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6 Negative Ways to Deal with Stress that You Should Avoid

Not all ways to reduce stress are good. In fact, some are negative ways to deal with stress that you should avoid. Such ways to relieve stress may help initially but later they do more harm than good. Here are six unhealthy ways to deal with stress that you should keep at bay – some might come up as a surprise for you!
Photo showing drinking man as negative ways to deal with stress
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Stress can sometimes be frightening and frustrating. As a result, we are sometimes forced to resort to negative ways to deal with stress. These may offer some relief initially but then we’re caught in a vicious cycle. Thus, we form a bad habit of unhealthy ways to deal with stress that adversely affects our day to day life, making life more difficult. Here are a few bad ways to reduce stress that you should be careful to avoid. ~ Ed.

 

Don’t we all try to find ways to reduce stress? It’s because we all have stress in our lives, whether at home or at work.

I know you try hard not to let stress affect you, and would like to keep it at bay forever. However, it’s not possible always.

One theory suggests that you get stressed because you allow yourself to be under that negative condition. But you always have a choice – don’t you?

Positivity and optimism help counter, control, and conquer stressful situations. After all, mental and emotional stresses depend on your state of mind.

If you’ve a strong and stable mind, and positive strategies to support you, then you might save yourself from getting affected by stress.

But at times, in spite of being upbeat and positive, you still feel that you’re under stress.

In that case, you should remember that not all stress is bad. Some level of stress is sometimes necessary to make you move, and helps you to get the work done.

However, you do need to find a way to reduce stress if it goes beyond the required level.

If you try to lessen the stress in your lives with the bad ways, you get into more trouble. You risk forming bad habits and even get addicted, which makes matters worse.

All this might harm you directly or indirectly.

You might find the good and right ways of coping and dealing with stress everywhere, but here I’d like to mention some negative ways to deal with stress.

It’s an attempt so that you are aware of them, can recognize them, and know that you should avoid them.

“Stress should be a powerful driving force, not an obstacle.” ~ Bill Phillips

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6 Negative Ways to Deal with Stress

Most of you unknowingly adopt the wrong ways to lower the stress levels. Some of these are even your natural coping mechanisms, if you’re pessimistic in your attitude.

girl biting her nail which is one of the ways to reduce stress

Self-Harm

Also known as self-injury and self-mutilation, self-harm is a negative way of lessening deep stress or releasing emotional pain.

You feel better temporarily after harming yourself, but then the stress, along with more painful feelings, returns.

You’re then caught in a vicious cycle and keep hurting yourself – the behavior becomes addictive.

Some of the things people do in self-harm are banging their head, hitting themselves, cutting or burning their skin, not letting the wounds heal, swallowing toxic substances, and other weird things.

Did you know that even biting nails, peeling off your skin, clipping your nails with your teeth or fingers, are all lower forms of self-mutilation?

You might know them as signs of anxiety or nervousness, and there could be some other reasons too, but mostly you use these ways to beat the stress.

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Now, most of you resort to some of these ways – don’t you? I confess that I sometimes bite my nails whenever I’m under pressure or stress. What about you?

Though even self-hitting and other forms of self-harm are generally non-suicidal acts, and the person performs them in secrecy, some of these weird ways can be harmful and fatal.

Are you or your known ones struggling with the problem of self-harm? If so, then you can find more helpful information in this online guide.

Self harm yields more pain than gain, and increases the stress levels instead of decreasing them. Self harm is a negative ways to deal with stress that you should never ever think of resorting to.

Girl with hair plucked from face which is one of the ways to reduce stress

Trichotrichalmania

As you can make out from the name – it is some sort of a maniac behavior. However, the people suffering from this impulse control disorder are normal people.

Although trichotrichalmania is considered to be a part of the ways of self-harm, I’m mentioning it separately as it is something that’s very visually apparent.

In fact, one of my relative suffered from trichotrichalmania and that is how I got to know more about this odd behavior.

In this disorder, people tend to have a compulsive urge to pull out their own hair mostly due to stress or depression.

I noticed my relative suddenly becoming bald. Her mother tried all kinds of treatment to restore what was diagnosed as hair fall or scalp infection.

But in reality, she was pulling out her own hair whenever she was alone, and she was not even conscious of what she was doing.

For her, it was a natural reaction and urge, and maybe that’s why she never gave much thought to it.

The doctor my relative went to showed them photographs of people suffering from trichotillomania, and they were unbelievable! We managed to see them too.

People pluck out their complete eyebrows and eyelashes, and even hair from their arms! This is their sub-conscious way to reduce stress that eventually turns into a disorder.

If you observe your loved ones getting bald and if the hair growth is uneven, it is likely that the person is pulling the hair to seek interim relief from stress.

a woman drinking alcohol which is one of the ways to reduce stress

Alcoholism

Resorting to alcohol is a common way to reduce stress. When you’re under the influence of alcohol, there are chemical changes in your brain that give you temporary relief from stress.

The brain actually sends signals to the body to slow down. Apart from this, drinking alcohol also increases the levels of dopamine, a hormone which is responsible for creating a pleasant feeling.

It is followed with a temporary feeling of relaxation and euphoria due to increase in the level of endorphins and serotonin, the hormones that relieve pain and generate a good feeling in the brain.

However, drinking excessive alcohol for long term leads to addiction, problems in life and relations, and severe irreparable damage to the body organs.

A stage comes when even after drinking a lot you’re not able to stimulate the relaxation hormones, however, you become so dependent on alcohol that you find it hard to part with.

You fall in the trap of addiction, and increase the stress levels instead of reducing them.

Drink in moderation. Resorting to alcohol as a stress relief measure is risking your life. Try to avoid it.

A girl drinking coffee which is one of the ways to reduce stress

Caffeine

Now, my inclusion of caffeine as one of the negative ways to deal with stress would come as a surprise to many. Why? Because like myself, I know many of you love your coffee – don’t you?

Do you know that caffeine is a regular drug?

It stimulates the central nervous system, improves concentration, increases wakefulness, and lessens stress and fatigue, which is good and helpful at times.

However, generally drinking more than three cups of coffee for long term causes harmful and unpleasant effects to your body. It may range from insomnia, irritability, upset stomach, and muscle tremors.

No wonder alcohol, caffeine, and even drugs and cigarettes help relieve stress to an extent. But their effect vanishes once the person stops drinking, taking drugs, or smoking.

Moreover, the person becomes addictive to these ways to reduce stress, and the substance abuse starts harming the body gradually behind the scenes.

Have caffeine, but within limits. Don’t use it as a stress buster because if you do so, you might unknowingly call hordes of other problems.

Woman holding bags after shopping spree as ways to reduce stress

Compulsive Spending & Emotional Eating

It is a good practice to care for yourself, and at times even pamper yourself to boost your spirits, raise your self-esteem levels and reduce the stress levels.

You can do so by shopping and gifting yourself once in a while, or splurging on high fat and high calorie food like ice-cream and junk food.

But like in most of the other cases, everything is good until it is in moderation. Things turn bad if you do them in excess and too often.

Emotionally troubled people, in an effort to try to find the way to reduce stress, begin to compulsively buy things for themselves to feel good.

They go on a shopping spree and even spend their money on things that they don’t need. Some even go to the extent of taking loans for this purpose, and eventually self-inflict financial stress in the long run.

With each purchase there’s an increase in the dopamine levels – the brain’s rewarding chemical. And when its effect vanishes then you try to repeat things to maintain your euphoric mood.

