h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Being at University can also be very relaxing.

a good way to really relax is to take a few muscle relaxers and have a friend [or enemy] knock you out. this tends to loosen all the muscles in the body and clear the head, both fundamental elements of true relaxation. [certain care should be exercised in this to be sure you don't miss work, break bones, lose teeth, forget your name, etc]

Relaxation is the worst drug there is. You find a way to relax. Stress appears again. You relax more. Stress still finds you. You keep trying to relax till you are in the mental state equal to that of your average eggplant, and still, you find need to relax further, to get away from that all finding stress monster. It is consuming, leading to uncontrolled mantra chanting and fits of yoga induced body injuries

There is no relaxation... only variuos degrees of stress.

You are very weird. I think you need to relax more.

actually, he may be on to something. everything is in some period of stress. when you breath, your lungs expand. your heart beats. when you lay down and stare at the stars, your body is actually, though not very forcefully, being squeezed by gravity and the earth. this is stress, whether it is physical stress or mental stress, or causing distress, is irrelevant. it IS stress. thus complete and total relaxation, is impossible. relaxation, however, is possible, to varying degrees. relax is simply defined as "to loosen or slacken. to make loose". so relaxing is possible and does help, but complete relaxation is not gonna happen. ever. that said, think i will smoke a cigarette and walk around naked for hours chanting mutras because i'm very stressed out right now and i think that will help.

Hey- somebody who understands! I have a problem with stress managment... relaxation just doesnt cut it anymore. I even started smoking, cause it helped for a while.... but i got used to the "relaxed" state, and stress is back again....

Try detachment. Imagine stepping away from the stressful situation, continue taking imaginary steps until the problem is almost out of sight. It will be much easier to deal with. If that doesn't work try to picture a time in the near future when the stressful situation has been resolved. It always happens eventually, usually when you've stopped thinking about it. (What overdraft?)
I must confess that although I know some of the solutions I often forget to use them. There are as many more solutions as there are problems.

Um... thanks for the suggestion, but what if the stress has no real form? It just is. That is the real problem. Most people feel i have an amazingly stressless life, but i still feel stressed...

... maybe I just need better sunglasses....

I understand. Having suffered from a similar problem in the past, I think your best bet is to try raja yoga meditiation(but stop before becoming too elevated or you may transform into a point of eternal light before you are ready to leave this wonderful stressful existence). -See my home page intro for more explanation. If you'd like to try the raja yoga(raja means the highest) theres sure to be some info on the internet, probably under 'Brahma Kumaris' If you find it, there's likely to be a group somewhere near you, and the good news is,It's all free! Basically, it's about taking control of your own mind, instead of the other way round. I used to be controlled by the negative habits in my own mind, but now I can decide what to experience, at any level. It really is worth a try. I can even sleep at night now, can't quite decide what to dream yet, but working on it. Good luck.

...Most stress is all in your mind, anyways, so thinking something will help can actually make you think you are feeling better, or less stressed.

However, your method of stress reduction is, how should I say it,... distressing?

I'd call it de-stressing myself, but I agree with you that it's all in the mind. I just choose to create my own positive thoughts, as much as possible, rather than accept the negatively inclined thoughts that otherwise tend to take over. Takes a bit of practice though.

Positive and negative... interesting. This is something that I think may be more of a personal perspective. Society creates the ideas of some things being better, and some being worse. What if the concept of relaxation that society endorses (i.e. vacationing, meditation, binge drinking) is actually the cause of the stress? Or if being in stressfull situations (i.e. work, deadlines, trying to explain to your girlfriend why you and your "neice" were in the shower together) actually makes you feel more alive, then is it really a stresssful situation?

My solution:
Stress is simply Somebody Else's Problem. If I start to feel stress, I just put an SEP field around it, ignore it, and if I'm stressed and annoyed, I often make it Somebody Else's Problem, which is very relaxing and satisfactory.

Also when stressed, I hum a very relaxing song from "The Gondoliers", and it goes away. It works, because it is MY approach. No-one else's approach will work as what some people find relaxing others find stressful - ie, I can't go to Nightclubs/busy pubs to relax as I have a phobia of crowds. So you must learn what relaxes you - it may be very unusual (like walking around naked (??) ) but if it works for you and doesn't harm anyone else, then who is to say "no"? Do it.

I have enjoyed reading your observations about stress. Personally I would find showering with my niece very stressful,even while practising meditation at the same time. Not something I would try, but it takes all sorts of personalities to make a world. Well, this world's got all sorts anyway. And after a lot of wondering about it all, I think they're all right(but some are more right than others). I also agree with bluebottle's point that each person has their own solution to their own stress (but some have not found it yet). Keep searching, you never know what you might find, but be careful what you wish for, it may come true!).

Just to clarify, the term "neice" is meant to explain another girlfreind, also sometines refered to as "distant cousin" or " old friend"( Neice is used in the film "Pretty Woman" to explain Richard Geers ,um, friend). I have known these terms to be used quite liberally by some in their relationships... sort of a cross over from the "Lying" forum. Being caught in the act of deception would be found stressful to some, and exillerating to others.

Blue Bottle is correct in the obsrevation about each having their own ideas and methods, and I must agree. There is never one, simple, universal answer. To each their own.

There is a definition of what stress is. (you will have to excuse the bad language as I don't normaly swear)

Stress is when the brain overides the bodies basic desire to choke the living shit out of some ass hole who desperately needs it.

The object of meditation is to be able to have the power of choice, not allowing the brain to decide(unless you choose to do so). In this way, human beings can achieve control over their physical bodies, as well as their spiritual selves. Yes I know I keep telling you, but it's so easy to forget. Just think of it as a reminder.
(When it comes to forgetting I'm the world's worst), I have to remind myself regularly that I can not aford to sit here playing on the computer. I'm sure there are a million and one things I'm supposed to be doing, and of course I will, straight away (just as soon as I choose to allow my brain to remind me what they all are)!

Well , time to make a list I think, back to the old home page.

Humming 'Gondoliers' seems like a good idea. Except I'm really stressed about putting on a G&S show. We open in 3 weeks, and the costumes aren't even half done; we're trying to blag steel deck from everyone we know; I'm the treasurer and people keep asking me for more money; and the tickets aren't selling very well.

Add to that the fact that I've just burst into tears in my Statistics lecture; and I think I need to try some relaxation techniques. Going on the internet is the one I'm trying just now. The problem with most of them is that I don't have the time.

Maybe I'll just keep on singing and try to forget my worries. I'm sure show week will raise my spirits!

Which G&S show will it be?

We're doing HMS Pinafore and Trial By Jury. The changeover of shows is interesting; no interval, just change the scenery and costumes on stage during overture and first song of Trial by Jury.