What helps you relax?

[King Dorado]

exercise, especially walking or jogging helps.

cooking is a nice distraction that relieves stress.

praying makes me feel better too.

 

[KiloPatches]

Guided Meditation (tons on YouTube, or I would recommend apps like Guided Mind and a Headspace)
Tea
Progressive Muscle Relaxation (google search for instructions, or YouTube this for a audio instruction on a guide for this process for free)
Rhythmic Breathing Exercises (inhale 4 counts, hold for 3 counts, exhale 4 counts, repeat)
Having structure in my week. Making "me time". Playing video games. Swimming 50 laps at the pool (that's normal for me, excessive for some!) planning a schedule. Making sure I am eating, and implementing self-care and maintenance everyday. Sometimes chores and self-care can fall back if I get overwhelmed or depressed. So make a plan. Get into a routine. Etc.
This can include socializing, meeting with friends, or going to community events, if I have been isolating or withdrawing recently too.

- - - Post Merge - - -

PS - this is actual clinical advice I give to my clients, in my practicum, as a psychology student, particularly walking them through Progressive Muscle Relaxation and Rhythmic Breathing, for anxiety and panic attacks, and directing them to Guided Meditation resources... ^^ Hope it helps!

- - - Post Merge - - -

If I see the client over several several sessions, we develop a Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP), with the routine, but also identifying triggers, and working through issues and preventing relapse, etc... Depending on the case, and their condition and severity. But the routine part, with implementing self-care, falls in there.

More resources are available if you browse the pages of my "Advice Column" thread in my signature. I posted links, etc, that you may find useful, as other users reportedly have.

 

[Mega_Cabbage]

I like crafting. I've just been trying to sew my first piece of clothing and make Christmas ornaments. It keeps me distracted for a while.

 

[himeki]

Recently, I've been feeling pretty restless and anxious a lot of the time. I end up feeling pretty distressed over small things and I have a lot of trouble bringing myself out of that state. So, I was wondering, what do the members of TBT do to help relax when they might be feeling particularly stressed out or anxious?

When I feel pretty anxious, I tend to do breathing exercise to help me feel calm and relaxed. I will just lay down or sit comfortably somewhere, shut my eyes and try to focus on my breathing. It's suggested you should breathe in for 3 counts, and out for 4. That seems to work well for me but maybe not for others, so try out different techniques if you can. Deep breaths are very important. It's very relaxing to just disconnect from the outside world and just lay down and think of nothing for a while.

However, when I don't feel as anxious or stressed out, sometimes I can relax by just laying down and watching videos or a TV show or something like that. Playing Happy Home Designer also helps a lot too, because I tend to focus all of my attention onto that so I forget about what was stressing me out. Taking bubble baths is also so lovely.

Anyway, feel free to share your own techniques to help you relax! And PLEASE, keep it TBT appropriate. [/QUOTE

Ah, if you feel restless I recommend listening to an audiobook! They are very relaxing c:

For me, I just like to sit a and flop~

 

[Wrathie83]

Adult (minds out of the gutter, it's not rude ones!!! ) colouring in books

 

[Mimi Cheems]

Well, since my diagnosis is Generalized Anxiety Disorder, I tend to have a lot of panic/anxiety attacks. Firstly, I try to self talk to get me to calm down; and if that doesn't normally work... I curl up in a ball and go to my happy place. Or I usually write in my story notebook about Captain America being the love of my life haha ^^;;
And after I've calmed down, I wipe the tears from my eyes, make myself a cup of tea and have a nice hot shower and change into a new pair of clothes. Then I just kind of relax the rest of the day, y'know? ^^

 

[MOON TRIPS]

I find myself listening to and watching a lot of Vinny and Joel(Vinesauce streamers) to keep me calm and grounded currently.
if I can manage talking to mom, which doesn't work often because she doesn't like to listen most of the time, I will do that.
otherwise, I find myself relying on a certain few friends of mine.
I do the breathing thing sometimes too.
or play a game for myself.

coloring can be amazingly calming, though I haven't been in the mood for a while. I don't get adult coloring, though. how is coloring an intricate picture any more relaxing than something in my pony coloring book or my Lalaloopsy one? lmao

 

[HungryForCereal]

watching animes actually helps me distress. it kinda carves an escape route to the anime world and i just think of nothing except the beautiful characters and whats gonna happen next.

 

[Celestefey]

coloring can be amazingly calming, though I haven't been in the mood for a while. I don't get adult coloring, though. how is coloring an intricate picture any more relaxing than something in my pony coloring book or my Lalaloopsy one? lmao

Adult colouring books are really relaxing, I agree! I bought one during the summer holidays and I managed to get a few pages done but I'm no where near finishing it. It's takes a lot of time and patience but that's also somehow very relaxing. I know a lot of them are often just based on patterns but I did actually buy one that was based on Japan, lmao, since I like Japanese culture and language. Some of it is filled with patterns, like there's just a page filled with cherry blossoms, but there's also some that are like pictures that have been traced over photographs so you can colour in temples and little streets and restaurants and stuff like that. There are also some pages where you can colour in objects, like there's one page full of lucky cats and parasols. It's really really pretty, I do enjoy using it. Maybe if you found something like that it'd probably be better haha, it's got a variety of things so not just patterns. The intricate pattern colouring books are quite nice to do because they feel very fulfilling at the end of it, it's nice to make it all symmetrical haha.

Also thanks everyone for your advice for me, I really appreciate it a lot. I wouldn't say that I have anxiety, it's more just that I feel anxious from time to time, depends on my mood and what's happening in my life at the time. I don't want to go into too much detail about it but I think I've managed to remove the source that made me feel anxious so I feel a bit better. Although perhaps like a year or so ago I probably did have a mild form of anxiety, I was often too afraid of just walking to the shops and back and making eye contact with people, but now I'm much better and can do things like that without worrying about it. But still, as I do suffer from depression, it is helpful to have these little techniques handy just in case I end up getting really down and I need something to just make me feel a bit better and more calm.

 

[Yui Z]

Cuddling a rabbit or any sort of fluffy pet makes my stress go from an 8 to a -100000.

 

[Panazel Maria]

Oh dear I have no idea how to handle this topic. I want to say I use videogames to relieve stress, but considering I try shmups a bit more than I probably should...

For stress relief, I always have my husband calm me down, ehehe. I guess "calm down" takes a lot of forms though, sometimes quite literally. On the other hand I talk to more of my friends through PMs when I'm more stressed or if he's unavailable...

 

[earthquake]

music. recently ive been listening to the soundtrack to "hamilton" by lin-manuel miranda because that era in history is p much my fav and hamilton is p much my fav historical figure + he reminds me of me.

in the heights by lin-manuel is just as great - i actually saw it on stage. it reminds me of my childhood, i used to go to school in east harlem and so many of my friends were latino; we used to listen to a lot of spanish music and rhythm is the same. its comforting.

i personally cant stand tea, but it calms people down do you can try that.

also if i cant relax, i just do history homework. something about analyzing something thats been analyzed by so many people and coming out with something new to say from your own view is so fantastic. i literally feel my stress go down the drain.

- - - Post Merge - - -

i forgot to say - i also watercolor some landscape doodles i make and its so calming + you come out of it with a pretty new mountain scene or something to hang on your wall.

 

[Kittyinpink87]

drinking iced lattes, playing games with my Husband, laying down with my cats, reading old favorites and eating.

 

[Sugilite]

taking my own advice cause I know me best, going out treating myself to smoothies, getting my nails done, my eyebrows done, getting my eyelashes, buying pink clothes, fighting someone to let out all that anger, or just driving in the city listening to jazz