Similar thing happens with emotional eating.

Initially, eating acts as a good coping mechanism for stress. But if this way to reduce stress is resorted to every time, then there are negative health implications like excessive weight gain etc.

More so, if your diet comprises of junk food – while indulging in emotional eating, then it may lead to nutritional deficiencies, blood sugar imbalances, and further cause stress to your body and mind.

Whenever you feel you’re under stress, be on guard of overspending, and be aware of what and how much you eat. Don’t let these means become your regular ways to reduce stress.

A man watching porn on laptop as ways to reduce stress

Pornography

It is a fact that for many people, mostly men, pornography is also a way to reduce stress.

This is because sexual stimulation lowers the cortisol levels, the stress hormone, and releases more of dopamine, the rewarding brain chemical.

Since porn is easily accessible, both men and women use it more often to fantasize and escape the reality of life.

However, with prolonged exposure it becomes an obsession, and porn addiction is one of the most difficult addictions to overcome.

Sex is not always the reason for porn addiction because for many it is a way to reduce stress and feel better.

Long-term porn addiction has the risk of endangering your relationship with your spouse. Relationships loose the trust and intimacy, and the partner feels disconnected.

Researches also indicate that people who engage in habitual porn suffer from a low grade depression, low self-esteem, and poor self-image in terms of masculinity. However, there are conflicting views on this issue.

Porn addiction that starts off as a simple way to reduce stress sometimes grows to derange the personalities of men and make them commit heinous crimes like rape, especially if they fall addict to violent pornography.

“Its not stress that kills us, it is our reaction to it.” ~ Hans Selye

Wrapping Up

There are many other negative ways to deal with stress that people use knowingly or unknowingly like lashing out at other people, withdrawing from people and society, sleeping too much, procrastinating, or even not-eating.

Resorting to tranquilizers is not a good way to deal with stress either. Do not use them to cure anxiety or depression caused by stress for a long period as it is more addictive than alcohol.

These are all unhealthy means of seeking stress relief as either they don’t act on the root problem and have a temporary effect, or have a negative impact on your health.

The wrong ways of reducing stress can make you develop bad habits, live an imbalanced lifestyle, fill you with guilt, and further deteriorate your self-image and self-respect.

Except for self harm and trichotrichalmania, you may indulge in any of the ways to reduce stress mentioned in this post, but make sure you remain within limits and don’t get addicted. The choice is always in your hand. 🙂

“Stress is nothing more than a socially acceptable form of mental illness.” ~ Richard Carlson

Over to you

Have you ever faced any wrong ways to cope with stress? Which were they and what did you do to avoid them? Do add more negative ways to deal with stress that one should avoid, if you know of any – in the comment below.

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Disclaimer: We're not offering any medical advice here. These ideas are for educational and entertainment purposes only. Always seek a professional medical opinion from a physician of your choosing before making any medical decision. The information provided here is not intended to be a substitute to the advice given by your physician or another healthcare professional.

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  1. Hello Harleena,

    I read your article and found a new disorder Trichotrichalmania which I haven’t heard before.you are doing good to aware people about something which we are doing when we are stressed but we are not aware.
    keep it up and write a more informative article Like this.
    Thank you for this great informative article

  2. This is a very useful article on unhealthy ways that to scale back stress that we must always avoid.
    ATQ me
    1.We should do Yoga/Exercise.
    2. spend more time with family and friends
    3.Try to find an activity you enjoy, such as walking, dancing, rock climbing or yoga.
    4 . Most Important sleep Well.

  3. This was a wonderful article on bad ways to reduce stress that we should avoid.

    I just wanted to add my experiences with coffee. Like you and many others, I too enjoy coffee. However, from my own experiences there is a clear distinction between when I’ve drank coffee because I enjoy doing so, and am doing so with a friend for instance, compared to when I’m doing it because I’m under stress. When I’ve drank more coffee when I’ve been under pressure, although I thought it was helping, it really wasn’t because I was still tired and felt stressed.

  4. You have well quoted that ‘Our reaction to stress really matters’. As we can see, everyone is going through some kind of stress and depression and all are having similar kind of negative ways to deal with it. Although addictive ways might give temporary diversion to mind, it is very harmful to health later.

    According to me, the best way to deal with stress is taming our minds to be calm, no matter how adverse the situation is.

  5. Happy you enjoyed this post and could identify with it.

    I concur with all that you specified about espresso. Despite the fact that I like some espresso and might have it with family or companions, however doing as such once in for a little while is not quite the same as being dependent on it. When we have it since we need to beat the pressure, it acts diversely on our bodies. As you said, it may give us impermanent alleviation yet from that point we are starting over. I don’t utilize it as stress reliever myself, and have only some tea or espresso toward the beginning of the day and one at night. I trust this post influences individuals to understand that there are better choices, as opposed to these awful approaches to diminish pressure.

  6. This was a wonderful article on bad ways to reduce stress that we should avoid.

    I just wanted to add my experiences with coffee. Like you and many others, I too enjoy coffee. However, from my own experiences there is a clear distinction between when I’ve drank coffee because I enjoy doing so, and am doing so with a friend for instance, compared to when I’m doing it because I’m under stress. When I’ve drank more coffee when I’ve been under pressure, although I thought it was helping, it really wasn’t because I was still tired and felt stressed.

  7. If we could only break up with stress, leave it on a corner and live a stress-free life. They say that alcohol can help you forget all your problems but when you wake up in the morning it’s still there waiting for you to solve it. You can’t run away from it instead change the way you deal with them.

  8. Heleena, how are you doing…?

    It seem for long time that I quite your community blog. Today, I went through twitter and I found you tweet because you ready in my blogger list.

    Thanks for sharing, here…! It was a helpful tips for me. You know..? I got a problem with my wife, the person who I really lvoe her. We divorced almost 3 years, but I seem like yersterday to me..

    Every problem always in my mind, and it build the image of stress and pressure. However, now I could fight with those.., I think that I’m ready to move on.

    But somtime it is not really. I could sleep for whole night, and I woke up and work with blogging.

    I found that what you said here is right, Alchohol can help us to relax the stress but it all the time. Um…, I’d admit that I drink beer almost every night because I want to sleep easier.

    However, even I could sleep but I don’t that it is the best solution because my brain seem not fresh in the more next day..

    I love swimming sometimes I think that it help me for relax stress and pressure. You know..? When I feel like so stress and pressure, I swim deeply into the water till I almost cann’t paiten and I to breath.

    Then, I out of the water for breaths. I feel like lelax because the feeling like you was born again…

    Thanks, I lvoe this topic..

  9. Maam,I need your help. I am stressed. I have a tendency to get attracted to porn. I do not have porn addiction right now.But I used to have it some time before. I have coped with it. But now, when I am completely stressed I feel like to watch it. I have lost my job as my company went under loss. Also , in the same period, my ex bumped co-incidently and my current left me, thinking I still have feelings for my ex, which is not true. Her marriage got fixed, now and she cannot comeback to me.All my close ones are bussy right now. The worst thing is that, my parents got to know about my ex, and they have lost trust over me. They think I am a characterless guy due to my past. This is hurting me the most. I do not know what to do. I did not cheat anybody. neither my ex(when we were in relationship), nor my recent one.My ex got married six years back. But even after her marriage, she kept telling everybody that I was like her husband(she was just girl friend. We were not legally married). I do not know how to handle this. Please help.

