Managing your thoughts

[Darius Midnite]

We all have our moments of stress, confusion, doubt,... sometimes despair. Moments where all thoughts peak and seem on the brink of bursting.
Those times where you try to hold onto yourself but slowly slip away.
So how do you cope with these thoughts of yours?
A long walk maybe? Or does climbing a clock-tower with an Uzi do the trick for you? Me, I like taking a swing at my brother or drinking some tea to calm the nerves.

Do share your methods on the subject of relaxation and keeping a steady mind.

[Cobra_Ikari]

Music, various unhealthy prospects, walking, working out, hitting things with a stick...

...talking to people I love, hugs, and coming here?

[SpiderMew]

I like to go for a walk, if i have money ill go see a movie.
Or i'll go relax in the hottub we have here at the building.
I really should go down and relax tonight, soak some things away...
:smallsigh:

[Semidi]

Write. I have several notebooks that I fill up with thoughts, observations, and feelings. I find that this is also the best way to realize that I'm wrong about something. When it's all right in front me, it makes it much more difficult to ignore.

[Shas aia Toriia]

Darius, you hit your brother? That seems a tad unethical.

[Parvum]

Turn everything off. Go into the bathroom. Look into the mirror. Talk.

[Jae]

Me, I like taking a swing at my brother
Aww not even an option for me anymore :smallmad: See, now my brother is on his way to six foot like my father and I'm very much at a disadvantage. In our last "dispute" I ended up with a black eye and this did not at all help me being irritated. :smallannoyed: The glass I was wearing at the time are still cracked, too. Unrelated, though.

I honestly can't say I have a system anymore. I used to have a lot of very, VERY negative outlets. Eventually, though, I worked toward getting out of those and I mostly have..but found nothing to replace the negativity. So I sit there in my hole of ANGERRRRR and stew. heh. The healthy way to deal with things: DON'T AT ALL!

[Cobra_Ikari]

Aww not even an option for me anymore :smallmad: See, now my brother is on his way to six foot like my father and I'm very much at a disadvantage. In our last "dispute" I ended up with a black eye and this did not at all help me being irritated. :smallannoyed: The glass I was wearing at the time are still cracked, too. Unrelated, though.

I honestly can't say I have a system anymore. I used to have a lot of very, VERY negative outlets. Eventually, though, I worked toward getting out of those and I mostly have..but found nothing to replace the negativity. So I sit there in my hole of ANGERRRRR and stew. heh. The healthy way to deal with things: DON'T AT ALL!

I'm glad to hear you're not doing those very negative things. *huggles*

...but sitting on anger isn't very healthy either, you know. :smallfrown:

[Brickwall]

One word: tea

One more word: sleep

42 more words: I actually can't be in a deep bad mood for long. I'm too easily amused. The lingering effects can't be dispelled, so I can be in a semi-bad moods for weeks, but no really bad mood can get a hold of me.

[Premsyl]

Smoking, writing about it, and music appropriate for the situation. I feel like I can never get any privacy with my thoughts so sometimes I can get really withdrawn.

[SurlySeraph]

Going running and/ or lifting weights.

Video games can help. Especially fairly easy ones, because losing is frustrating. Just blowing away an army of nonexistent beings can make you feel a lot more in control of your life.

Martial arts practice, either on the air or on padded objects. Punching a concrete wall and hurting your hand will just make you more frustrated... not that I'm ever stupid enough to punch concrete walls. <.<

Taking a shower always helps.

[bluewind95]

Generally, I try to do something that requires enough concentration to keep me from thinking too much but not enough concentration so that my bad mood can really affect my performance (I agree video games can be an excellent choice) until I calm down enough to think things through more rationally.

...Although in extreme cases, I'm very likely to do... bad things.

[Cobra_Ikari]

Generally, I try to do something that requires enough concentration to keep me from thinking too much but not enough concentration so that my bad mood can really affect my performance (I agree video games can be an excellent choice) until I calm down enough to think things through more rationally.

