Hi Guys!
I just returned home from Hilton Head with my wife. I started feeling bad on Thursday night and was full blown sick on Friday morning. Now that I'm home I have about an hour till I start duty and realize that I'm completely exhausted. I was just wondering what you guys do to counter the stress monster. Obviously what I'm doing isn't working.

I just use the work weeks to recover from the weekends.
my wife seems to have a hurry up and relax syndrome I often need to combat.

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it just needs more voltage

Hallelujah! I thought my wife was the only one!

I seldom have or ever do worry about anything. At least thats what I think. I also always have been probley the least competive person you probley would ever meet. For the most part I probley am considered a patience personality. My dad used to say I had the patience of job. All that sounds pretty boreing, doesnt it? Cant say how to handle anxiety.

Stress? What's that? Oh, I'm retired, and I left it behind. Really, what I discovered years ago was I was the one applying the stress. Then I discovered I could just leave it behind, too. So when I felt stressed and didn't want to be, I just left it. I figured out why I was stressed and turned it off. Allowing others to apply stress to you is a loser.

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Dick Burg

when i was "in the game", i was too busy to worry about stress. now, with retirement, life is easy and enjoyable.

Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Tchaikovsky. You get the idea. When I had a nasty commute I found that if I was listening to the news, by the time I got home my jaw hurt from having my teeth clenched for an hour. If I turned on the jazz or classical station I was much more relaxed when I got home.

Going to the range and shooting things helps too.

I have never worried about things I have no control over.
Why worry about what you cannot change.

Also I tend to look on the bright side, I have always been an Optimist.

I always wake up happy.

On a lot of issues it is mind over matter.
If you don't mind, it don't matter.

The system is what it is, changes come slowly.

I had fun nearly every day I was on the job.

I used to worry my hind end off about everything. One day it just hit me that I was making myself miserable and wasn't helping a darned thing. I now do what I can do and let the rest go. I try hard not to impose upon anyone, but I also don't really care what anyone thinks of me. Life is short; take a step back and enjoy it. 90% of what you stress out over never ends up happening anyway.

Stress relief: Just driving up to the gate to paradise (Chattanooga Rifle Club) lowers my blood pressure by 20...

And of course my little girl Pugsters is always there to bring a smile 24/7

Beer...



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I go to my man cave, or home office, turn on some music, and polish a few of my Smiths. Seriously, I find that to be very relaxing. However, I am retired and there isn't much that stresses me out anymore.

Maybe I am three spins on the scale because I eat comfort foods to combat stress?
For me life was a little backwards. On my first really good job I made foreman with a ton of respondsability traveling around the states on contract jobs at a fairly young age. I might show up in a area, and was suppose to be on the job the next day with local workers! Had to find people in a few hours to work at hard dirty labor for minimun wages plus get setteled into liveing quarters etc. I did well at it too! That job should have paid 3 or 4 times what it did for the respondsability I had.
I quit the job, took a guard job to eat, while I intended on looking for other work. Soon it dawned on me I had a better job with at least the same pay, more benifits and no worrys. For the first six months I couldnt belive there was a job that easy and thought I must be missing something. In fact the chief called me in the next to last day before the end of probation and tried to scare me by saying my evaliating captains told him that I didnt seem to take my job serious! I flat told the chief the above. He kept me on and it turned out that I put in 35 years and if overtime was factored, I was a lockheed guard longer than I was old! I think I still hold the all time longivity record there and was given #1 badge about 6 years before I retired.
Along with that I call myself a christian. As a christian we are told not to live in fear. I always took that literaly. I have always tried to live by that. I have had plenty of events in my life that were serious and no picnic. While they probley did bother me for a short time I wouldnt let them bother me long. I am positive I wouldnt think that way had I not found christanity at a very young age and was raised by christian parents. (Did I break any rules here?)

I am always amused when I see "Stress Reducing" articles and products. They are usually little rubber balls to squeeze or breathing techniques. Give me a break! I have been self employed for about 26 years. Stress is my daily companion. I have to deal with employees, regular clients, occasional clients, the government agencies, two teenage kids and my Wife (Who is going through menopause). I deal with staffing issues, employee problems and cash flow difficulties. I have found the only way to alleviate stress in my life is to solve whatever problem is causing my stress. If I don't due that, I could try to make myself feel better, but I still have the original problem.
I have read many times that stress is a killer. I have proof that is a lie.....I have a pulse.
Jim

Exercise is good. I started jogging, in later years it was walking or biking. Retirement really helped.

