Apollo. He’s got stronger shoulders than me anyway.

I turn to playing music.

For me, I get together with a good (wise old) friend of mine, we grab a coffee with Bailey’s and sit down at our private beach (I live along Lake Huron) and we talk. I find that when I need to sort things out in my head, that’s where I’ll end up going. It always helps.

I take a walk somewhere beautiful—near the ocean or mountains if possible. It puts my problems in perspective.

A walk in the woods usually does it for me, especially in the springtime.
Meditating and focusing on my breathing for 15–20 minutes usually does it too.

When stress gets too heavy for me, I help alleviate this stress by smoking some cannabis. It always lets me take a step back from myself and put my troubles into perspective, which helps me cope with them.

God

I chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo….It is the best thing for me.

I am a firm believer in the power of a good cry, preferably to my mom. My husband helps me solve my problems and stresses, and I tell him everything, but he just is not as helpful when I want to emotionally cleanse with a flood of tears. I usually do this over the phone, but I also recommend it in person.

Smoke one. Call my mom and ask her what do i do.

I go to the phone and call my dearest friend (who now lives 1000 miles away). She doles out sympathy, or perspective, or just listens. She is my rock and always brings me back to center.

If the situation requires drastic measures and a couple days of soul searching, I head to the ocean or to the desert by myself. In a hotel room, the distractions are limited and the space uncluttered – this helps clear my mind. Long walks outdoors in those environments helps center me and things seem to fall back into place.

I normally hibernate until problems escalate to a point at which I’m forced to deal with it.

I bury myself in a book for a couple of hours.

@Milladyret: Reading can be a wonderful escape.

@bythebay
Oh, yes! Been stuck on John Connolly for a couple of weeks now, and I love it!

@Milladyret: That’s one of the best things about reading, you can go anywhere your heart desires.

@bythebay
Hehe, yup! But what does that say about me if I escape from MY life into a series of horror-books? :P

@Milladyret: It’s about perspective! :)

The one thing I need: Solitude. It doesnt matter where I go, what im doing, I NEED to be alone at times like these. Sometimes, I will seek the comfort of others, but afterwards, I need some time to myself to not think about human beings. Usually, its people that make me feel so weighted.

Send them away? Dream on! I tend to dwell on them, and get deeper and deeper into depression, until someone gives me some drugs.

Having said that, I am trying to learn some techniques that don’t send them away, but allow me not to be so attached to them. This works much better for me, since I always fail to send them away. My thoughts are there, but, as my book says, they are just thoughts. I don’t have to get so wound up about them. I can just observe them for as long as they are there, but keep my focus on other things.

Its been said, Fight fire with fire, and so when the weight of the world gets down heavy on my shoulders, I go to the gym, and uh… well, LIFT WEIGHTS! I also love to PUNCH the heavy bag, it’s a great stress reliever! Studies have shown that working out releases endorphins and other hormones that give us a sense of well being. All this on the physical aspect of alleviating weighty stresses. Spiritually speaking, I turn to my Lord and Savior; a li’l quality time spent with HIM can do miracles (literally)!

My best friend and I meet at a local ice cream place to share our fears and dreams.

If it’s something too large for ice cream, I usually hand Max over to my husband and get in the shower. I stand in there until the hot water runs out and then take my time drying off. It’s the one place in the house that I’m always left alone.

I cry to my best friend from back home. And now I’ve started gojo karate! It incorporates movements form tai chi and yoga, so that should be another tool in the box of stress relief.

I watch tv.

I turn to God and my family and friends.

sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name.. and they’re always glad you came…. which for me is poker night with my buddies… or movie night with my GF… or even just walking my dog.

@TheKNYHT I’m with you about working out, but I can’t agree with the god stuff. I used to get lazy and try to sleep through my stresses which obviously leads to more stress. Now I work on my Dutch Boxing and Muay Thai….

Physical activity, much better than Librium!

Mind, Body, Spirit – exercise one of those.

A pub.

Some times the problem is we think too much. We need to take the burden off our brains , Go outside if you can or from anywhere and begin to listen to the sounds around you. people talking, dogs barking, Mrs. hillary taken out the garbage what ever. slowly you will find that your mind starts to become clear and the weights lift up.

I will write in my journal, or listen to music that will help me purge my feelings (e.g. vent my anger, shed my tears, etc.)

I go to the local animal shelter, and walk the dogs and play with the cats. Nothing can make you feel better than a dog licking the side of your face, or a ktten batting at a string, pulled by you.

