I react to stress too. I concur with Theresa and Wander -- lots of good ideas there. I take hot baths to soothe my muscles that ache with being very active so suddenly after a Winter of being sedentary.

I also watch "Breaking Bad" which i've seen eight times all the way thru. It's comforting to watch a show where i know what happens. I watch it on Netflix and just let it spin hour upon hour while i relax and unwind from my early, busy mornings and early afternoons. I concentrate on things in the show which i might have missed previous times, like the colors and prints of their clothes.

I eat dinner by candlelight and try and be mindful and concentrate on the food and the sensations -- all five senses. It's quite pleasant. I go to bed early and get up uber-early. I enjoy walking my dog in the refreshing cold. I'm enjoying Spring cleaning and the hard work of giving everything a good scrubbing after a Winter of neglect.

I bought a duvet and sneak under it and bake in the warmth for 40 minutes or so in the afternoon. It's important to deprive all the senses when you're feeling overwhelmed. I snuggle my dog and bury my face in her fur.

I laugh liberally when chatting with people or watching TV. Laughter is a great stress reliever. I listen to music with my eyes closed to rest them. If it's still daylight i put a black eye-shade over my eyes to help them rejuvenate and re-oxygenate. They sting from sleep deprivation. I listen to Matthew Good's "Chaotic Neutral" and an alternative rock free online radio station on Jango.com and some classical romantic piano tunes.

I endured four years of crisis after crisis in my early thirties -- divorce, became unemployable due to bipolar, hypomania, poverty, homelessness, moving across the nation to a dangerous city where i lived downtown on the edge of a war zone, getting depressed, drinking and drugging, having careless sex with many partners, appealing my denial for private disability benefits thru a lawyer (i won!) -- so i'm no stranger to stressful situations.

But we can overcome! Be mindful, do things slowly and purposefully and you will triumph, GlamSlam!

Hugs,

Jane.