Stress
 

Hi all,

How do you recognise and deal with stress now thaf you are sober?

Its a work in progress for me at 5 months. Im realising better then I was when im getting stressed before it blows out.

mindfulness, breathing and distractions, or redirecting my energy are how I get through it.

recognition of stress? I don't know that it's any different, but the longer I'm sober and work on my daily outlook on life, the fewer times stress becomes a factor.

Good on ya for 5 months! And for seeing ya gotta learn how to deal with stress, something I had to learn a lot about.
One thing I learned is tere was a LOT of stuff I turned into mountains tat were actually mole hills. So keeping them mole hills helped.
Then prioritize what needs doing. Take care of what I can and let go of what I can't.

Stress management

A psychologist walked around a room while teaching stress management to an audience. As he raised a glass of water, everyone expected they'd be asked the " half empty half full" question. Instead,with a smile on his face, he asked," how heavy is this glass of water."
Answers called out ranged from 8-20 ounces.
He replied," the absolute weight doesnt matter. It depends on how long I hold it. If I hold it for a minute, it's not a problem. If I hold if for an hour I have an ache in my arm. If I hold it for a day my arm will feel numb and paralyzed. In each case, the weight of the glass doesn't change, but the longer I hold it the heavier it becomes."
He continued," the stresses and worries of life are like that glass of water. Think about them for a while and nothing happens. Think about them a little longer and they begin to hurt. And think about them all day and you'll feel paralyzed and incapable of doing anything."


Remember to put the glass down.

Awesome analogy!

Fantastic TomSteve I needdd to hear that mate thankyou

Great story Tomsteve! That is so true. I also needed to read that today.

Long walks in the fresh air after work help me from cracking up, I put my Ipod in and go and clear my head.

The other thing is to have plenty of me time, at the weekend I go for a coffee, read a newspaper, clear my thoughts and relax, it definitely helps when I unwind after a long week!! :)

Hello Mr Justin have you read the chimp paradox by steve peters its very good for things like this i found it to be an awesome read

I went group therapy to help with this aswell if your uk you can get this almost immediately just look up local services or pm me for links etc

It was dealing with life sober that i knew i had to learn to bring change if i was going to be happy rather than go through the motions

reading on recovery helps i suggest you start reading & posting more you may even help someone and at the same time it will help you

Keep on keepin on Mr Justin

Yes it gets easier and yes I have more tools . That being said, I have to remember that life will always throw me un suspecting stressor and when I feel like I'm back in unhealthy behaviors that is okay too. The more gentle I am with myself the easier it is to get back on track.

Somewhere, something needs to be in smaller pieces. :)
http://northlandconstruction.com/pro...ig/05-1027.jpg

Meditation and time in nature - along with regular exercise - are the best stress mitigation I have found.

The trick is making the time for it and being consistent.

Its only now that ive been sober a few months that I realise just how stressed I was/am. When I quit it was like releasing an elastic band. Things are slowly improving which is nice.

Its an interesting topic stress as we all have it regardless of if you are a booz hound, pack of smokes a day, budhist monk etc.

What Im working on with my psyche is (it sounds silly ) stressing about being stressed. If I have tension in my neck the stress brain starts going is it a tumor are you light headed etc etc. Im getting slowly better at recognizing the signs of stress and want to work on letting it go. And not stressing about stress symptoms.

There a few things at work, car problems, finances etc stressing me out. However im chipping away at it. From the sounds of it many of us on here are familiar with stress and possibly (like I do) underestimate its power over our lives.