I turn to:

1. Nature – the woods, the lake, an open corn field…
2. My horses – I lay with them in their stalls, or sit and watch them in the field while I read a book
3. My fiance – He knows how to sooth me
4. My friends – nothing helps like an old friend
5. My family – when things are really tough, they are always there for me
6. My dogs/cats – they are the best shoulders to cry on sometimes :)

I have what I call an ‘Hour of Power’.

20 Minutes of Exercise
20 Minutes of Meditation
20 Minutes of Spiritual/Scripture Study

After this ‘Hour of Power’, I relax with a book or a good movie.

Vid Games.
Fun side-note: purposefully going up against basic level A.I. but letting them outnumber you, then crushing them over and over.
Relieves stress for me.

I tend to draw into myself for a little while. Usually I’ll smoke a bowl as well.

Cheers, where everyone knows your name.

read bible, listen to good music

a good book, 20 minutes of zenny
meditation

I go to the smoke pit ( army terminology) and have a cig. Then I discuss it with a trusted friend. Since there aren’t many of those around here, I pray about it. If you’re gonna pray, don’t worry. And if you’re gonna worry, don’t pray.

-Sellz

My apartment. Once the key goes in the front door and I step in, I feel a relief that often makes me smile.

i usually solve the problem if there is one. but I usually write about what’s bothering me and then after that, decide on what to do with my problem. But mostly I just cross the bridge when I get there.

there isn’t a place where i go, i just like to go. i go for a walk or bike ride. seeing nature and the beauty in the small things life is made up can get your mind on track if you are stressed

i try to find some cool new music or something really funny to make me laugh alot. funny stuff like seinfeld always work, but finding new funny is always a treat.

I go to the beach.

@jo_with_no_space what is it about the beach that helps you?

@SherlockPoems The waves, the constancy that it is always there, and thus can reorient me.

I go in my back yard and do a bunch of backflips.

I go out to my back yard garden, and start working on some project. . I love my garden, and it returns with blooms and plentiful harvest. Working on a solo project often gives me a chance to turn my thoughts inward, and offers respite from any stress or pressure.

I just shut it off. Everything else is a quick fix.

I go ” Downtown ” like Petula Clark.

Which “Downtown” are we talking about.?

I’m going to assume NYC was the “Downtown” in mind when the song was written:
————————
Composer-arranger Tony Hatch, who had been assisting her with her work for Vogue in France and Pye Records in the UK, flew to her home in Paris with new material he hoped would interest her, but she found none of it appealing. Desperate, he played for her a few chords of an incomplete song that had been inspired by a recent first trip to New York City, which he intended to offer to The Drifters. Upon hearing the music, Clark told him that if he could write lyrics as good as the melody, she wanted to record the tune as her next single. Thus “Downtown” came into being. wiki

Ah ok… Was thinking of the “Other” Downtown. Sometime I go there to lift/release my pressures.

“When you’re down and troubled
And you need a helping hand,
And nothin’, nothin’ is going right,
Close your eyes and think of me,
And soon I will be here,
To brighten up even the darkest night.

You just Call out my name, and you know whenever I am,
I’ll come runnin’ to see you again.
Winter, spring, Summer or Fall,
All you got to do is call
And I’ll be there…You’ve got a Friend.”
(Carole King)

@Yetanotheruser great song.. but i preffer the Cat Stevens version… sorry.. Yusuf Islam

Yet: wasn’t that James Taylor?

@Mr_Callahan James Taylor sang a beautiful version of it. He is such a great stylist that he can take someone else’s work and make it seem like his own. It was on his album Mudslide Slim and the Blue Horizon released in 1971

Carole King was the actual songwriter. Her version is on the album Tapestry, also released in ‘71. I used to have both albums, until I lost my vinyl collection in 1980.

@Dr_C, I wasn’t aware that Cat Stevens/Yusuf Islam had recorded a version. I had all his albums in my collection as well, and I’m not aware of any covers he did of other songwriters except for Morning Has Broken”.

American Rock and Roll that is heavy on blues and Rock en Espanol that is also heavy on the blues for prevention of burden.
God for the relief and release of burden.
My internet best friend (acting psychiatrist)to relieve anxiety.
Coronas with lime to sooth
Warm shower
The touch of my female friend
LAST BUT NOT EVER LEAST.The love of my dog!

@all my bad.. it was james taylor.. i got an MP3 a while ago that had Yusuf Islam as the artist and forgot to update it. FAIL.