...Although in extreme cases, I'm very likely to do... bad things.

..."bad things"...? You, too? *huggles*

...Ima take these bad things out back and kick them. :smallfrown:

[thubby]

videogames, but not just any videogames, the kind of pulse pounding, challenging games that border on brain frying.
though honestly i perform well under pressure

[WhatIsGravity]

A decent pair of headphones. Pick a song and close your eyes throughout the whole track. Sit back and relax. Regulate your breathing.

[Gaelbert]

One word: tea

One more word: sleep

How does that work?:smallconfused:

[sickler]

I go have a shower, that's 15 minutes of comfort that no one can bother you in and no one will bother you about. And during a shower, I don't think about my troubles, I mostly think about getting soap on my body. Afterwards, I feel more relaxed, smell nicer and then I can start mulling my thoughts through my head again.

[Tempest Fennac]

I tend to have huge problems with controlling my thoughts (hence the "Tempest" part of my username). Playing video games can help a little bit, but I tend to find that walking doesn't have any real effect. Talking may help, but I tend to be uncomfortable with talking about things which are bothering me.

[Ceska]

Seeing as how yesterday was one of these days, this thread fits well.
I walk, I walk a lot. Two hours or more, fast enough that I cannot think, because my feet are aching and I'm more absorbed with getting up that hill and being out of breath than thinking. And I do a lot of thinking then, but I prefer to put it behind me than to just lock it away.
And walking makes you stay away from harmful objects when you really need to. Just walk fast enough that you're just not running yet.
Well, that works for me at least. And now I have blisters on my feet and it aches to walk, oh well, it's still preferable.

[Da Beast]

I listen to music. For some reason angry Metalica makes me feel happy when I'm mad and a few of Radio Head's ballads about losing your mind and killing yourself cheers me right up when I'm depressed. Maybe I'm just weird.

[Narmoth]

Playing guitar. Mostly slayer-like solos, as I'm not very creative when in a bad mood. So it's just playing very fast on a large portion of the fretboad rather than playing melody. Listening to Opeth and Dark Tranquillity is also helpfull when I'm angry at something.
If things are really bad, there's allways the axe in the basement and the wood (also in the basement)

[Jokes]

Team Fortress 2. I'm not very good at online shooters, but TF2 doesn't increase my anger if I get killed, so I tend to mellow out a bit when I play.

Case modding. One of my little hobbies. Relaxing until I manage to ruin my paintwork and have to start over.

Farmers Union Iced Coffee. A delicacy here in South Australia (outsells Coca Cola here dontcherknow) that gets me through each day.

[smellie_hippie]

I'm with Narmoth... except for his musical taste. If I'm feeling overly stressed or upset or sad, I play guitar. I always think of the Blues Legends, and how well they transposed their pain and suffering into amazing pieces of music.

If it's a rough day at work, I also will play some Halo2 on 'legendary' setting. Surprisingly I stay alive longer than when I just play the damn game...

[Skippy]

I have different ways:
-Play my (accoustic) guitar. Whatever comes to my mind in the moment.
-Go out for a walk. It works particularly well at night.
-Watch the sunset lying on the grass, listening to OK Computer (Particularly Airbag, Paranoid Android and Subterranean Homesick Alien)
-Split my personality in six parts (Edward De Bono FTW) and talk to my selves.

[I'm da Rogue!]

Walk as fast as I can, at night.
I go to a hill near my house and walk, walk, walk for hours.
Night is better; No annoying people.

I listen to some loud music and run.

And I reach the peak of the hill, relax and see all the city on my feet. It feels good.

And I sometimes scream too. It feels good.

But not at night. I don't want people to think someone's killed.

[Gem Flower]

Meditation and playing violin. (Handy tip for meditating: Inhale for a count of seven, hold it for a count of seven, exhale for a count of seven. For beginners, start with four. SO relaxing.) Yeah, I'm weird that way.