  10. Hello Harleena

    According to my research one is victim of stress because of one’s negative attitude but sometimes this stress can be cause of optimistic behavior when one do its experiment and get stress free life.

    From your post it seems that you are adept in clinical psychology.

  11. Isn’t it interesting how we deal with stress in an abusive way to our bodies. When I am in a stressful situation I try to walk away from the situation and think about it. We allow stress to consume us. I am now doing acupuncture and learning meditation, both are helping to cope with stress. I will also start knitting. Boy can I knock out a pattern in no time because the stress level makes me knit faster. After awhile, I start to enjoy what I am doing and let it go what is stressing me out. I am also learning that if I can’t fix it, accept it and move on.

  12. Hi Harleena,

    After reading this blogpost I came to know what are the various ways that could could reduce stress. I would one more that items like cigarette, Coffee would initially help in reducing stress but not in long run infact it is going to harm your health.

    Regards
    Siddhartha SInha

  13. Hi Harleena,

    wonderful information again. Hurting oneself, banging head, burning skin, not letting wounds heel, cutting with blades etc are harmful activities and I personally know few people who do these things. In my class whenever children keep biting their nails I warn them not to do because I know it is a bad habit. But in this article I came to know that it is a lower form of self-mutilation, whatever it is I am happy I don’t allow it in my class.

    Hearing this tongue twister for the first time Tri…mania and I Google for pictures and they are so terrible to watch. I wonder how people would love to pull their hair all by themselves, I think in subconscious state they won’t have the pain. I felt bit awful reading this symptom.

    Alcohol as usual its bad and its addiction will leave an impact on personal life and family. This is to be avoided for better health and long life.

    Coffee as you said is a drug as I am a Chemistry student I have read about it in my college. These drugs are good up to a level but increased or prolonged intake will lead to some problems as you have mentioned. Drinking coffee in a minimum quantity is advisable.

    Ha ha I am hearing this for first time about going for shopping can lower stress. I never heard of anyone who relieve there stress by doing excessive shopping, I would try to see if i could get such examples in my neighborhood.

    Porn its a bad way to lower the stress and the best way to come out of it is to keep ourselves engaged in some works which we love. This is having a harmful effect in youth and I agree even married people to watch it in order to lower their stress which really disturbs their married life, spouse will be disturbed by this kind of behaviors.

    Whenever I feel stressed I prefer sleeping or watching TV, sometimes I call my friend and go for a walk. Else I would talk with my parents, if I had been married may be a kiss or hug would lower my stress.

    Thanks for the article Harleena…
    Your facts always teach something and make me to think sometimes…

  14. Hi Harleena,

    I always appreciate your ability to reach to the extreme depth of a topic. In most of the cases one would have actually written about ways to reduce stress but a fact is that people in stress need advise on the things they must not do. This article is handy in such cases.

    Because this article deals with the kind of stress that people generally have, this is a good read for everyone. I do bite nails and I am not able to get away of this habit. A fact is that I generally do not need to cut my nails to maintain them. However this is to moderate extent and whenever ever I feel kind of stress I try to divert my mind to something else.

    Few practices mentioned here are really unknown to me. I would never think of this and this article is adding to my information. Thanks for sharing.

  15. I think I use some of these ways quite frequently. Will try to avoid them from now on….

  16. Hi Harleena!

    Self Harm.. I guess I never really thought about this as a way to relieve stress, I would have never though nail biting as self harm and NO I do not bite my nails. I do file them when I am stressed though Not a bad thing Right? I can spend and hour doing so.

    When I am stressed I like to turn up the music and dance, I have been doing a lot of dancing lately HEHE

    Great Tips on what to avoid.. Thanks for sharing.. Chery 🙂

  17. Hi Harleena,

    I’m glad I finally made it here, because this subject is very interesting, indeed.

    I had never heard of the name trichotrichalmania, and I’m not sure I’ve heard of cases of people puling their hair, but I heard of birds pulling their feathers for the exact same reason – stress.

    I have an online friend who has a parrot that used to be abused and even though is now loved and cared for he is still pulling all his feathers out except for his head.

    As your post describes it well, uncontrolled stress can do a lot of damage to our body and mind. It’s very important that we do our best to prevent and control stress.

    1. Hi Sylviane,

      Glad you found this post interesting, and nice that you made it here too 🙂

      You’re not alone, because I too learnt of trichotrichalmania only when we had a problem within our family member and when the doctor diagnosed it as such. It was an eye-opener for all of us.

      Ah…I didn’t know of birds pulling their feathers due to stress! I guess they too undergo stress, don’t they? I feel bad for that poor parrot and perhaps being caged, unhappy, and abused are the reason for such a behavior. Glad that it’s not in the same situation now.

      We do need to find ways to avoid such stresses that harm us in more ways than one to lead better lives.

      Thanks for stopping by and contributing to the post 🙂

  18. Harleena, great challenge to evaluate other negative behaviors. 1)Deny my faith. When I am stressed, I used to forget about my core beliefs but now I call upon my God and He helps me through and gives me peace. 2) Isolation. When I used to become stressed, it was far too easy for me to isolate myself from those who care for me instead of finding a trusted friend to share with. 3) Entertainment. Television or any other distraction to not remind me of the stress I’m facing. The problem the cause of the the stress doesn’t go away, but is compounded because I’ve wasted time in addressing the issue.

    1. Hi Dwayne,

      Nice to hear your ways to reduce stress 🙂

      He always does have great powers to reduce our stress levels, but only if we turn to Him. Ah…do you feel that isolation helps you to reduce stress? I guess it does work with some people and once they are alright, they are back to square one too. Oh yes…entertainment of any kind that keeps the mind away from other thoughts and worries keeps us stress-free. No worries – you can become stress-less once again 🙂

      Thanks for stopping by and sharing your views 🙂

      1. Hi Harleena… In answer to your question and to clarify, isolation is a horrible way to reduce stress. Unfortunately its exactly what many people do. We tend to stay away from the very people who could help us to “sort it all out.” Entertainment is a also a bad way to handle stress oftentimes. Ignoring problems, burying our head in the sand (or television) doesn’t address the root causes of the stress.

  19. Hi Harleena,

    What a great and interesting post!

    My reaction to stress differs, sometimes I lash at someone, other times I overeat, other times I do not eat but the obvious and regular habit for me when I am stressed is biting my gums. It may sound strange, but that’s what I do sometimes until bleeding. I pay attention now though as I always used to have swollen gums.

    The best relief for me when I am stressed out is go for a walk with one of my kids or with my husband. When I come back and shower I feel so relaxed and recharged.

    Thanks Harleena for sharing these great advices. Have a great week ahead.

    Be Blessed,

    Neamat

    1. Hi Nemat,

      Glad you liked the post 🙂

      Ah…I can well relate to that, and I think most of us have a mixture of some of these kinds of ways to reduce stress in all of us, though we need to avoid or keep a check on them – isn’t it? Biting gums…that’s something new I’m hearing! Hope it doesn’t hurt you though because if it bleeds it’s kind of a self-harm I think. Oh yes…besides the swollen gums it might even be hurting when you must be eating for a few days till the gums heal. I’m glad you take care of things now.

      I agree with you there, walks are therapeutic indeed, and I enjoy mine with my hubby too, though lately haven’t been on my regular ones. I guess walks charge us up to take up the whole day ahead with full swing.