Work-out..straight to the gym or I go to sleep..relax the mind {healing time} quiet time

I recently started meditating, and wanted to add it to this list.
:-)

I place the weight either into a clay pidgeon or onto the titan atlas’s shoulders.

Jesus Christ

music definetley is the best, because it lets you feel everything and seems to feel it with you if you have the right songs…
also playing music, and drawing stuff, but not neccessarily accurate ‘things’, but what expresses you….
=)

I go to church. If its too late in the evening, I pray to God to help me through and he helps everytime, all the time. Put your faith in God and he will set you free.

Talk to my husband and/or some of my close friends.

Fluther seems to be working for me at the moment:)

go somewhere where distance doesn’t matter

far away is just far
and close is just close but, no cigar

sometimes it is easier to see things from further away because when the weight is on your shoulders you can’t see what is really weighing you down entirely.

when you’re further away you can see things from a whole new perspective and most of all breath easy and think straight…

personally, i call upon Eris, the goddess of Discordia and Chaos, and Kali, the mother and harbinger of Creation and Destruction.

I go for a ‘spirited’ drive in my car out in the country…miles away from everything. Engine roaring, music blasting, etc. Everything else in the world just disappears for a while…or until the Low Fuel light comes on!

I find it alarming and alienating that I am the first to mention vodka. But hey, that’s where I head, from time to time.

I smoke weed. It ables me to relax and actually wrap my mind around the idea. Usually my mind is going a million miles an around, but when I smoke and I sit and think

I go for a walk in the woods near my house. The solitude helps to clear my head. If that’s not possible, my futon and a good book fit the bill.

The weight of the world can be heavy. For a typical relief of this gravity, I smoke some pot. If anger is part of my emotion, I go running. If sadness is part of my emotion, I go running or walking. If desperation is part of my emotion, I pray, smoke pot, and go running.

If my mind is subtly sad, I listen to rock music or clickbeat music. If my mind is racing, then I listen to Drone Zone at SomaFM because it’s just single-tone music, to help me calm my mind.

I also clean up my room and my home because I may as well do something I don’t enjoy while I’m not enjoying myself. Then when its clean, i feel better.

When I lived at my previous house, I could always go into the garage, turn off the light, and sit in the car, thereby blocking off almost all sound and light and giving myself a tremendous state of peace due to lack of disturbing input. I could then think things over, simply sit there and veg, pray, or cry myself to sleep without remorse or distraction.

My life now sucks. I don’t have a garage >.<

Geez… I thought pot-smoking was only horrendously common around my area. A lot of people in this thread seem to turn to it.

I tend to smoke shisha (aka hubbly bubbly) or smoke a cigarette in the open/fresh air.

@Hobosnake perhaps this numbing effect… removing oneself from reality is but a small reason for the State of the world? Personally, I find reality exhilarating.

Go home take a hot hot shower, get into bed and watch travel channel (Anthony Bourdain, preferably), on the commercials read a book. Take a nap, and after two hours I vent to my mom on the phone. It works every time. Confide in someone you know won’t judge you or sugar coat things and tell you you are overreacting.

i try to turn to God, and I write and read alot. I also sit in my car and meditate for a few minutes after work and when I get home.

I pray…
and then I come to fluther, to share with all you guys =)
If not, I just go to the gym and listen to some music !

Turn on some relaxing music and either loose myself in a book or write my feeling down. If its something very upsetting I blog it on myspace or twitter or facebook. just getting it out seems to really help. When I was younger and something really upset me and I knew there was nothing I could do about it i used to write it down on paper then tear the paper up. It felt like I was throwing the problem away. That unfortunately doesn’t that well anymore

I speak to the wonderful Soul mate that God gave me, she holds me, tells me it will be okay and that she will love me no matter what. I wipe the blood, tears, and dirt away and stand strong again. The fact that she has faith in me to do right no matter what this world brings is very energizing.

@noraasnave outstanding!

I work out if possible.

my dog

i sit under a tree and listen to my ipod. i usually bring a blanket along and just sit/lie for the whole day.

I exercise.

Into the arms of my partner. It’s been in my nature to usually keep my tension to myself but I have found letting myself be tired, afraid or overwhelmed in his presence shakes me up enough to re focus, get back perspective I can work with. Being loved is what got me through several months of working an average of 75+ hrs a week with few days off.

Fluther.

Just felt like reviving this golden oldie.