[Narmoth]

holding my breath one... two... tree... leaf... ? no, I was counting... one... two... five..., no tree. the number to count to is three. No less, no more - tre is the number you should count to.
No, wait, it was 7, then breath in again.
So, one... two... three... four ...
faints

[SpiderMew]

Walk as fast as I can, at night.
I go to a hill near my house and walk, walk, walk for hours.
Night is better; No annoying people.

I listen to some loud music and run.

And I reach the peak of the hill, relax and see all the city on my feet. It feels good.

And I sometimes scream too. It feels good.

But not at night. I don't want people to think someone's killed.

Your not like, worried about someone attacking you at night?
I mean even in the safest of places, stuff tends to happen more at night.

[Trog]

Usually my bad moods stem from one or more other problems that I need to attend to first. Making sure I have eaten recently. Making sure I have had enough sleep is another one. Check to make sure that I have had enough caffeine. Or too much caffeine. Check for achey-ness that might be putting me in a bad mood. Stretch out if that is the case. And a good shower/cleaning up your appearance always helps. If all of those have been taken care of already and I'm in a bad mood I go on to find something to distract me. Loud angry music usually helps get some aggression out, I find. I'd like to be able to say that I meditate at times like this but really I am usually trying to find a way to escape my bad thoughts rather than reflect on them. Or try to put them out of my mind by attending to my breathing. Cause it's too difficult at a time like that. If those things don't work I go sleep. Not like I couldn't use it anyway.

Oh and when I'm stressed I tend to find myself cleaning the house for some reason. I'm not sure if that helps or not but it's what I do. *shrug*

[Diakos]

I find that bottling up and ignoring the feelings, pretending to be happy and constantly distracting myself from deep though and introspection keeps me going.

[I'm da Rogue!]

Your not like, worried about someone attacking you at night?
I mean even in the safest of places, stuff tends to happen more at night.

Let them come. I'm not a little girl or something.:smallwink:

And not many people go to that hill, plus I don't carry something valuable.

I run fast and hide good enough.

[Cobra_Ikari]

I run fast and hide good enough.

How very Rogueish. :smallwink:

Still, be safe. *hugs*

[Castaras]

I write to my livejournal. Even if I don't actually post it(and when I do, it's always to private), it helps.

I talk to myself. Helps collect my thoughts.

Listen to my power-metal. Very very useful. Or I go the other way, and listen to Enya.

Sit in bed and cry into my pillow, if I'm feeling really crap. And then sleep.

If I'm feeling really bad, after doing the above, I go talk to my parents. Just sit there and talk about anything and everything I can think of. Talking to people helps a lot, actually. When I get the confidence to.

Before, when I joined AMEN, I was going through a time where I was feeling depressed a lot, I'd go hang out there. Read through the thread. Always made me giggle and feel happier. Got a helluva lot to thank AMEN for, emotionally.

Mm...Drawing helps also. And writing long rambling posts to Giantitp. Which normally, I wouldn't actually post.

If anywhere, I'd post that written out post to my Livejournal. If I looked through my livejournal, I'd find loads of emoish crap. Helped at the time though to write it.

Showers help also. Just going and having a nice, long, hot shower.

I think that's about it... Might be some more which I can't think of at the moment, that I use.

[AtomicKitKat]

Screaming into a pillow at maximum volume works.

[Darius Midnite]

It's peculiar how playing my favorite game no longer relaxes me, but instead stresses me out. Can't handle those games anymore, too much for me I think. "Who's that behind the rock, what's that creeping up on me in the shadows..."


Darius, you hit your brother? That seems a tad unethical. It would if he was younger than me, but seeing how he is the older brother by two years, I can forgive myself.

[Mauve Shirt]

I hug or punch people depending on who they are, I play piano, I distract myself with the internet, video games, music, TV, etc. I talk to people, cry, and sleep. And I come on here.
I generally avoid introspection, but I'm full of self-loathing so it happens anyway.
If it's school-related depression I try to think of how happy I was to get the letter of acceptance.
Weirdly enough, sometimes trying to force a seizure helps me, probably because I know I can't and that's something that's gone right.