      Thanks for stopping by and sharing your experiences with all of us. Have a nice week ahead as well 🙂

  20. Oh Harleena, those definitely are bad ways for reducing stress although I know that at times I probably haven’t made the best decisions either when things aren’t going well.

    For me I would eat, I’m an emotional eater. There was only one time though that I turned to alcohol but trust me it was the light stuff. People would have laughed if I told them I only drank wine coolers. The real hard stuff ya know but I’m not a big drinker.

    Now for me those were very very very long times ago and I’ve since then really learn how to handle stress better. I will still turn to food at times because it just gets my mind off my problems at that time. We all know though that it’s not a healthy step to take.

    Wake up call everyone, wake up call.

    Thanks for this post as always Harleena because you help us become better people.

    ~Adrienne

    1. Hi Adrienne,

      Yes indeed, while these wrong ways to reduce stress do exist and most of us might even be making some of them, but if we get to know of it all and are able to do it within limits, we are still alright.

      Ah…I think you’re a little like Sue who also mentioned that she tends to be an emotional eater, somewhat like me, and a little of alcohol, which I haven’t ever had. I guess people take these to be stress relievers but don’t realize the after effects it might have on their health.

      Yes, I can understand what you mean when you say that, though if we sometimes turn towards food to relieve our stress, I think that should be alright. After all, we all need something to lessen our stress levels even though just temporarily.

      Oh yes…I do hope this post is a wake up call for those who aren’t following the right ways to reducing their stresses.

      Thanks for stopping by and sharing your experiences with all of us 🙂

  21. Hi Harleena – great advice, as usual!

    I’ve been through some very stressful times in the past – at one point I resorted to comfort eating, and put on loads of weight, and there have also been times when I’ve had more alcohol than was probably good for me. I now eat a pretty healthy diet and drink very moderately and feel much better for it.

    I think one of the best de-stressers is fresh air and exercise – I find going for a walk or a jog can really help me to relax and lift my mood if I’m feeling a bit down.

    My other main stress-busters have fur and a leg at each corner – I think research has shown that owning a pet can be very good for your blood pressure and general well-being. Mine occasionally CAUSE me stress when they’re sick or misbehaving, but on balance I would prescribe a dog for anyone in need of stress relief. Ideally a big dog that needs lots of exercise, because then they’ll help you keep fit too 🙂

    Cats are good too, but you can’t take them for a walk 😉

    Sue

    1. Hi Sue,

      Glad you liked these ways to reduce stress that none of us should follow 🙂

      Ah…you’re not alone because there was a time when I was in the same boat too. Weight gain and stress are related, and so is lack of sleep so as to mention. I guess sometimes even when we know of it all, we aren’t really able to find the right solution for the problems we face – isn’t it? Sometimes the solution lies right in-front of our eyes, but we can’t see it because we are so bound down by the daily rut of life and everyday chores. Nice to know that you took hold of things before they got the better of you 😉

      Your’e absolutely right – walks or jogs are great stress busters, and they elevate the mood too, which takes care for the rest of the day. Oh yes…pets are known to lower your blood pressure and stress levels, and I sure am glad I have a dog who is always around ready to give his love to us. Lol…giving us stress – that’s a good one, but I know what you mean and they do that at times. However, they are generally good and playful otherwise and I’m glad my kids are around to take care of them partially, at least for the time being till they are home. I have an aunt who has 2 huge dogs, and she DOES keep fit in the real sense because of the running around she’s to do with them. Yes, cats are very different I think, though perhaps not as emotive perhaps as dogs. I wouldn’t know much about them because I’ve always had dogs right from the day I was born, and it’s somehow carried on with me even when my kids were born – one after the other. Runs in the family 🙂

      Thanks for stopping by and sharing your experiences with us 🙂

      1. Ah – great to know you’re a fellow dog-lover, Harleena – they certainly make life more interesting and fun, I think – lovely for kids to grow up with dogs around 🙂

        Sue

        1. I love dogs, Sue, and I’m glad even my kids take after me. They do make your lives much more livelier and lessen the stress levels. My younger one is too attached to him, and they both share a very close bond with each other. 🙂

          Thanks once again 🙂

  22. I indulge in sugar when I am stressed but I am trying to only do so in moderation. Plus I watch TV. (I am talking 3 hours a week, so it is not excessive) but I love to watch a light comedy when I am stressed. My son, bites his fingers. I don’t know if it is stress or habit or both. But it makes me crazy! Thanks for this post. Sorry I always miss your posts. I depended on email notifications so when you went to newsletter I have to remember to check ahanow myself every few days. Love you still!

    1. Hi Jodi,

      Ah…I do that sometimes too, though not because of stress I think but just to hike up my energy levels, and chocolates do the trick there 🙂

      3 hrs of TV is hardly anything at all. I do listen to TV more than watch it while working, though not writing, as then I really want everything to be very quiet. If your son’s biting his fingers because of stress or tension, perhaps of exams, then I guess a little of such behavior is seen in most kids too, but it shouldn’t become a habit or he’d have a tough time dealing with it later in life.

      Regarding missing the posts, well, RSS is going regularly when any post is published, so perhaps if you subscribe through it, you’d be notified as soon as a new post is published, which is every Tuesday and Friday (if my Internet connections play up!). The email notification was closed since I shifted to AWeber at the beginning of the year.

      But there are weekly newsletters with the information of the posts published in the previous recent days going out, so if you wish, you can even subscribe to them – those are sure to stay.

      Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts with us 🙂

      1. I do have you on my yahoo RSS feed but it is not what I am used to. I’d have to check that just as I check your site. We always go to what we are familiar with. I am just letting you know that I still enjoy your post even though I am not there right away to read them!

  23. Hi Harleena,

    Stress can cause so many negative behaviors. I haven’t heard about Trichotrichalmania before, so interesting to know more about that disorder. Alcoholism and some of the other addictions certainly can be stressed based when we use these outlets to make ourselves feel better. To cross that line to become an alcoholic or drug addict, your brain is wired a little differently to be vulnerable to the disease of addiction. Sometimes people appear to be alcoholics and yet they can be heavy drinkers with similar behaviors, yet they are capable of stopping their heavy drinking. Complicated, but certainly neither are good. Thanks for sharing. Great information!

    1. Hi Cathy,

      It sure can, though surprisingly most people don’t know about it. Ah…Trichotrichalmania was new to me too, and an eye-opener that we learnt about only when we faced such a problem with our relative. Or else, one doesn’t come to know of such disorders.

      Yes indeed, if the other addictions are carried on for long or if we think they are relieving our stress, we are wrong as they can cause us more harm than we can imagine. I agree with you there, though both, alcoholics and heavy drinkers do cross their limits as they don’t realize what they are heading for – yet feel they drink to relieve stress. I guess the choice always lies in their hands at the end of the day – isn’t it?

      Thanks for stopping by and contributing to the post 🙂

  24. Harleena,

    This is wonderful! I am glad you brought some of these things to people’s attention. Lots of folks don’t realize that nail biting comes under “self harm” I used to be a nail biter a long time ago, but quit that one habit.

    I must say I do have a coffee addiction. I do realize that it causes so much harm. I just can’t shake it yet! When under stress, I go for coffee. But I’m quite mindful about it. I’ve cut down a lot, but those stressful days, I do allow myself to buzz. The irony is I know that it has an opposite reaction that causes more stress! Grrrrr

    Donna

    1. Hi Donna,

      I’d been reading a lot about how and what all people do to reduce stress, but rarely does anyone write about the bad ways to reduce stress that some people follow.