I retired and got a divorce.Spend my time hiking,skiing,snowshoeing,biking,kayaking and shooting.I work part time,see a cute friend when she's in town.It's kind of fun watching my clan stress a bit :-)

Reloading is stress reducing, alone, peacefully in your man cave.

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NRA Pistol/Rifle Inst. RSO

All good ideas really. But from what you said "I started feeling bad Thursday and was full blown sick Friday". I sounds more like a physical problem. Have some chicken noodle soup, go to bed, screw work for a few days.

For mental stress, schedule a counseling session with Dr. Johnie Walker. (or Dr. Beam etc)

Ooops almost forgot. If you don't already have a dog/cat get one. Like I think somebody famous once said . (Hell maybe I actualy thought it up)

"The fool who said money can't buy love, has never been to a animal shelter."

Engage in an activity that can't be done well if you are stressed. At the billiard table, I don't try nursing or gather shots, just soft accurate draw shots.
If all else fails, I remember that tonight the lights go out at 9 and I go to sleep. I may be in jail, but the lights are going off at 9 and I am going to sleep.

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and what his trumpet saith

I normally don't reccomend this to people, but strong drink has always worked for me.

Seriously though, I tell you what I tell my clients. Stress is worrying about stuff that either is, did or might happen. If it might happen, no point in worrying about it until it does. and if it doesn't happen you've wasted all that worrying over nothing. If it's about something that is happening, can you stop it from happening? If so-then do it. If you can't stop it than rather than worrying about it, do something about it (either by minimizing it or walking away from it) Stress is put on you by you and nobody else. If you don't let them stress you they can't stress you.
If stress is over something that already happened, there is nothing you can do about it, so it's time to move on. Easier said than done, I know, but if you understand that somebody out there has, was or will be going through the same stuff you are and they got through it, it will maybe help you feel better. I mean after all misery does love company.

One more thing. Think about what went through our Lord's mind Thursday night. Now THAT'S stress-if He can do it, you can too.

Tell you what. Tonight go outside all by yourself and find a quiet spot to sit. Take a drink with you or not. Smoke em if you got em or not. Once you are comfortable, sit back and listen-you'll get your answer I promise.
Via Con Dios amigo.

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Forum consigliere

My stress reliever has Harley Davidson painted on the tank. I get all wired up about things sometimes and it is a problem. I am retired and have a lot of idle time. I shoot and reload and enjoy time at the range. But when I really need to relax I fire up the Harley and I'm off. Today I rode down to Waco to the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame Museum. The museum was great, but the "ride" was the best. Friday I think I'll go north and see whats up there.

Quite honestly, I like to bitch, piss, and moan. Doesn't actually help a darned thing, but ,strangely enough, it makes me feel better. God bless my girlfriend; she's a trooper!

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MARK

Just looking at your puppy helps my stress. Don

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"Don't worry be happy"

Make sure you eat right. Diet is important. Stay away from processed food, fats and sugar.

Get as much sleep as possible. Also make sure your sleep is actually restful, not waking yourself up with your snoring or fitful sleep. If your not sleeping right, get a sleep study done.

I know it's hard, but try to get some exercise in, even if it's walking for a 1/2 hr once a day or every second day.
If you can get to a gym a couple days a week, better yet.

Get rid of the distractions like your cell phone, as much as possible and stay away from the TV. Read a book for a while before bed instead.

Watch your blood pressure. And get a yearly physical.

Stress can kill. Good luck and stay safe and healthy.

Stress caused my first heart attack. Doctor gave me a choice - retire or die. I love retirement.

I lowered my stress by 90% the day I retired. I also spend time at the Range, a great stress reliever. I'm also big on relaxing Road Trips.

Buying a really nice S&W is also a great relaxer for me.

In fact, if I was any more relaxed, I wouldn't be able to stand up.

Rule 303

Same here.... retirement greatly reduced any stress I'd been having. I've found that a Remington 870 and lots of shells go a long way to getting rid of the rest.

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A closed mouth gathers no foot

i have what i think is a pretty high stress job. i do a lot of yoga. it sure helps. what is off the charts relaxing to me however is turning the #$!*ing cell phone off and sitting on a deer stand or hunting doves. i hope i can retire soon.

If all else fails, better living thru chemistry. That is a last resort but for some it is necessary.

