Lots of alcohol? Sex? Screaming at your friends and loved ones? Exercise? Yoga? A nice cup of chamomile tea?

Do you have a regular routine you follow to relieve stress? Or do you wait until you're a shivering wreck before you think, "Perhaps I need a vacation?"

-- Anonymous, January 19, 2000

Answers

I just recently started doing yoga. I got a DVD with three workouts on it - AM, PM, and stress relief. I'm not very good at it yet. I mean, I'm okay at the physical part. The poses really do relieve tension. It's the mental bit that I'm bad at. As soon as I try to put all the stressors out of my mind, they take it as a cue to come tumbling back in.

The yoga is helping, though. The PM poses make it much easier for me to get to sleep at night and my shoulders and neck aren't as tight as they used to be. Unfortunately, my office doesn't have a door and my computer doesn't have a DVD drive, so I can't do the stress relief program during the day. That's when I call my husband and chant the "I hate this job" mantra.

-- Anonymous, January 19, 2000

Exercise. During lunch period. Nothing like it. Highly recommended. You feel better, and your stresses just melt away.---Al

-- Anonymous, January 19, 2000

I've recently started doing yoga, too, and I'm finding it to be very relaxing. I'm taking classes at the YMCA, and I just love my instructor - he's got such an informative, calming presence that I find it very easy to respond to his instructions. Last night was a break-though night, as it marked the first time I felt strong rather than feeling like I was going to topple over the whole time. I love how focused I feel after yoga.

This method of relaxing is much better than my previous method, which seemed to be to call up David to vent and end up in a huge argument.

But better than all these is a sadly infrequent method which would be, yes, to have wild, sweaty, hours-and-hours-of-foreplay sex. That just doesn't seem to be happening these days...

Similar to the effect sex has is dancing "rilly rilly" hard. I'm getting to be an old fogey, though, and I never seem to make it out dancing. Sigh.

There are also the relaxing herbs, such as valerian, magnesium (sorta an herb) and MaryJane (which should be legal...almost is in Berkeley). I use these less often - usually only right before I go to bed. Herbal teas are also good (peppermint, chamomile and lemon balm being my favorites).

-- Anonymous, January 19, 2000

...sex used to be one of my biggies...it's a fun for all, dontcha know...but since i'm no longer dating anyone the gym is my new outlet for stress...that or long, long hot baths with candles, a carafe of ice water for sipping, and soothing suds....just typing that makes me want to go home...

-- Anonymous, January 19, 2000

Sex and/or Tai Chi. Sex is self-explanatory. :) Tai Chi may sound odd, but give it a try. My wife got me hooked on it. Hmmm, maybe she was avoiding sex.

-- Anonymous, January 19, 2000

Try to do one thing at a time, at at least finish something. It helps me if I get very focussed on one thing, at least.

-- Anonymous, January 19, 2000

Alcohol. Karate & sword classes. Losing my temper. Quake II.

-- Anonymous, January 19, 2000

Alcohol definitely. I recommend at least 3 tumblers before bed. Relieves stress, because you can't remember what caused it.

-- Anonymous, January 19, 2000

I can usually relieve my stress with a really long nap. But the temperature has to be just right and I have to wake up on my own, or I am a big ol' bitch.

I also like to take long baths. I make the water really hot and light candles. I might take a glass of wine, or tea depending on my stress level. And this is very strange but after I get really hot in the bath, I will lay my towel down on the bathroom floor, turn on the fan and sleep. Strange, no? But it relaxs me.

-- Anonymous, January 19, 2000

Of late, I have been taking comfort in playing with toddlers. Not because they're sweet and cute (not just because, anyway). Depending on my mood, when I watch them at play I see proof of chaos theory or of the Divine sense of humor. Toddlers live in a universe that has no connection to my world of courts, plaintiffs, boss, mortgage, credit cards, and dying relatives and appliances. They know nothing, they plan nothing, they dread nothing, and they try everything. Good company for a junior curmudgeon.

-- Anonymous, January 19, 2000

hockey practice, dancing wildly, and either building or destroying things in the theater with large power tools. getting to play with large power tools always makes me feel less psycho. i also tend to find a friend when i get really out there and complain for an hour straight. if i pick the right friend, they usually listen without giving advice and then buy me coffee and i feel much better.

the plan for last weekend was five hockey games in four days. the plan for this weekend is to get really sloshed and spend all of saturday night at a friend's party, dancing like a maniac.

-- Anonymous, January 19, 2000

Getting down on the floor and rolling around, playing, and laughing with my 14 month old daughter. That is the biggest stress reliever of all time.

-- Anonymous, January 20, 2000