      Yes, nail biting and hair pulling are things that people do when they are stressed, though don’t realize the harm is does to their bodies.

      I agree, most of us are coffee addicts but if we know of it’s side effects and have it in moderation we are safe. I’m glad I just have a cup of either tea or coffee in the morning, and one in the evening. Yes, when stressed or when we want to keep awake, we do feel that coffee will do the trick and it might, though just temporarily, but after that what happens – we all know. Perhaps choosing lemonade or some juice or even green or lemon tea is a better option. I guess trying it out might help us in the long run 🙂

      Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts 🙂

  25. Hi Harleena,

    This was a wonderful article on bad ways to reduce stress that we should avoid.

    I just wanted to add my experiences with coffee. Like you and many others, I too enjoy coffee. However, from my own experiences there is a clear distinction between when I’ve drank coffee because I enjoy doing so, and am doing so with a friend for instance, compared to when I’m doing it because I’m under stress. When I’ve drank more coffee when I’ve been under pressure, although I thought it was helping, it really wasn’t because I was still tired and felt stressed. These days I don’t drink coffee at all as a stress reliever, because of the unpleasant feelings associated with doing so.

    Thank you.

    1. Hi Hiten,

      Glad you liked this post and could relate to it. 🙂

      I agree with all that you mentioned about coffee. Even though I like my cup of coffee and might have it with family or friends, but doing so once in awhile is different from being addicted to it. When we have it because we want to overcome the stress, it acts differently on our bodies. As you mentioned, it might provide us temporary relief but thereafter we are back to square one. I don’t use it as stress reliever myself, and have just a cup of tea or coffee in the morning and one in the evening. I hope this post makes people realize that there are better alternatives, rather than these bad ways to reduce stress.

      Thanks for stopping by and contributing to the post 🙂

  26. Thank’s for very interestng and creative list….

    Hopefully i m only addict of Caffine from this list ……
    After reading this post i will surely readuce the number of cups of coffeee….

    1. Hi Arpan,

      Glad you liked this list of ways to reduce stress that we shouldn’t follow 🙂

      I guess everything in moderation is alright, and if you can change a few things, it would be better for you in the long run.

      Thanks for stopping by 🙂

  27. Harleena,

    I am very late to read and share this post. I have been dead busy recently! I have seen my wife sharing your posts but you won’t notice her 🙂 She loves your articles.

    This is another interesting article. You are right that we get stressed because we allow ourselves to be under negative condition. I love walking or playing golf whenever I am stressed.

    Thanks for the share.
    -Seun

    1. Hi Seun,

      No worries at all, you know you are welcome anytime 🙂

      I can understand how busy you must be with all that you have to do. Ah..that’s so kind of her – please do thank your wife from my side and let her know it means a lot to me.

      Yes indeed, the choice to get stressed or not get stressed is always in our hand. And if we are choosing these wrong ways to reduce stress, we are causing more harm to ourselves than we can imagine.

      Walking and golf are great stress busters, and my Dad does both of those – not to reduce stress but because he enjoys both of them.

      Thanks for stopping by and contributing to the post 🙂

  28. Self-harm! My sister is crazy about it. Everytime when she is nervous she scratches her big fingers. She does it till blood. I remember when she had examination she scratches her fingers skin till the state when she wasn’t able to hold a pen or spoon because it hurt so much.. Can you imagine; She is 27 now and still she can’t composure herself.

    1. Hi Evan,

      Oh dear…that’s one of the worst ones to deal with, and makes me wonder how people can use it as one of the ways to reduce stress.

      If her finger bleeds, it must be hurting her a great deal too. So, don’t you all try to stop her from doing it, or perhaps she does it when no one is watching her. Sorry to hear about it, though I feel she might do well if she seeks medical help in this regard. I do hope she isn’t causing any other way to self-harm herself?

      Thanks for stopping by and sharing your experiences 🙂

  29. Hello Harleena,

    You are right, these are really bad way of reducing stress, though most of them seems to work at that particular time, but the danger they cause after that is Unbelievable…

    Hope to come here to read 5 Good ways to reduce stress, you will write that right?

    Have a wonderful week….

    Hope you enjoy your vocation???

    1. Hi Temilola,

      They sure are, and yes, they seem good and even work temporarily giving you a good feeling at that time, but the aftereffects can do more harm than good to you.

      There are so many ways to reduce stress and I’ve written a few posts on them already (they are linked within this post too), but yes, I might just write how you can overcome these particular bad ways one fine day to help those who are dealing with these issues.

      Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts. Yes indeed, my vacations are going on very well and I’m juggling between things, yet making the most of it all. Have a nice week ahead too 🙂

  30. Hi Harleena,

    Gosh… I don’t think of stress 😀 It makes me stressful. I think I’ve been through it enough. Around 9 – 10 years ago, I was a nail biter too. I don’t know how I stopped it, but it’s the same time I’ve got my first PC. I always feel better being occupied myself for something, at least for music or gaming.

    If I feel I’m gonna stress out, usually I just switch to another activity and go back with fresh eyes. Thankfully, I’m not favoring caffeine, but lemon / lime juice 😀

    I used to have few friends who thought about self-harm, including a girl too. Usually I think it’s because of their loneliness and I used to hang out or talk more with ’em or long hours. Sadly no one is keep in touch with me now but I’m glad I could help ’em to change their perspectives 🙂

    I’m really sorry to hear about your relative Harleena. I hope now she’s getting rid of it. Is she? Well, it’s one word I hate – Disorder. It tends to blow self-esteem of a person in just few seconds. People look at it in a different way like they are not normal human beings. I’ve been surrounded by such people who has different disorders, but never found anything unusual 🙂 Just feeling sorry for ’em.

    As I know, Alcoholism, Pornography, Over-eating and Caffeine are mostly common in IT folks 😉 Instead of coffee, now they tend to use diet-coke or energy drinks, but still they are not healthy as they imply either. However I find that girlies use green tea instead of coffee now as they think more about their figures. But I think it’s a far better choice 🙂

    Stats says that porn addiction grows everyday in younger generations and in US, age 13 is the minimum age to lose virginity plus some get access to pornographic materials in their pre-teen stage. The thing is, parents doesn’t know anything about it in many cases. The stats just worries me about future, especially how careful we should be when it comes to parenting stage.

    Once I read an old science book which was delivered for Grade 11 students under their syllabus (1980s). It had a very thorough lesson about sex education and but at my time (2004). I read it as a teen too and thought it’s better they are off from our new syllabus now. However we had no such education. I think proper sex education might help to guide teens and overcome myths.

    I’ve read that low self-esteem and pornography links ’cause even people fantasize at that time and feel happy, they feel guilty of doing it after all Harleena. Some just says it’s because of their religious believes. However finally, not a good alternative to reduce stress.

    You have a wonderful week there Harleena 🙂

    Cheers…

    1. Hi Mayura,

      None of us really think of stress because it’s become such an integral part of our lives 🙂

      I can well understand your present situation and how stressful it must be to cope with your work, blog, comments, and all other things that you are managing so well. I guess you surely have learnt the art of time-management.

      Nail biting is surely bad, though most of the time we don’t realize what we are doing, just like the hair pulling incident. However, unlike the hair loss that we really can’t notice till late, nails we can notice and can put a stop to it if we want to. Yes indeed, music and games are any day better alternatives to beat stress.

