I think I'm way too stressed right now...

Life has been particularly stressful lately, and I'm beginning to think it's affecting people around me. I've noticed more sarcasm from my end of the conversation, and I've been getting pissed at the littlest things... Like, today, this girl kept on putting herself down no matter what I said, and I actually yelled at her, and she cried... And then my friend told me she wanted to kill herself and I got so mad that I cried.

Anyway, a few things are going on that I guess are stressing me out... I'm still trying to recover from lots of F's and D's in school that were a result of another stressful situation a few months ago, I'm getting death threats from this deranged prick who thinks I'm the reason his girlfriend dumped him, I'm losing all my friends at once again, and I have enough homework to build a comfortable house with. I know I can't stop all this from happening, but are there some surefire ways to cope? I need some help here...

Hey Captkirk,

Sorry to hear you're under so much stress, I've been there

I can't give you some SUREFIRE ways to cope, but I can definitely tell you what helps me. When the stress seems so overwhelming it feels like my head is going to explode I do a few things:

-Deep Breathing (set some time aside to do some breathing, could be 5 or 10 minutes. Pull the breath down into your belly and release it back out slowly, try to think of nothing but your breathing. Even if you can do it for only a short time it helps your brain naturally cope with stress).

-Exercise (this is huge, even if you're just going to lift weights for 15 minutes or take a 10 minute jog, this also helps your body and brain cope with stress and relieve you of that excess stressful energy while releasing endorphins that make you happy!)

-Pamper yourself (be your own best friend, read comic books, tell friends and family you're taking a you day and do fun, distracting things to recharge. I enjoy reading, watching youtube, playing video games etc.) You may have a lot to get done, but your mental health is the most important thing.

-Break down what you have to get done into smaller steps, got a writing assignment that's 20 pages long? Set yourself up to do 5 or 10 pages, stop, chill then come back to it later. I have found lately that if I work in smaller steps and set smaller goals I can accomplish them easily without feeling overwhelmed by "all of it."

-Self-Soothe (take a hot bath, light some scented candles, lay in bed and work on progressive muscle relaxation, bake homemade cookies, listen to soothing music -- I find that using my senses by finding things that comfort me helps the stress melt away).

Here's hoping these suggestions are helpful, like I said I can only share what helps for me. Hope the stress is relieved soon for you. Best wishes.

I think stratocaster has given some great coping techniques. Hope you can use some them to feel better. Try to watch the sarcasm, that will definitely not help you out with friends and if you find yourself saying something inappropriately simply appologize and explain you are under a lot of stress right now. Good luck to you.

You are not affecting the people around you, they are affecting you. Get away from them. Build that comfortable house with all that home work and enjoy it. Maybe law enforcement should hear about those threats?

Those sound like they'll be really helpful, thanks. I'll try all of them...

Alright. Usually these terribly extreme social anxieties of mine prevent me from explaining myself somehow... And thanks, I'll be trying those out.

Haha, thank you. And I don't have any proof of them, so there's nothing that can be done, apparently.

I'm sorry you're feeling so much stress. I too am under a whole heck of a lot! I have to say my absolute favorite way to relieve all that's piling on top of me is to make a list of things I know I'm doing RIGHT. After I've done that I reward myself for them. Not anything huge, maybe a shirt here...or my favorite food that I know is fattening :P.
I'm not sure if it will work for you but I know it's helpful for me to understand that there are things that are good that I'm doing and I should be rewarded for them and not put myself down. Hope you feel better!

Oh, that sounds like a really good idea! I'll try that too, thanks.