I prefer to get out in the woods, during hunting seasons that means getting out with the rifle, bow or shotgun. Doesn't really matter, the cell gets shut off and I spend a day by myself or with a friend just out hunting. During the off season, I'll just load the truck and go camping on the drop of a dime. I do telephone tech support for a high end appliance manufacturer, so I tend to enjoy my alone time more than I used to as of late.

Stress what's that? I work at the White House level of govt. Divorced 3 years to a Mommy Dearest type. Just had two masses cut out of my underarm(split from stim to stern). Managed to do a Cub Scout camp out this weekend. Mom getting ready for nursing home and very mean.

Want more? I've been to 4 funerals this year of friends. I'm a single Dad who works with son every night on homework, fixes dinner(a good one) and breakfast.

I worry about everything. I'm also the Committee Chair(leader) in my son's Cub Scout pack. Tonight a guy assed up because I wasen't handing out phone rosters.

I now know why someone pulls a Glock and shoots someone LOL

Stress how do I deal with it? Blood pressure meds, sitting here drinking a beer and wondering when I'm going to die!!

Oh and let me add I live in VA and have to drive to Northern VA to work.

Yeah wish I was retired.

I drink.... which probably isn't the best cure for stress.


Seriously, I quit driving 18-wheelers and it helped. I'm now a 40 year old college student, which is stressful, but notnearly as much if I'd tried this at 19. Sixteen years of driving has taken its toll on my body and mind, and compared to the road, homework is a breeze. It's putting up with my 18-20 year old classmates that stresses me out. I actually blurted out "Will you shut the hell up so we can take the damn test!!" in a summer class.

These kids... How can they relax when all they listen to is hip-hop? I'd be stressed out if all I heard about was "B*tches and Money"... Geez, listen to some Cure or Beatles....

Valium ...... or just take advantage of my Colorado red license

Try running a few miles every other day. You'll be too tired to worry.

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N.R.A. BENEFACTOR Member

Shooting has always been my relief valve. Hate your boss? Imagine his face on a bowling pin, then blow him off the table. The next time you see him, just give him a smile and go about your business.

Shooting has always been my stress reliever. When I was working multiple jobs, raising kids, trying to make ends meet, etc., wife #2 would sometimes wake me up early on a day off, and tell me to "go shoot stuff and don't come home until you're all better."

It works!

When I wake up at 3 am worried about business or the problems of the day, I come into the den and open up the forum and read about things that I enjoy. Eventually I will tire and be able to go back to sleep.

Stress? I can feel it all wash away just spending time with my grandson... and doing things like building a clubhouse/fort/cave out of straw bales.

What's that saying? "Don't sweat the small stuff. ... PS, it's all small stuff..."

That's very true.

When I am stressed with work, I think about my wife and kids. To me, work is really just a means of taking care of the family, so, when I am stressed, I ask myself, "Family okay? Drawin' my pay?," and if both answers are a "yes," I figger what the hey. Keep on truckin'.

Or, put another way, "I can tread water longer than those SOBs can make waves."

Bruce HMX, hang in there, bro. You are a fine father, and that is what matters, really. Nothin' else is even close.

I have trouble sleeping at night. More and more, I found myself watching TV on the couch until I fall asleep.

You can control 3 things in life (don't give me the old age excuse problems, either):

1) Bowels
2) Bladder
3) Trigger finger

As others wrote: Don't sweat the small stuff, and it's all small. 95% of your worries never happen. Stop, listen to the outdoors and go for a walk. Talk to some one you trust and respect. The Second Opinion will brighten the view. Church helps. But exercise is the best stress reliever for clearing your mind.

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S&WHF 366

"Stress, in addition to being itself is also the cause of
itself & the result of itself."
regards,
turnerriver
Holsters-the study & care of- work for me.

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turnerriver

From the movie Get Shorty, “I don’t get stress I give it to others.”

Stress is a state of mind, no pun intended, so on the rare occasion I start to feel any stress, I just slow down, step back from the problem, and decide what I can or can’t do to cure it. If there is nothing I can do to fix the problem then why worry about it? If there is something I can do to fix the problem then I move on and do my best to fix it.

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Always Stay Strong!

I point my finger at the TV and go Bang,Bang,Bang,Bang,Bang,Bang!

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Wayne
Torn & Frayed

I reduce stress by praying every day to the Lord above, also by hunting and fishing as much as I can.