      Lemon juice is very good indeed, and it gives you the required quota of Vitamin C for the day too, yet – excess of anything can be bad, just in-case you have too much of it. Nothing to beat plain water – isn’t it?

      I’m glad you helped your friend’s who were using self-harm as a way to reduce their stress, because just as they name suggests, it does more harm to them than good and is best avoided. I agree, sometimes people do into all of this because they are lonely, but they have to take up better options instead of these.

      Yes, she is under medication where she has to apply certain medication for hair growth and take certain medicines too. Her hair is coming back again and she’s recovering from the hair loss, but it is a slow process and her family has to keep an eye on her that she isn’t pulling her hair when alone and make her realize and stop it. I know – I too dislike the word disorder, but that’s what the doctor’s love to use. It’s more of a medical term for them, but people often take it in another way or perhaps they don’t realize or know the full story behind it all.

      Ah…I didn’t know that all of these bad ways to reduce stress existed in the IT folks! Wonder why though – don’t they have enough to keep them occupied (studies!). I’ve heard of diet cokes too and you are right, they also have their drawbacks and caffeine in it as well I think. I think girls are more sensible there to opt for green tea or lemon tea, because that is certainly a better and healthier choice 🙂

      Aren’t those stats amazing? Yes, pornography just seems to be growing and on the rise, and as you mentioned, in most of the cases the parent’s never come to know what’s happening behind the scenes. They do need to make stricter rules and regulations and parents need to take more care about their kids before things really get out of hand.

      You are right – proper and timely sex education IS a must for kids and teens nowadays. It’s better they are taught the right from the wrong at an early age, rather than them discovering things and trying out the ways that might harm them in the long run. However, even though many attempts are made in our country, things haven’t picked up pace in this regard as yet, though I wish it would. You gave me another new idea for perhaps a future post on sex education, so thanks for that because I know it’s an important one 🙂

      They do gain temporary pleasure, just as they do when they indulge in all the other bad ways mentioned, and later feel bad about having done it. Religious beliefs…I wonder how they can say that here! I guess when they have and know of better ways of beating stress, they would stop using these ones and take up those. I hope this post helps them realize this simple fact.

      Thanks for stopping by and adding more value to the post, as always. I do appreciate your awesome comments. Have a nice week ahead as well 🙂

  31. If you remember we have mention 1 minute meditation that help people to reduce stress .You can also share that tips with your users because that 1 minute meditation is amazing to reduce stress who don’t have time for meditation.

    1. Hi Vishnu,

      Yes, meditation, yoga, and so many other ways are there to reduce stress. But this post is about the bad ways to reduce stress, which we all have to avoid. If you read a few of my older posts on stress, those points are mentioned there, which help you cope/deal with stress.

      Thanks for stopping by 🙂

  32. Whew! There are a lot of bad ways for people to deal with stress. I’ve been MIA lately because I dealt with stress by dropping out of the blogging world for a little while. But I’m back now!

    Thanks for all the great information Harleena!!

    1. Hi Betsy,

      Absolutely! These are surely bad ways to reduce stress and we need to keep away from them. I read your post on that and it was almost like the life I’ve been leading lately too. I guess we all do need a getaway break or breather to do thing that also need our attention. Nice to have you back 🙂

      Thanks for stopping by and sharing your views with us 🙂

    1. Welcome to the blog Vandana – good to see you here!

      Glad you liked the post and yes, I do hope it helps people in deciding on the right and wrong ways to reduce stress in their lives.

      Thanks for stopping by 🙂

  33. Harleena this is a very awesome post I really like it ! 😀

    Actually I have exams and I am doing a pretty good job,however sometime I feel so stressed but I don’t want to stop studying because I’ll have lots of informations if I do, But I take some relax for better results- fortunately I’m not doing any of the mistake to reduce stress that you have shared with us above 😀

    I use only coffee at night when I have lots of lessons to revise :), I basically use coffee to keep awake at night rather than decrease the stress 😀 , I think this is not a mistake isn’t? or I should sleep early? 😀

    Anyway great post Harleena keep up the good job !

    1. Hi Anis,

      Nice to know this is a timely post that you could so well relate to 🙂

      Oh dear…and with those exams, your blog, and having to manage the new blog that you started with Bashir and Nwagene, who is also having his exams presently – how do you manage it all I wonder? Yes, the stress levels would be on the rise of course.

      I agree, to beat stress you need to take frequent breaks and do something different to feel refreshed again to take on more stress (studies!)I’m glad you aren’t following any of these ways to reduce stress that can do more harm than good to you.

      That’s absolutely alright because you are having just a cup and not too much of it. I have it sometimes too when I have overload of work to catch up to keep awake at night. I know it’s a bad habit, but I do that sometimes only, not regularly.

      Well, if you are a person who sleeps early and gets up early, then it’s not right to force yourself to keep awake at night to study. However, there are people who like to study late at night because it’s quiet and peaceful, and they do better that ways and prefer sleeping till late in the morning – so if that’s your cup of tea – then by all means go ahead and choose that option. Each one to their own 🙂

      Thanks for stopping by and sharing your experiences with us 🙂

      1. Hi again Harleena thanks for your reply 😀

        I have lots of exams to revise and the exams are approaching a lot, but this is not a problem , Because the exam will start on 17 June and ends in 18 June 🙂

        So after that date I will be totally free but for a limited time about 1 week or less

        Because I’ll travel to Italy to work 🙂
        In Italy I just work, play soccer and hang out with friends I will seldom have access to Internet because I don’t have time 🙁
        ThanKs Harleena 😀

        1. That’s alright – I’m sure you will do well in all your exams, and wishing you all the best for them too 🙂

          Yes indeed, after exams it should be play time – why not! And when it’s party time, why should the Internet come in the way, though I’m sure you’d be able to manage a few hours in the day, or else it hardly matters – does it?

          Thanks once again 🙂

          1. after the exams it’s surely just play time !

            My luv is not showing in the comment 🙁

            I’ll surely be available at least 2 or 3 hours per day to manage my blog and our new one 🙂

            Have a cool day Harleena 🙂

            1. I was just thinking why your CommentLuv isn’t showing because everyone’s coming right through. Perhaps you can try using another browser, it might work then, sometimes such problems occur.

              Thanks once again 🙂

              1. I’ll Harleena Thank You 🙂
                I’m commenting from another browser hope the Luv will show up this time 😀

  34. I have not heard of Trichotrichalmania before. What an unusual behaviour of pulling your own hair out? Some nice ways to reduce stress. I was wondering if basic yoga can help reduce stress or not? Thanks for these great tips Harleena.

    1. Hi Shalu,

      Neither had I. But yes, once my relative was diagnosed with the problem and we went and took the doctors views, did we come to know of it ourselves. Most of the time the person pulling the hair doesn’t know himself/herself that he/she is doing it.

      Glad you liked these ways to reduce stress that we should avoid, and not adopt. Yes indeed, yoga and meditation work wonders to relieve stress.

      Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts 🙂

  35. Mine tends be sweets. They seem to calm me and give a nurturing feeling. I try to balance it though and ask myself questions like, Why I am eating this? Are you really hungry? Is the best choice? Some days it works other days the chocolate wins out.

    1. Hi Kristina,

      Ah…mine at times too! And chocolates always gets the better of us at times – don’t they? Yes indeed, we have to make that deliberate effort to stop ourselves from overeating or going overboard with things, or else it could all get out of hand. I think everything in moderation is the key.

