not on a treadmill)
• A book
• A good film
• A cryptic crossword
• Any kind of non-shouty quiz programme where the contestants are properly clever and there isn't much at stake, like Mastermind, Only Connect, University Challenge
• Listening to an audiobook while doing a jigsaw puzzle or some sort of craft or some non-strenuous chore
• A bath while listening to a podcast
• Cooking (and eating) something nice and balanced from scratch
• Exploring a new place on my own
• Going to bed a bit earlier and reading before I go to sleep
• Skincare routine

Hinders:

• Not exercising
• Comfort-eating (ironically)
• Any TV or radio programme where the general public are allowed to phone in or ask questions from the audience
• Women's magazines
• Clutter
• Having to socialise when I don't want to

Social media is actually a double-edged sword for me. On Twitter I talk with lots of nice, funny people and it's fun and a good stress buster in that sense, but also, I quite often get replies from antagonistic randoms who don't follow me and just want an argument, so that element is stressful. On Instagram I don't follow any models, influencers, celebs etc so that probably helps! I don't tend to get envious of other people's lives when they're my friends.

I ride my horse. Obviously no help if you neither ride nor own a horse...but its fresh air, exercise and just getting away from it all.
About to drop a baby (39 wks) so no riding- but an hour of horse cuddles has similar benefits.
At home I sit out in the garden with my ridiculously tame hens, I can empty my head easily watching them.

Agree that internet of any type is bad, as is wine.

Reading with interest.

Helps:
Walking my dogs
Listening to my favourite classical music
Being in the mountains
Being on a beach
Reading a great book by the fire
Cooking a sunday roast or baking simple stuff
Clothes shopping with my mum
Sun and warmth, even heat
Seing my closest friends every now and again
Tidying

Worse:
Open plan office
Long meetings at work with many people
too much screen time
Not having time to myself on family holidays
Untidy house
facebook
Anything brexit but also BBC News just about can bare The Guardian online and might subscribe to Times app.
Being around loud obnoxious people who are full of themselves

These are my people ❤

I really struggle after too much socialising or long time with the kids.

What helps:

Hiding in the tiolet throughout the day even for a few minutes to just breathe.
Going to work
Yoga/Pilates
Lie ins and husband taking kids for a few hours ( he has to be told when and where to go but it works)
Reading books
Box sets
Crosswords
I also like quiz shows like only connect
Take a random day with kids in nursery and go to the cinema by myself

Hinders:

Getting overwhelmed with life
Mess
Not having time to myself
Scheduling too much time meeting up with people. I've really suffering over the summer holidays....

Off the top of my head...

Helps:

Going for a walk
Tidying
Listening to a good podcast
Being engrossed in a good documentary
Having a bath
Eating cake
Cats
Organising documents and then admiring my organisational skills
Writing lists and then re-reading said lists

(Although I'm finding that few of these things are compatible with having a baby...)

Hinders:

Social media
Thinking about Brexit
Thinking too much about my life at the moment
Disorganisation
Lack of cats

Helps:

Going for a long walk/cycle
Looking at nature - this sounds silly but just focus on the trees, birds etc. as you walk somewhere, even to work
Listening to house music
Sewing
Drawing/painting
Reading
De-cluttering
A face mask or painting my nails
A decaf cappuccino from the Nespresso machine
Game of chess
Watching Miranda, Come Fly With Me or Australia's Cheapest Weddings with husband

Hinders:
Social media
Daily Mail
Watching shite on YouTube then getting angry that 1 blogger can collect so much makeup she doesn't use!
Going down internet rabbit hole about politics/global warming
Actually, internet in general...
Caffeinated coffee

Thanks all, I've been trying out the suggestions here (and trying to limit the bad stuff!)

Helps :
Going for a long walk in the countryside, either on my own or with the dog.
Cooking something delicious while listening to something interesting on the radio.
A night on my own in a hotel in a town where nobody knows me, with my phone switched off.
Waking up in the morning knowing I have a fre day on which I can do whatever the hell I want, when I want.

Hinders :
The Ashes! Far too stressful.
Anything to do with work.
Contact with my family.

Helps:
Being on my own for twenty mins or so when I get in from work
Cooking (again, on my own in the kitchen - radio / music on depending on how I feel)
Playing inane games online (sporcle quizzes / logic puzzles)
Having a bath
Sleeping!
Gardening
Daydreaming

Hinders:
Over socialising (basically doing something with people in the evening after work or too much at the weekend)
Having to talk to loads of people at work
Open plan office (too much noise)
Tiredness
Crowds / busy places

Helps
Walking/fresh air
Getting out of the house
Listening to music.
Playing music.
Listening to an audio book.
Cooking.

Hinders
My iPhone
Poor diet
Alcohol
Watching Brexit related news which I have been a lot but it really does not help anyone’s mh surely !?