Lurve to you, @Zen_Again!

I find something enjoyable to do, that is fun for me, and gives me my own downtime. It’s important for me to have a hobby or two that I can escape to every week or as often as possible. I also try not to let the burdens of life get to me that much——it’s difficult——but I always say to myself, “This is really unnecessary——I am “reacting” to things when I don’t have to react to them in this manner. The best things in life are free and are always at my disposal.” I also always try to have something good to look forward to——it can be as simple as buying something I want, a movie that’s coming out, next week’s invitation to a fun party, or the anticipation of a vacation, the weekend, or a nice shower and good night’s sleep and romance!

bed.

I pray and I sing “My Favorite Things” from Sound of Music. It always makes me feel better. If it’s a grudge that’s weighing me down, I forgive the person, even if I don’t want to. It’s the only way to make that weight go away.

@PacificToast Forgiveness is good. Even if the you can’t communicate with the person directly, the act of forgiveness seems to free the soul.

@Yetanotheruser Exactly, in my heart I forgive them, even if I can’t say it to their face.

I walk down to the river (when we lived by the ocean it was the ocean) and take in nature. When I get too cold I head back to the house and do things to take my mind off of what ever may be going on. I watch movies and if I can read I do. Often stress knocks out my ability to concentrate on the written word.

I think this be the theme song for this thread!

If, for example, I begin to worry about how much time I have left, I generally will get on my motorcycle and head out on a ride. While I’m riding, I have a conversation with God… we just talk, like old friends. When I get back, what was weighing so heavily on my shoulders is either lighter, or gone! : D

I read. :) You can live in someone else’s life for awhile and forget about your own. It’s intoxicating.

Blather

I go to a story telling event, or I find a story on http://storycorps.org/

Barring that, I go tell someone else a story. Works for me.

Disneyland!

If that’s not feasible, I have a smoke and/or go for a walk.

I find a way to take a trip back home to see my oldest best friends. Works every time.

Depends on the situation, but I’ll list my favorite methods in order of decreasing effectiveness:

- Light an incense and meditate/pray on it (with tarot cards if I’m feeling quirky)
– Make boom boom with my lady friend (my favorite, but it’s less effective than meditation)
– Vaporize some sweet, tasty green (what can I say, it’s delicious and therapeutic!)
– Eat a delicious meal (did someone say crab rangoon and general tso?)

I try to find some place, any place, where I can just hunker down and get real quiet. I turn inside to that Light that is ever shining no matter what the storm of life may be. This is what I do if it is necessary to be around others, but if I have the opportunity to go for a walk by myself I do. Something about being out in nature that really gives one perspective and a sense of the eternity that surrounds all our lives. If you are in a “twisted” place and get a chance to go for a walk right after a rain, mama mia, that’s sooooooo soothing.

Deeper into me… Because there isn’t anyone I can go to. I am the one others come to.

First of all please let me point out that the “pressures of the world” won’t actually “go away.” But it can be subsided and dealt with.
Some helpful tips are maybe to take a walk (if you’re up to it), take at least 5mins and breathe a bit with no destractions, walk up to a mirror and smile even if you dont feel like smiling eventually you will feel happier (believe me, i’ve tried it and it actually works!), look around and see something funny and laugh (even if it is not that funny), grab a paper and start writing anything and dont stop (this can be done with using your laptop), tear a paper in to smaller pieces until you cannot tear it anymore.
Basically try to do little things that involve only you and promote happiness and laughter. =D
I would suggest not to talk with anyone. If you tell people your problems, they may end up spreading it or bring you down even further. I dont mean to come off as bias, but this is what happens a lot. To sum it up in one word, gossip.

As for myself, I first turn to God. I have a great relationship with my Daddy in Heaven so coming to Him is easy for me. I simply tell Him exactly what is on my mind then I ask for Him to give me peace. I also sit with a guitar and sing worship songs praising Him, this calms me greatly! Another thing I do is start thanking God for sending His Son, Jesus, and allowing His Spirit to help me, inspite of what I am feeling. I also may do at least on thing I suggested to you.

Hope this helped! =)

Usually I talk out loud about my problems since I talk to myself a lot.
But majority of the times I call that one family member that always gives me fresh advice and not the same old stuff usually people say. Or I call my good friends that I can rely on, or watch a movie, tv series, anime, or read something. Usually something from childhood (Disney movies or animated movies) or reread something from when I was young to make me feel better :)

To my bong.

Music, friends, internet and working out!