      Thanks for stopping by and sharing your views with us 🙂

  36. Nice post !

    Came across this on twitter and it’s absolutely a wonderful information. I always believed caffeine is a good stress reliever (it works great for me)…guess I have to keep a check on it now 🙂

    This one really makes one of the best advice piece I have read recently.
    Thanks for sharing…

    1. Welcome to the blog Meetu!

      Nice of you to have stopped by and glad you found this one on Twitter 🙂

      I agree, tea and coffee are stress relievers and I have them too, but like they say anything in excess is bad, same is the case here. Having too much of them does more harm than good for us.

      Thanks for your kind words of appreciation 🙂

  37. Reducing stress by any of the above mentioned methods will only lead to more problems in the long run, yes these methods could ease stress for a while but will definitely have an effect on the long run which is why no one should practice any of these, especially taking caffiane or nicotine through smoking.

    I usually meditate or play soft music when am stressed, if i have the time i may even take a short nap to clear my head. My job sometimes require me to meet deadlines, and when it seems i am running behind schedule i simply do one thing – Prioritize my tasks and that way i have always avoided stress.

    But if stress ever sets in, i listen to music, watch movies, sleep it off or just waste or while away time on the social networks chatting with friends. Thanks for sharing these awesome article, i can’t wait to show it to my best friend who tries to reduce stress by smoking cigerrates.

    1. Hi Nwosu,

      Yes indeed, these ways to reduce stress will only lead to further complications and health problems in the long run, though might give some temporary relief initially.

      Meditation and music are great stress relievers and I use them sometimes too. Ah…I can never sleep if I am stressed, though I know most people who can, and it makes them feel much better once their nap is over too.

      I agree with you – if you are able to manage your time and prioritize your work, you work on lessening your stress in the long run. It’s the same with me, though working towards that and catching up with things we leave for later, sometimes causes stress too.

      Hope your friend finds this post of us, and lessens before finally quitting to smoke 🙂

      Thanks for stopping by and adding more value to the post 🙂

  38. I never thought Caffeine would make it to that list; however, I couldn’t agree more with this. It’s one of the most insightful pieces I’ve read in a while. Thanks for the share.

    1. Hi Farouk – nice to have you back 🙂

      I too never thought that caffeine could harm us and be one of the ways to reduce stress that we should avoid – but it is. Glad you liked the post as well.

      Thanks for stopping by 🙂

  39. Great post!

    Other bad ways to cope with stress are: drugs (prescription and illegal) and obsessive/compulsive working out. The latter is more about control. If you feel your life is spinning out-of-control, you could workout twice or more per day, seven-days a week to combat the stress. While working out is good for you, it’s not good if you use it as a way to punish/harm yourself.

    1. Hi Amandah,

      Absolutely! Medications and tranquilizers that some people manage to take without prescription does more harm than they can imagine.

      Never thought about compulsive workouts, but you are right, doing it in moderation is the key, instead of getting obsessed with it and harming or punishing yourself, or feeling that it would reduce stress.

      Thanks for stopping by and sharing your views 🙂

  40. I try to avoid alcoholism now, but that was a way that I used to handle stress. Alcoholism runs in my family too, another reason I avoid it often.

    Pornography can be dangerous as you mentioned above. It sends men down on a cycle where they need more and more images. It changes brain chemistry. Not a good way at all. If you want to relieve stress just masturbate and not to pornography.

    Thanks for the post. It is always a nice reminder to avoid certain things because in the long run they don’t help. Short run they might feel good, but long term nope!

    1. Hi Sebastian,

      I can understand how alcoholism can affect people and I’m glad you realized it to be one of the bad ways of reducing stress and stopped it in time 🙂

      Yes indeed, pornography might just give you temporary pleasure but it sure is an addiction and is best avoided. I agree, there are other alternatives that people can use to relieve stress.

      We can easily relieve stress by following the right ways, instead of these wrong ones. Just hope everyone realizes the harmful affects of choosing these options.

      Thanks for stopping by and sharing your views 🙂

  41. Hello Harleena,

    You added some excellent but true points to reduce stress. All the points you mentioned are dangerous, harmful & creates addiction. I sometime do nail biting. But most of time when I am in stress, I love to hear romantic song 🙂

    1. Hi Ahsan,

      Nice to know that you liked the ways to reduce stress as mentioned in the post 🙂

      Yes indeed, these wrong ways of reducing stress do more harm than good and are best avoided. Nail biting or biting the skin on the side of the fingers are things some of us do. Ah…romantic songs are great stress busters and I enjoy them too.

      Thanks for stopping by and contributing to the post 🙂

  42. Harleena, I’m guilty of the over-eating. When I get stressed I reach for those carbs.

    I would not have expected to see Coffee on the list. I don’t drink it to relieve stress but to help me wake up or for the 3 pm dip in the day too. I never realized the term of pulling hair out either. Very interesting post Harleena.

    Not quite the things I would have expected except for #’s 3 and 5.
    Enjoy your weekend and I hope it’s a stress FREE one Harleena!

    1. Hi Lisa,

      Ah…that’s one of the common ways to reduce stress that we shouldn’t do, yet we do 🙂

      And mostly it’s reaching out for those deadly carbs and fats that you know are going to harm you – isn’t it?

      Coffee in moderation is good, but if it exceeds, it does more harm than we can imagine. Yes, I too love my cup the first thing in the morning, and have just one more in the evening – no more. Pulling out of the hair even I didn’t know of, till we had a case in our family, which was an eye opener and the reason behind this post in a way.

      Thanks for stopping by and contributing to the post, and yes – we DO need a stress-free weekend for sure 🙂

  43. Hi Harleena,

    For me, Chocolate cravings touch the roof when i’m depressed.I guess that is something i should work on.This post is really enlightening..Thanks for sharing..Much appreciated – Joe

    1. Hi Joe,

      Oh yes…chocolates work wonders, and I love them too. I never really did realize till quite sometime back that it’s one of the ways to reduce stress too.

      Thanks for stopping by 🙂

  44. Hi Harleena,

    Well explained.

    First of all, i wanna ask you one question, how you are writing such a long and interesting article. Even your comments are also very brief and interesting to read. Where you get these kind of skills. Are you a writer. I love your writing skill very much. Will you help me to develop such a wonderful skill. If i go to a blog of others, i always used to search your comment in the comment section.

    Ok. Now come to the topic “Stress”. Well said Harleena. My friend always used to smoke to reduce the stress. He smoke more than two packs of cigar to come out of stress. If i ask to him, why you are always smoking like this, he says, it gives me relax to mind. I prefer “Yoga” is the best way to reduce stress. Because, once upon a time, am also a chain smoker and drinks lot. After doing yoga, now i am a “teetotaler”.

    1. Hi Nirmal,

      Thanks for your words of appreciation about my work and writing skills 🙂

      Yes indeed, I am a professional writer and a blogger too, and I think when we write from our heart – the words just flow, don’t they?

      That’s sweet of you to look out for my comments when you visit other blogs, which makes me feel that perhaps my longish comments are appreciated by wonderful bloggers like you 🙂

      Oh dear…smoking those many cigarettes can really harm your friend’s health. I guess if you can, do let him know that there are other various ways of dealing with stress other than this way, which only provides temporary relief, if at all. I agree with you, yoga, meditation, listening to music, playing games etc – there are so many other better ways to beat stress. I’m glad you left off all the bad things that can harm you and turned to a healthier lifestyle, and you must be seeing the difference yourself – isn’t it?

