Mental health is still health everyone has. What are there ways to relax or cope when things get to stressful or rough?

AretoNyx: I might try more are therapy, and ritual letter burning. I will write letters to my thoughts that are not good and that I have no control. However I do have power to how I can react to them. I was suggested grounding and meditation. That was not enough but writing letters to drawing with color may help. It did last time.

In the end this year has been rough for many. Here is to a better year hopefully.

Here is a playlist on the topic.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_e0DBcigH_8sClWh6QCEm0Q63UHHiHuk

haroldg206: I like to sing to deal with stress, i use to go to karaoke after work to let out all the stress, a friend told me about an online karaoke app, feel like to stress can go out in an expressive way

AretoNyx: That is a good idea. There are many ways to deal with such.

grippy: scribbling doodling drawing with pencil , coloring drawing colored pencils, completely blacked out windows to my rooms and bathroom window , got welders goggles that i wear to make it 100% pitch black , , ,, this is my first year summer going without alcohol and its already too much for me, the light i mean, i really do not think i will make it much longer outside the ward

dlsmith19666: Kick back and smoke a joint...

AretoNyx: Whatever way people cope or find that helps I can understand. Though smoking is a thing I rather avoid.

yippeskippy: Well, you can find someone to talk to...someone who is supportive. There are anxiety and depression support groups online and in various towns. This is especially good if you are all alone and you don't have family or close friends.

I try to deal with any stress on my own. It makes you stronger when you don't depend on anyone to pull you through a tough situation.

Fix yourself up. Look nice.

Clean your surroundings. When there is too much clutter it tends to create that feeling of 'my life is a mess' in your mind. Anytime I am feeling stressed, first thing I do is make space...it allows me to clear out the negativity and I make space for positive thoughts.

Eat something delicious lol...ok not always...but sometimes a hot fudge sundae hits the spot.

Go for a walk. Exercise! This is imperative, you need to get that blood flowing. Exercising helps with releasing endorphins. Endorphins reduce pain and boost pleasure, resulting in a feeling of well-being. Eating and sex also releases endorphins.

Cortisol is your body's natural built-in alarm system and your stress hormone. Too much cortisol causes weight gain and high blood pressure over time.

Also if you're not exactly sure why you're stressing out and nothing seems to work, talk to a doctor...it might be something biological that is causing you to feel anxious.

jaywood1983: nice info yippie

haroldg206: I had so much anger and frustration inside of me, almost depressed, but decided to start running and found that beside the physical health, it came to be a benefit for my mental health as the stress and anger i could feel turning into clarity and something positive, and then i came to going notorious over mixing different salad and see this new hobby as a form of art, but the main thing is that i still haven't achieved any king of fitness goal, that what makes my look forward to see what i can accomplish tomorrow.

Trail_7: i found cupping to be most helpful with the relaxation part. However there are also supplements for nervousness such as passionflower which I liked or st.johns wort or gaba. Need to see what feels right for you I would think.

Trail_7: However you can not do cupping too often or you could catch a cold.

Trail_7: I think it also depends where the stress or most of the stress is stored - so years ago I got acupuncture done on my tummy - and I felt more relaxed after. I think at that time if my memory serves me I had some nervous tension stored in my tummy area. Recently, I also had acupuncture done on my scalp and it seemed to relieve the pressure there. The therapist took my pulse on both my wrists and then proceeded with the cupping which I had initially come for - on my back but also added the scalp acupuncture.

ReggieP99ca: wimhof breathing method and cold water immersion and look this up on youtube

haroldg206: What is cupping? Gaba and St. John's Wort sound good, I think I'll try those. I've also been syncing my breathing with my running and that has helped me feel relaxed and energized at the same time. I'm always looking for different ways to support my health.

Trail_7: I heard St.Johns wort interferes with certain medications but not with supplements, but doctor would know which ones I heard.

Trail_7: did you go to karaoke by yourself after work?

Trail_7: you can google or youtube about cupping but basically it is a cupping professional putting the cups that suction on your back. You lie on your stomach. I don't know much about it to explain. Also, there are two kinds of cupping - one involves the cup being heated and the other cups are not heated.

haroldg206: Yeah, i use to work down the street from a Karaoke bar, and i would go after work, for me singing was very therapeutic, relieve stress

Trail_7: so did you sit at a table by yourself?

haroldg206: just say cupping on YouTube, looks pretty cool, I like to part that says it helps with back pain, I often wear kinesiology tape on my back when i go running, and also when i work

Trail_7: oh i had that tape on once and it seemed to help me with my posture and pain.

haroldg206: didn't sit by myself, met some friends i knew, and sometimes we would sing together

haroldg206: I also wear kinesiology tape on my knees, they were hurting real bad when i first got into running, but feeling better, do you ever go to karaoke?

Trail_7: I went to an open mic and karaoke too.

haroldg206: must have been fun, to get up there and sing, I enjoy doing it a lot, there is a kind of emotional release when standing up and expressing myself musically, and the running helps my sing also.