what calms you

If you are calm and in control all the time, why would you comment on this thread I wonder?

I like yoga, a walk, a dressing gown morning.

Cats you can't beat having a purring cat on your lap very soothing.

Reading I guess. I'm inclined to get a sort of floating anxiety. Not about anything in particular. Just butterflies in my stomach.

Getting on with jobs helps a lot. And I will do that now.

I'm not a stress head, I deal with problems as they come. I'm not a worrier by nature I just get on with it.

My son has a lot of health issues and my job is extremely stressful so my strategies are;
Walking with my dogs - I live in the North East so I am lucky to have a stunning coastline!
I read.
Music and a long hot soak in the bath.
I'd like to try meditation but struggle with it.

Walking for me but when I bake I have to be calm otherwise it all goes horribly wrong!

A variety of things:
Listening to music
Going for a walk
Bird watching
Baking
Reading
A nice soak in the bath

The TV film of Pride and Prejudice

Yes baking...and eating the results of that activity.
Jam tarts, warm scones ? apple pie, ginger buns, seed cake...mmm, delish.

Ginger buns sound good.

grapefruitpip, we comment because the question assumes that we all have stress, like somehow it's normal, therefore we need 'calming' strategies!

^My teaching colleagues always knew when I was stressing over my forward plan, when I came in with lots of homebaking.
Plenty cakes, but no forward plan^

You do make me giggle Marydoll! Talk about displacement there (or should it be procrastination?)

I’m a bit of a worrier. Not much (luckily) but health issues do spook me - waiting for test results etc. Fortunately, as far as I know I’m in good health. But still.

I think it’s a learned response. My dad died at 47y after 18 months illness with bowel cancer. I was 22y and pregnant with our first child. I went to pieces.

I read once that a mother can only be as happy as her unhappiest child. I’m a softie and I have found that, over the years, to be true.

When I’m anxious I don’t eat. I love food but I ‘shut down’ if I’m stressed.

You can tell I’m happy these days, I’m plump! (Oh dear, I don’t want to hex things).

No Hetty58 - gfp was having a pop at Gabriella there.

A walk, a hot bath, regretfully, a cigarette (if I'm very anxious and upset), a glass of wine, singing, listening to music.

Oh I didn’t say what calms me, sorry! Half a Valium tablet.

Knitting, reading and listening to music, but mainly being in my own surroundings.

Hetty - the OP specifically asked “how do you cope with stress?” which was an invitation to others to post about how they cope with stress (which is normal for them). If you don’t get stressed by anything and therefore don’t have any suggestions because it just doesn’t affect you then gfp is right - why comment?

I used to find knitting relaxing too. Maybe start up again.
As I wrote on another thread, DD1 is worried about her job future, and I've always tended to share her worries more than those of our 2 sons.
Who have had similar problems
I would like to have an on/off switch when it comes to worries.

Oh For God's sake, what are you on about ?

I can't be doing with this nonsense.

Somebody asks how others cope with stress. People offer some tips and SirChenjin quite bravly brings medication into the conversation.

What on earth is the point of saying " I don't suffer from stress"

It sounds smug and lacking empathy.

if I start a thread on being nervous about swimming ( for example) , what is the point of somebody contributing their time for swimming the channel?

spinning, the sound of my foot on the pedal and the whirr of the bobbin

My husband had a stressful job and when he retired he started doing jig-saw puzzles. At first I wasn't very interested but after a while I added a piece here and there. Now I actually find it a very calming activity. I buy the puzzles from charity shops and when I've finished I return them.

That's funny Greta, my 22 year old AS is the same! Must be something in it.

I find jigsaws calming too. Apart from the 3D one I’m currently struggling with, which is having the opposite effect.

I’m even happier with the puzzling now I’m passing the finished ones on to our local church for their jigsaw festival. It seemed like a bit of a waste of time before.

Walk in the countryside.
Swim in lake,
Tai-chi moves.
Hang music by a great friend.