      Thanks for stopping by and sharing your views with us 🙂

  45. HI Di,

    Great post as always!

    I just couldn’t think why people resort to 1st and 2nd reason. I tried to remain calm under stress,but yes when it gets out of control I usually lashes out to someone and in most cases my husband becomes the scapegoat for this.

    Yes at times old Hindi melodious songs virtually are the greatest stress busters.

    Di, Apologies for not being here for the last couple of weeks.
    Thanks for this great share and have a great weekend.

    Sapna

    1. Hi Sapna,

      Glad you liked the post 🙂

      I agree with you there, those ways are best avoided, or else the do more harm in the long run. Aha…I think all of us use our spouses at some time or the other for taking out our anger sometime, or perhaps we do that with the ones we are closest to, again, because we take them for granted and feel they will understand us 🙂

      Yes indeed, I love the golden oldies myself, or just plain instrumental music does wonders to beat stress.

      Thanks for stopping by, and don’t worry about not being here for the past few weeks – you are welcome anytime, Sapna. I know you have lots on your hand presently. Have a nice weekend too 🙂

  46. While avoiding stress is great, I think the most important thing is learning to manage it in a healthy way. You can avoid stress 99% of the time, but if you deal with it in an unhealthy way the other 1% of the time you’ll end up creating more stress and put yourself at risk of starting a vicious cycle that’s very difficult to escape from.

    1. Hi Cameron,

      You’ve mentioned a very important fact that no matter how many good ways you adopt to deal with stress, even one bad way can cost you a lot. It is necessary to avoid stress using only the healthy ways.

      Thank you for stopping by and sharing your thoughts and views. 🙂

  47. I am most definitely a #5 – overeating! I eat when I’m bored – and when I’m stressed. And like most people, I’ve had some pretty stressful long-term situations come up. When I was younger, I was getting so stressed over work that I was developing a stomach ulcer. Now that I am older, I try to recognize the situation before it gets out of control. It’s working – mostly! At least I no longer have the beginnings of that stomach ulcer!

    1. Hi Carol,

      It’s common for people to take to overeating as a way of coping with stress. It’s always good to be in some company or among people to curb your bad habits.

      I’ve heard of people getting stomach ulcer and other psychosomatic symptoms due to stress. I’m glad you’ve found a way to deal with stress, and that you’re able to bid bye to stomach ulcer.

      Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing your experiences, I really appreciate it. 🙂

  48. Hello Harleena,

    Your points are spot on and well explained. I once had a friend that drinks a lot due to the stress(es) he was having then. This is common for most people in life.

    When i am in a stress mode, i just let it slide by listening to music because as they say “music is the soul of life”, but most of the time i just go and take a nap 🙂 . There is nobody that is above stress so staying positive is always the right option. Thanks

    1. Hi Babanature,

      Yes, you’re right in that resorting to alcohol as a means to reduce stress is very common all round the globe, as it’s a shortcut and doesn’t need any efforts. And because people feel bad about themselves, they go on abusing these substances – stress is never resolved by drinking alcohol.

      Listening to music, taking a nap, and being positive are some good and great ways to deal with stress. Thank you for sharing them, and sharing your thoughts. I appreciate it. 🙂

  49. I’m the caffeine one 🙂 I don’t drink coffee but I’m so addicted to coke, yep addicted. When I stop drinking it I get so moody and I have the worst headaches.

    Every year for Lenten season I quick drinking sodas, kind of like a cleansing. This year I actually cut down a lot. After lent I normally pick it back up but I’ve been limiting myself to one a day and I would really love to quit for good.

    It’s scary to think of people going through these other scenarios. And I’m sorry to hear about your relative. I hope he or she received help for that 🙂

    Thanks for sharing these scenarios with us.

    1. Hi Corina,

      Oh yes, many soft drinks too have caffeine. No wonder why coke is so addictive. Also, the problem with these drinks is that they’re acidic in nature, and disturb the natural balance of our body.

      So are these the withdrawal symptoms of coke that you face? People experience similar withdrawal symptoms when they try to quit alcohol and smoking.

      I think you’re doing the right thing to gradually quit drinking soda and kudos to you for making that extra effort to drop your addiction.

      Yes, its sad, as well as scary and surprising to see people resorting to extreme negative ways to reduce stress. My relative was prescribed anti-stress medicine that did soothe her nerves and considerable recovery was observed with time.

      Thank you for sharing your ways to reduce stress and how you’ve tried to overcome the bad ones, which might inspire other readers going through similar scenarios. 🙂

  50. I’m prone to nail-biting Harleena. I didn’t realise it was classed as self harm. I really must stop it!

    I quite smoking a few years ago too but I think if you ever smoked, that craving is always going to be there when a stressful situation occurs.

    I think before I gave up work to look after my kids, alcohol had become a stress reliever for me to a certain extent. Now I hardly drink at all because the need never arises.

    Lots of things for me to contemplate Harleena. I’m going to read your post again in the morning to take it all in.

    1. Hi Tim,

      You’ve the same bad habit as mine! Yes, nail-biting is bad, but once some ways get accepted socially then we tend to take them lightly.

      I’ve never smoked but my hubby did, and he’s quit ages back. It’s not easy to drop that habit I know, and you deserve all the credit to be successful in doing so.

      You’ve very well adjusted and changed yourself, and that’s admirable. You’ve learned to cope with stress in better and positive ways, and there’s nothing like it.

      Thanks for stopping by and sharing your views and personal experiences, and I hope this post helps you reinforce your stand against the bad ways to reduce stress. 🙂

  51. Those first two sure are frightening! I’ve always been what you’d call “high strung”, but, am an expert at putting up a “good front”. There’s an old expression that fits: “Never let them see you sweat”. Unfortunately, this can be bad for one’s mental health and I have resorted to alcohol, overspending and emotional eating, (chocolate has magic properties!), many, many times. Not that I drink excessively or am an alcoholic, but, a drink or two sure helps to sooth those jangled nerves!

    Sex is a GREAT stress reliever too, (doing it, not watching it 🙂 )! Many people resort to abusing drugs as a way of coping and , (other than pot), this can certainly be dangerous. Smoking cigarettes was another way I used to relieve stress, (for almost 40 years), but obviously this is also bad for you. Even though I quit years ago, that craving still comes back, (briefly), during stressful situations. We all have our various coping mechanisms and I’ll be the first to admit there’s much room for improvement there.

    1. Hi Debbie,

      I’m sorry if I scared you with those first two points. I know that celebrities get the training to “conceal their stress” – so you’re not the only one! Although it’s good to acknowledge, accept, and actively deal with stress, I think it’s also good that you’re able to put up a brave and good front, as sometimes we do become what we mimic or act.

      You do exactly what’s needed to be done – drink in moderation. As I stated at the end of the post, that these ways are not bad if you successfully keep them within limits. And, I think everybody indulges in all these ways some time or the other in life.

      Chocolate too has caffeine, but I too love it, and it does have recharging power! I purposely didn’t include sex here because that is a good way, while watching pornography in excess is a bad way.

      I think you achieved a great feat by quitting smoking after 40 years! That’s a long time and I admire your courage to drop that one bad habit.

      Of course everybody resorts to some or the other coping mechanisms, some good and some bad, but I appreciate your openness to discuss them, and I’m sure many would take a lesson from you on how to quit smoking.

      Thanks you for sharing your thoughts and experiences. 🙂

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