Doomscrolling.

Very badly.

weed. Sopranos, Law & Order, American Dad, whatever I’m in the mood for.

Quiet walks

Edible (currently Drops cranberry) and a beer (currently Rogue honey kolsch)

Play a game (currently co-op Stardew Valley with the wife)

workout

You’ll be positive and will start to think what to do next

Browsing the internet while drinking alcohol.

Unfortunately, it works really well. Can’t keep up the alcohol thing forever.

The best ways I’ve found:

Going for a run with music Doing VR Boxing Taking a nice long shower.

Playing dota is my escapism habit that is VERY counterproductive for destressing… I’m trying to start making music again as a substitution.

Check out weedtime 👍

A video game where you and a rotating groups of strangers each pretend you’re cars that are playing soccer.

Physical activity. Going to the gym or going for a run. Watch movies/series. Lazing around while telling myself that it’s ok not to be productive.

Hot tub:

It depends.

If I am anxious or upset, vigorous exercise works best. Exhausting my body settles my mind.

If I am burned out from work but can’t relax, a drink on the porch with my husband helps to unwind.

If I cannot sleep, yin yoga is the best. Slow cold yoga with lots of forward folding.

Varies on where I’m at. One thing I can do no matter where I happen to be is allow my body to lose its tension. This is a learned skill. Focus your mind on preferably a major muscle to start, and just will it to begin relaxing. I like imagining I’m becoming more liquid and that the stress I’m holding is draining away. It’s a lighter, though similar, feeling you get when your body is just exhausted and you lay down.

This is a part of a series of coping mechanisms I’ll choose from when my anxiety begins to peak.

Wanking.

I found a YouTube channel that discusses philosophy called Einzelgänger about a year ago and it helped change my whole perspective on life. I get stressed a lot less frequently now, but when am stressed listening to his videos calms me down better than anything else ever has. I’ve bought and read many of the books he talks about and look forward to buying new ones. My favorite authors so far are Arthur Schopenhauer and Albert Camus. I also recommend Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, the Tao-te Ching by Lao Tzu, and anything from Seneca or Epictetus.