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"Life is short, hunt hard"

Probably 80% of my stress problems dissipated into thin air the moment I retired. No morning and evening commute on the freeway, dealing with drivers with room-temperature IQs. No stress from work. At about the same time, my 96-year-old mother, bless her, departed from this world, and my concerns for her welfare were eliminated. I used to hate Mondays, returning to work knowing problems were building up over the weekend to be dumped on me - I actually look forward to Mondays now, and can get things done (like shopping, etc.) when most everyone else is working.

I enjoy writing, and now I have time to do research for my articles, and write them without the pressure of time. Combing the gun shops and gun shows for classic firearms is also satisfying. I now have the combing techniques down to a fine art, and feel like a race horse in the starting gate on gun show mornings!

I found my biggest stress reliever was getting on the range and doing the Mozambique drill on a target made from a photo of Osama Bin Laden. Now, that's pointless, so I use other targets that are not quite as satisfying, but fun nonetheless.

As the critical elections of 2012 get nearer, I know my blood pressure will bear watching. Still, I am ever the optimist and feel that the country will soon be put back on the right track. When that happens, my stress level will be down again.

And Caj is right; a nice Manhattan, Bourbon on the rocks or a frosty Margarita in the evening doesn't make you less concerned about the mess you see every evening on TV, but it does give you a "what the hey" attitude about it for a while!

John

P.S. Living in Arizona helps, too. Getting an "F" rating from the Brady bunch recently was very satisfying. They can take their condemnation of Constitutional carry in our state and, well, you know.

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- Cogito, ergo armatus sum -

I have managed one or another kind of manufacturing business for 25 years. My success as a manager has impacted anywhere from 40 to 250 employees. I am the type of boss that considers each employee as a member of an extended family. I have helped hire and train them, laid some off when necessary, fired a very few, and spent many an hour worrying about a phone call that one of them has been hurt or injured. I worry about them and the business 24/7. Every thing one worries about in a family - cost of living, cost of essentials, insurance, stability, the future - times 200. That being said, I do not feel overly stressed. I am at peace with the tough decisions that need to be made, since I carefully consider all alternatives. I do everything I can to insure that those who work for me have the opportunity to make a decent living and be able to comfortably raise their families - I fully realize that my personal success lies in the hands of those who work for me. I have been down the road of using alcohol to instill peace of mind and put me to sleep at night, but found that can create it's own problems. Time in the woods or on the water puts me at ease, though I cannot in conscience leave the cell at home ('til retirement, anyway!). I do not do exercise for exercise sake, nor am I a runner, but I do love to blow off some steam - chainsaw and 6lb splitting maul helps with that! Seems to always be one project or another around the homestead that needs doing, and if completing it lends some sort of satisfaction, then all the better. Heading off to bed with tired muscles and a sense of accomplishment is what works for me.

Sounds odd, but going to my range and shooting is the best stress reliever.

At other times, a good shot or 3 of whiskey will releive stress.

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NRA Certified Instructor

BruceHMX, hand in there and concentrate on being that "good influence" in your son's life, that will eliminate a lot of stress.

Stress is usually benign to the bearer until it gets really bad.

As in, people will ignore the fact that they are getting stressed or they will try to "handle it" thinking they can tough it out.

Recognizing it in its early stages can sometimes help as the "stressee" can do whatever it takes to calm down before it gets bad. Don't ignore the fact that you are headed towards stress.

I thought I had handled the so-called "stress" of my air traffic control career fairly well. And quite often the stress in the job was from dealing with FAA management. But, although I thought I handled it well, and quite frankly I (most of the time) felt that working the traffic was NOT stressfull...after about two weeks of retirement I felt as if a huge weight was removed from my shoulders. I found out that ATC was more stressful than I thought.

Lastly, my Father died at age 47 when I was 19. Now, whenever I think I have it "bad", I just remind myself that my Dad would be happy to change places with me.

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Have guns...will shoot'em.

"Stress is the overwelming desire to choke the **** out of someone who desparately needs it" Had a few mechanics would have liked to try that on. Now retired it felt good to get away from the one hour each way commute, 12 hour shift, idiot drivers who don't know how to drive, forget about snow. best decision I ever made was to leave after almost 30 years of taking care of someone else's problems. Sad to say that after I left they had a bunch of problems dealing with mechanics who thought they knew their jobs. Now stress relief is going to the range and wether I'm shooting rifle or pistol it's all good. Frank

The Best Stress Relief is Retirement.

Because every day becomes Saturday, except Sunday, and then its Saturday all over again.

Retire as soon as you can, you'll live longer and enjoy life more.

Rule 303

Was right, but he didn't tell you that you can rent it for the night.

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Always Stay Strong!