[Parvum]

Weirdly enough, sometimes trying to force a seizure helps me, probably because I know I can't and that's something that's gone right.

You've no clue how releiving it is to know that this is normal (or so I assume). Really didn't need another reason for the straight jacket.

[Mauve Shirt]

You've no clue how releiving it is to know that this is normal (or so I assume). Really didn't need another reason for the straight jacket.

I don't know if it's NORMAL. Are you epileptic or making fun of me?

[Cobra_Ikari]

Actually, siezures make you feel better, hence why ECT is performed. Yay, induced siezures for happy! >.>

[Phae Nymna]

I take long, cool or cold showers, long really hot baths, and walk with music playing. I will sometimes read horror novels to escape from my own thoughts so I can know that someone else has it worse. (i.e. I'm trying to cope with being forced to subject myself to playing a season of American football, but the guy in the book has vampires trying to eat him.) I drink tea and read terrible fanfics for humor value too. I also just try to make sure that no feelings are bottled; this is achieved by going somewhere soothing and familiar and crying until I calm down. Crying really helps me.

-Admiral

[Setra]

It really depends.

If I'm angry at a person I yell at them. If I'm REALLY angry at a person I begin to pummel them. Luckily it is hard to make me that angry these days.

If I'm angry at a situation or somesuch, I tend to just settle it by yelling at people who say the slightest thing to set me off, and otherwise repressing it.

Sometimes I'll just let out a very long angry scream at the world.

If I am depressed because of a break-up I tend to deal with it by forcing myself to forget her.

If I am depressed because the breakup is my fault I tend to just sit there and be emo while playing videogames until I get over it.

If I am depressed at a situation or something else in general I try to forget and repress what made me depressed in the first place while doing something highly distracting (ie. Reading, or Playing a game)

If I am depressed because I've been given two weeks notice before being fired, am rather sick, and have to work tomorrow despite being rather sick, I apparently surf GitP.

[Mauve Shirt]

Actually, siezures make you feel better, hence why ECT is performed. Yay, induced siezures for happy! >.>

Seizures just make me sleepy. :P

[Setra]

There's a youtube clip for inducing seizures around here somewhere...

[Bor the Barbarian Monk]

Actually, siezures make you feel better, hence why ECT is performed. Yay, induced siezures for happy! >.>
Sorry for raining on your parade, Cobra, but my decision to try ECT turned into a nightmare, which also lead to my attempt to go artery hunting. It also did something goofy with my ability to do math. On top of this, it wiped out memories stored in my short-term memory, which, when revealed later, made me feeling pretty darned bad. :smallfrown:

As for organizing thoughts...What thoughts? :smallconfused:

[Thanatos 51-50]

I shower, I shave, I check my food supplies and replenish them if need be. I wander around town, if its night time, I wander around base (becuase I have an illogical distaste for the main gate and pretty much only use the back one). I do whatever little menial task needs doing.
I go out with a buddy and eat.

Alternativly, I just angst out about it until it passes.

[Mauve Shirt]

ACTUALLY inducing a seizure would make my parents panic and my neurologist disappointed and then I'd never get a driver's license. So I don't want to have a seizure, but having an aura certainly distracts me.

[Cobra_Ikari]

Sorry for raining on your parade, Cobra, but my decision to try ECT turned into a nightmare, which also lead to my attempt to go artery hunting. It also did something goofy with my ability to do math. On top of this, it wiped out memories stored in my short-term memory, which, when revealed later, made me feeling pretty darned bad. :smallfrown:

As for organizing thoughts...What thoughts? :smallconfused:

I was generalizing. *hugs*...I'm sorry yours went badly. *more hugs* :smallfrown:

[Aereshaa_the_2nd]

I listen to songs like SoundSlayer (http://www.newgrounds.com/audio/listen/93089) and play games like Thing-Thing 3. Then I feel badass instead of angry and vengeful. :belkar: