How do you offset your stress?

[Noisy]

Hi all,

Well, I've had GAD, panic, depression etc for about five years now. I'm finally starting to see some good improvements. This is, of course, what I was always hoping for but I'm finding that I'm becoming increasingly busy and also under more 'normal' stress.

I used to be so much more detached from the outside world but I'm now finding that there is more to life than avoiding guilt and pressure and panic. 

Please don't misunderstand me. It's still very difficult as I write this but for slighty different reasons. I'm simply becoming more stressed as I learn to cope with the everyday things that most normal people already do.

So......

My main question is What do you do to relax after periods of extra high stress levels?

Can we 'balance out' our day by Skydiving in the morning (stressful) and then fly-fishing all afternoon (relaxation)? 

I know that's a very stupid example. 

regards,
Martin.

[rubbersole]

 a good bike ride sometimes helps

[hetty]

hi
i have never been diagnosed with GAD but i belive i have it as i am anxious most of the time and small things like going to someones house can make me almost breathless with panic also when im driving i get this thing where i am in the middle of nowhere and im on a never ending road it happened the other night in the dark and it was horrible!! i also find that i get really stressed and i often get really really angry and shout at my finacee this rage is really full on and doing my head in, i have never been good at relaxing because i have a very busy mind constantly going over lists in my head (i call them my ocd lists!) the only way i can relax is with an indian head massage but not a cheap way to relax!! can you relate to any of that??

[Noisy]

Hi Hetty,
Yep! I can relate to all of those things. Head massages help me too. When I first had symptoms it often felt as if I had cricked my neck or something and a good therapeutic massage would sort it out and relieve the tension. If only it were that easy! 

I know exactly what you mean about the rages too. I've been pretty horrible to live with at times but my temper is more controlled these days. I've never hit my partner (or anyone else) but I have threatened to when I've felt very panicky and under pressure. I've always compared this type of situation to an animal that is backed in to a corner by a predator. All the animal can do is bark or bite! I think that these rages are hard to control completely. I'm ashamed of my actions but at the same am glad that I didn't physically hurt anyone else. I'm much better these days but I have broken so many remote controls and ..... well .... anything that I could easily throw at a wall!! Actually, it's more dramatic if the thrown object breaks into pieces.

Two things worth mentioning here:
I don't really break anything that I couldn't fix myself or replace very cheaply. (My parents are Scottish!)
I lose my temper much much more easily with my girlfriend when compared with people who I know less well.(Sorry Honey.)

My point being that even when we act, due to anxiety, in a seemingly very primal, automatic way, I still have some higher level of cognition that stops me from breaking my favourite guitar or physically hurting someone or losing my temper with someone who I don't know.

Anyway, back to the original subject .....

I haven't been out for some proper running in quite a while now and I can feel the pressure building. It's not that I need to run to survive anymore but I need to maintain a healthy base level of physical exercise to burn off the adrenaline and to experience the freedom and the endorphins and the fresh air .......

Martin