Stress Relief

Ya know how certain scents are comfy? I like the smell of play-doh, but guess what? They changed the freaking way it smells! Made me mad. I bought a little tiny container of it, says ages 2+, I figure I fit that, then only to find out, the smell is different. That's like part of the reason to handle play-doh. Plus it is a stress reliever. I had 3 other people smell it and they say it is normal. I think they're wrong.
What do you do for stress relief?
I also listen to loud music while I'm driving when I'm mad at the world, or feeling like a wild woman.
Gardening, working the soil with my bare hands is something else I enjoy for stress relief. But the mosquitoes are about to carry me away so there will be none of that.

 

Tai Chi (at the martial end of things). Good for lowering blood pressure, fitness and also serves to improve balance and stance.

 

In my younger years I would have found stress relief somewhere in a bottle of Scotch, more often at the bottom rather than the top. Now I just don't let things bother me. I let them roll off my back, and don't give them a second thought. Right or wrong I have found that stress will be greatly reduced when you have an " I don't give a $%^& attitude." Things that used to make me crazy I now ignore. Maybe it just comes with age.

 

I simply get up in the mornings around dawn . Sip on a cup of coffee or two and enjoy the sounds of the beginning of a new day and watch the sun come up . Whenever I get a doctor check up they are always impressed with my blood pressure and am often told I have the blood pressure of a teenager . I am nearly seventy .

 

I head for the woods because being there is like Nature's answer to Prozac.

My brother is the same way, Ha, his pirogue is the biggest "Prozac" pill I have ever seen. Every chance he gets, he grabs one of his pirogues and heads for the swamps...

(To the uninitiated, a pirogue is a type of boat in Louisiana that can glide thru the swamps like lightning. In the old days, they were handmade from cypress trees.)

If I can't get in the woods, then I escape in my mind...whoaaa....now there's a trip, lol.


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I'm another one that likes the smell of Play-Doh. OK, for the sake of this thread, I will try to remember to ask around my circle of little friends and see if any of them have any...

Yes, certain smells are comfy! My comfort smells would be Night Blooming Jasmine, Magnolia blossoms, and the Mississippi River. They are reminiscent of half a lifetime spent in New Orleans / Barataria areas.

Another smell is the aroma of roux as it reaches perfection. (The roux is the base of many Creole/Cajun dishes.) It is a mixture of cooking oil and flour which is stirred at medium-high heat until it is the right color for the effects and flavor I want. For example, very dark roux = thinner gumbo, but more intense roux flavor. Lighter roux = thicker gumbo. (Each color stage also has its own special aroma.) When it reaches that magic moment, I throw in the trinity (onions, celery, bell pepper)...OMGoodness, then the delightful aroma becomes like a religious experience for me, lol!

Sounds do it for me too: Rain, crickets, frogs, alligators, shrimp boats, tugboats... and the sound of water gently lapping the side of a houseboat...








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I just kill things, it relives stress and is supremely satisfying.

Good Tools for stress relief: Husky 570X, and a splitting maul.

If I need some stress, full battle rattle, always gets there instantly.

 

Grizz: I feel less stress just reading your post!!

I must not be as in touch with my olfactory side, or I'm just a typical guy. I love the smell of gunpowder when I shoot. I love the smell and the sound (crazy!!) of 33 race cars getting the green flag on the first lap, and flying past you almost in formation. Probably not stress reducing, but certainly exhilarating.

 

Who is your daddy????!!!???? My brother is exactly like this, a literal killing machine. Says it relaxes him. (As a result, he has the fullest pantry and freezer that I have ever seen.)



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If you want to make billions of dollars quickly, create and market a ladies cologne that smells like "HOPPIES No.9" It will drive "Realmen" wild with desire.

 

Or, for that matter, a men's cologne that smells like Hoppe's #9... Women, like myself, love the smell of well cared for guns!


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The good choice of a spouse can reduce stress, a poor choice will increase stress.

 

Do you know the reason humans like the smell of "Play-doh"......??

It has the exact same smell as a freshly washed and dried infant.

In the wilderness new born animals have a smell that predators can't detect after they are licked clean. Not sure how long that condition remains, or if it is remotely relevant to the smell of freshly washed infants.


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One of my favorite methods of stress relief is splitting wood with a nice axe. I always have an endless list of projects, and the projects where I’m building or repairing something can really eliminate any stress while I’m working. In the winter, plowing my almost half mile long driveway is great stress relief.

Two shots of Makers Mark and two cubes of ice works wonders too!

 

I like the way you think. A fellow bourbon drinker when I drink.

 

Maybe I need bigger stress relievers. Sounds like I'm not having enough fun, compared to you guys.

 

A day at the range is my stress relief!

 

Stress relief...

little stress = Paint, carve or something else with art.

medium stress level = Go fishing or sit in a hunting blind.

high stress = Go to the gun range or blow things up. Some habits are hard to break.

Dale