@missy, @rambo, faithful followers and friends and random SG stumble uponers, I wasn't going to do this blog homework because I don't stress out. Or I should say, I rarely ever feel stressed out even when I am stressed out. Probably because of the following things I've learned over the years.
1. Don't stress out and worry about things over which I have no control. It's a waste of energy. This includes when money is tight between paychecks and I have no means to get more until payday.
2. If I'm stressing over something I can control, figure out what I can do and make the situation better. If I don't do anything and simply fret about it, shame on me.
3. I rarely worry about what people think about me or whether they like me or not. Except for the people who I care about and care about me... Family, especially my wife, and the few good friends I have.
4. You want to be my friend? Great! No? That's ok too. I don't waste time and energy making people like me and be my friend.
If I follow one or more of those "rules," my stress level stays pretty low. But on the rare occasion that stress or anger rears its ugly little head, these are the things that usually help bring it right back down.
MUSIC
It doesn't really matter how I get my music fix, as long as I get it, and the heavier and harder the better. It can be hanging out in my sorry excuse for a man cave listening to a playlist through headphones. It can be by taking a drive in my Mini Cooper with the windows down, sunroof open and metal blasting through the speakers. Or, by taking one of my guitars down off the wall, plugging in and jamming (working on a song idea, learning to cover a song I like, concentrated practice or simply mindless noodling).
Speaking of guitars, here are mine:
ABOVE: Wesson Spectrum LX (purchased in 1985 or 1986). The photo above is before I had to replace the bridge. It originally came with a Bendmaster floating bridge. One of the claws that held the ball end of the strings broke a couple of years ago. It's extremely difficult to find a Bendmaster bridge, so I replaced it with a Floyd Rose.
ABOVE: Squier Telecaster Promo Model (purchased in 2008)
ABOVE: Ibanez Acoustic Dreadnaught (purchased in 1993 in Pordenonne, Italy)
ABOVE: Epiphone Thunderbird IV Bass (received as a birthday gift in 2007)
ABOVE: Ovation Celebrity (received as a Christmas gift in 2009 or 2010)
ABOVE: Ibanez RG Series 7-String (purchased 2005 or 2006)
ABOVE: Jackson RRXT (received as a gift in 2012 for my 50th birthday)
Usually, I'll pick the Westone, Jackson or Ibanez 7-String and plug into one of my 3 amps (Bugera 212-333XL is my primary amp; Crate Power Block paired with a Marshall 4x12 cabinet is my backup or stereo amp; VOX DA5 is a practice amp I can take anywhere as it can run on batteries as well as AC power; Drive CD 300B is my bass practice amp). Any amp will do.
BOWLING
This works especially well only if my high stress coincides with one of my bowling league nights, which are usually Tuesday and Friday nights. Rolling a 15 pound ball down an alley at high speed trying to knock the shit out of the pins is a good stress reducer, especially if there is a face attached to the stress. I just visualize that person's face on the head pin. Sometimes I'll put in earbuds and listen to a heavy metal playlist to drown out people. Oh, look more music!
WORKOUT
Hitting the gym and lifting weights while listening to a heavy metal playlist works wonders on stress. Oh, look music is involved again!
SEX
Not sensual lovemaking. I'm talking about hot, heavy, hard pounding in every hole she'll let me kind of sex. Works great unless my wife is the cause of my stress. Then it's one of the other options. Fortunately, she isn't a stress causer very often.
GET BACK TO NATURE
Drive out to Red Rock Canyon, Valley of Fire, Clark County Wetlands Preserve or some other location, hike and take photos. The serenity is calming and the photography takes my mind off the stressors. Sometimes it even helps me figure out a solution if there's a problem to solve.
CODE
This one works best on workdays and I'm at work. Sit at my desk with headphones on, listening to a heavy metal playlist (not too loud - it's mainly background noise), and code some automated tests, or practice coding something. Building a continuous integration system for practice works too.
VIDEO GAMES
Especially shooters (like Mercenaries, Halo or Black Ops), RPGs (like Baldur's Gate, Dragon Age or Mass Effect), hack and slash games (like Diablo), or silly fun games (like Destroy All Humans). Basically any game where I can shoot things, kill things or blow shit up work best. Rocksmith (and to a lesser extent Guitar Hero and Rock Band) works too.
VENTING
Writing song lyrics or a blog post (here if there is a person attached to the stress or anger, and I don't want them to read it, or on my personal blog). Just venting works pretty well. So does just talking it out with someone, usually my wife is there for me when I need to vent.
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Those are the things that help me reduce my stress on those rare occasions when I do feel stressed. How do you reduce your stress? Write your homework blog and post a link in the comments below. I will read it. I promise!
Stay Tuned...
DeadGuitarist
