<p>I think that doing something that really consumes my entire focus really helps. I like yoga sometimes, but I do have the issue it sometimes gives me too much time to think and I have a hard time clearing my mind, so that can add to the stress. A more strenuous and less meditative yoga can be good, or just more strenuous exercise. I’ve been doing martial arts for years, and I love how it really engages mind and body focus.</p>
<p>For me, cooking works really well, too. I’ll do some elaborate project and get very absorbed in it. TV can be good, but it has to be something I really like. Some shows will always make me laugh no matter what my mood is. And spending time with animals. When my cat comes and sits in my lap, it’s an instant relaxer.</p>
<p>I find that if I cook, I do not eat as much as when I go out. The smell of the cooking food saturates my hunger receptors, so by the time I sit down at the table, I’m not really hungry. :)</p>
<p>Running and physical activity work well for me as stress reducers, but I discovered that yoga and meditation do not do anything for me.</p>
<p>Yep, yoga and meditation escalate my stress levels though my husband likes it, then again he lives at a lower rate of stress fortunately.</p>
<p>I just took D2 out for driving practice, NOT a stress reliever LOL but she did well so it will get easier!</p>
<p>We also had a trainer over today to help with some anxiety issues for our older dog, having those tips will make that easier and in turn hopefully turn such events as walking her into much more positive events!</p>
<p>Off to shop for interview worthy clothes, this will most certainly be stress inducing, must make sure to avoid long eye contact with the mirror :)</p>
<p>Years and years ago, when I was going through a prolonged period of rotten self-esteem, someone told me I should stare into the mirror every night and find something that I liked. It could be your toes, it could be your eyelashes, but you owe it to yourself to look in the mirror and find something you like.</p>
<p>Very true, and I have things I like, just not so much in dressing room mirrors :). But that reminder is a good one and a reminder to paint my toenails, I know it’s silly but I love my feet when my toes are painted :)</p>
<p>Oh it was refreshing though that my D2 was trying things on and frustrated because she didn’t like how anything looked and she’s a size 0. It’s always a nice reminder that everyone tends to go through clothes/body frustrations, no matter big or small!</p>
<p>shillyshally, loss of a job and a canine member of one’s family are major events. It is absolutely normall to experience anxiety and stress during such times. Routines such as exercise work well to keep the everyday stress levels under control, but when something major happens, I agree - new means of de-stressing often need to be added! When I stress over something that I cannot have control over, I find that accomplishing simple things where I’m in full control of the outcome are very helpful for calming my nerves: planting a garden, paining a wall, sewing or knitting something, etc.</p>
<p>I am a runner. If I can’t run, I feel a lot more stressed. I also do Hot Yoga. It is so hard that you really can’t let your mind wander too much. If I live through the class (I have so far), I feel pretty good afterwards.</p>
<p>A beer or two with my co-workers is nice, too.</p>
<p>No real credit to me- I got it from the CC dissed on some radio show thread- those folks on the meta thread are really, really funny. Especially now I have been reading CC for a few months.</p>
but she did well so it will get easier!</p>