What do people do to de stress?

[StormsDontLastForever]

I am a stressed, I stress about things before there is even anything to be stressing about. I suffer from anxiety and depression, take daily medication, been unwell recently and I think a part of it is due to stress. What do people do to de stress? I've tried reading but feel it doesn't help and next morning when I wake I am stressing again. Thanks

@HandsDownRoundTheTown Counted cross stitch patterns are one option, if you like the style. Lots of non-granny patterns on Etsy. Pick something small and with bold changes in colour for your first.

Or if you mean "proper" embroidery, check out The Barmy Fox on Insta / Etsy / YouTube. She has patterns to buy (& a few free) and runs stitchalong videos teaching you the stitches alongside. Super easy to follow and effective.

Or if meditative patterns are more your thing, check out blackwork. Just backstitch in beautiful patterns. Peppermint Purple and The Steady Thread both have lovely designs and a free stitchalong running now on Facebook. Just jump in! Both also have some beautiful larger samplers to buy.

Close your eyes. Take a deep
breath and slowly exhale. Let your body relax. Name one thing you can hear. Listen to it. Breathe deeply, exhale slowly. Name one thing you can feel. Concentrate on the texture; is it warm or cold, smooth or rough? Breathe deeply, exhale slowly. Then, opening your eyes, focus on the first thing you see. And breathe.

Thank you @LooseMooseHoose. So kind.

Exercise - zumba, jump, yoga

Sing. Loudly.

Running/ hard exercise
Yoga
Strong vitamins
A weighted blanket. I can’t stress enough how much my weighted blanket has changed my life (I know I’ve said this on a lot of threads now!).

Exercise, preferably cycling
Get outside in nature
Horse riding is amazing for de-stressing, if at all possible

I also find sorting stuff out therapeutic

Oh yes weighted blanket! 6kg of loveliness.

Exercise at home: yoga, spin bike, online workouts. Walking even just a twenty minute walk outside helps. Escape into films or box sets, turn off phone notifications or turn phone off for a while.

Thank you everyone for the lovely suggestions not being ignorant I have just had a very busy day. Will try some of the suggestions and hopefully de stress a bit

Anything outside. Mainly running or walking, but even sitting in the garden and taking some deep breaths. There's just something in the fresh air that helps me to de-stress.

There's a great 4 part series called mindful escapes on BBC iplayer right now, which I find fantastic for calming me down. Exercise and fresh air in the morning is great, I go out in my running clothes in the morning to my local park but don't make myself "go running", I just bound about a bit and run off some energy if I want to (like a child or a dog I suppose! ) If I don't, I take a brisk walk and try to soak up some of the natural beauty around me instead (Strangely enough this approach ends up with me having a proper run more often than not ). I enjoy simple computer games especially solitaire; I play it whilst I'm doing other things and I find the "stressy" bit of my brain goes to sleep whilst I 'm half occupied with playing cards.

This all took a while though, as I had to practise getting in to all these things. Relaxing is a bit of a skill as it turns out. So do persevere if you don't find it easy straight away x

[quote AyDeeAitchDee]@RepeatSwan

Cant recommend Animal Crossing on Nintendo Switch enough.

Such a lovely escape from real world shit.

Has helped me tremendously this year. [/quote]
That looks nice, I used to like things like Street Fighter

Weighted blankets - why are they effective please?

As in, is it literally the feeling of comfort that the weight gives?

I find exercise, reading, Lego and less time aimlessly browsing social media.

Walking works for me. Also knitting. I read somewhere recently that the rhythmic and repetitive nature of knitting makes it so good for reducing stress.

I write down all the stuff I’m worried about, it helps me see what I can change and what I can only change my attitude about.

I sometimes go on to make lists of stuff I can do to attack some of the stressful situations.

I go to bed as early as possible and get up at ridico’clock so I can ease my way into the day. Luckily I have to spend a lot of time moving about outdoors 7 days a week and this really helps.

Before I go to sleep I make lists (mental or actual) of everything that made me happy during the day, things I’m looking forward to or successes I’ve enjoyed. Tend to wake up smiling.

I personally like a spa day and wine.

However, it depends on the kind of stress I'm experiencing. If it's anger stress a good round of axe throwing or boxing helps.

What a great thread.

I like:

A dog walk
Crochet on the sofa with a familiar movie
Cooking a fave meal