How I Deal With Stress

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Secret technique: I just burn everything.

SO! Fun story: I first started writing out a long-ass blog post for this.  I got about halfway through, then went back and deleted it all, because if you’re super stressed, you don’t have time to read a long-ass blog post.

So, long story short: Stress bad, stress management good, here’s what I do, not all techniques work for everyone but these may help you:

Lift heavy stuff.

Pretty stereotypical for me, I guess, but lifting heavy weights to me is a little like going to church.  Nothing else matters there, I just throw everything I have at whatever piece of metal is in front of me until I’m spent.  Feels great *(until the next day when the soreness kicks in.)

Go hiking.

If lifting weights is going to church, going hiking for me is like prayer.  I’m not a religious person, but getting out in and communing with nature is probably about as close as I get.  It’s like meditation, but for when I don’t feel like sitting still (and might want to see a bear or a chipmunk or something.)

Meditation.

I’m going to be honest, this one doesn’t always work.  Sometimes I can sit, and breathe, and do everything I’m supposed to do, and my stressful stuff still just overwhelms me.  Sometimes, though, taking that quiet ten minutes is exactly what I need. If you’ve never meditated before but your interested in starting, check out my beginner’s guide to meditation.

Get Loud

Holy crap I love this one.  I go for a drive (doesn’t matter where,) put on loud, angry music, and scream along.  It’s awesome.  =D  Not advised for usage when you have fussy neighbors.

Realize you can’t change what isn’t in front of you.

Here’s a big one, and it’s more of a mindset.  Like meditation, this doesn’t always work, but sometimes the two put together, will.  The fact is, if the thing stressing you out isn’t immediately within your “reach,” there’s nothing you can do about it.  As much as it sucks, it’s true.  So, the more you focus on it, the more you’re just wasting your time and stressing yourself more.  Put out the fires your hose can reach, try not to concern yourself with the other ones.

Climb mountains, don’t carry them.

This is one that hit me today when I found this quote by Najwa Zebian, “These mountains you are carrying, you were only supposed to climb.”  Your stressful situations are your mountains.  Climb them, surpass them, but don’t carry them with you.  Dump the weight of the past, the present is usually stressful enough.

Run

I didn’t used to like running, much.  Since I’ve gotten older and forced myself do to it, I’ve found it growing on me.  There’s something zen-like that hits you while you’re out pounding pavement completely unlike lifting things up and putting them down.  They’re like two different kinds of therapy for me.  Maybe for you it’s running, or biking, or the elliptical, or rock climbing.  Find something that just taxes you at a slow, steady rate, where you can zone out and just empty.

And that’s it! Short, simple, straightforward.  This is the stuff that works for me, maybe it will work for you, too.  I hope it does.  If not, then at least maybe I distracted you from whatever’s bothering you for 5-10 minutes, eh?

Thanks for reading.  New character on Monday!

Live boldly, change the world, and continue to be awesome!

The Best Dan Wallace