[hermannj314]

Has anyone found good, long-term methods for stress management?

I know I am stressed and I see the evidence - restless sleep, elevated WBC, worsening anxiety.

I, unfortunately, haven't found a good routine way to manage stress.

[werber]

For me, it was accepting that my job isn’t my whole identity and finding a place to work that valued work/life balance and actually has a culture of not overworking. On the personal side, going to therapy, actively removing stressful and toxic people from my life, doing as much physical activity as possible (even walking helps me), and having a bottle of benzodiazepines on hand for worst case situations.

[belzebalex]

Was badly stressed preparing for the entrance exam for engineering schools. It was to the point I had heart palpitations for hours.

Two things made it disappear: - Sport, even just running an hour a week stopped the palpitations - Magnesium supplements

It's bearable for me because it won't last more than two years. Over the long-term, I would suggest trying to fix the problem from the inside (therapy? meditation? switching jobs?).

[redisman]

The basics do wonders. Healthy diet, meditation, regular exercise, plentiful sleep.

Other than that it’s specific to your situation and what you can change. For me my job was the source of most of it so I switched to a chill but better paid position and now my life is in much more of a balanced state. One stressor tends to spill and cause tension with every other part of my life.

For me having kids was the wake up call that I need to make a change or crumble under the pressure. Easy choice in the end.

[koheripbal]

I sleep listening to old TV shows with earbuds. It completely cured my sleeplessness.

I was having stress related nightmares and inability to sleep, and now I sleep 8hrs reliably.

I have a Plex playlist that I play on shuffle for 8hours. There's about 30 days of content so it keeps my dreams fresh. They are all old episodes of TV shows I loved when younger. I listen only - never watch.

It works because you hear a familiar and comforting voice as you sleep. Sometimes you dream about the show - which can be funny.

For daytime stress, I use the technique I learned in the marines. Deep slow breathing. Four deep slow breaths tricks your monkey brain into thinking everything is ok.

[ClikeX]

It really depends on what stresses you out, but for me in general.

Separate your life and your work if work stresses you out. There should be a clear line where you are at home and decompress.

Read a bit into mindfulness. You don't have to do all the exercises. But it's important to become aware of your stress factors.

Oh, and the usual exercise and eating healthier. A good workout really relaxes you mentally.

[Tomminn]

A lot of people will say exercise and nature, which is definitely a good prescription. If you've got a great job, then it's best to do those as a hobby, but if you don't have a great job and you don't have a tonne of responsibilities I'd recommend working in the bush or otherwise outdoors for a few months for low pay.

Having your actual job be outdoorsy can do wonders for mental health because you're pushed by work forces to do things that are good for you.

Obviously, if you're on HN, you probably won't be looking to do that kind of work long term because it won't be sufficiently mentally challenging or impactful, but it can be wonderful as a stress and mindset reset.

[bserge]

Long term without medication? Only adopting a chill life philosophy would work. And it does work for eliminating long term stress, but not short term (a few days) in my experience.

And maybe exercise, as others said.

[saiya-jin]

Good workout, often. Good diet (probably generally less eating, less carbs, light meal in the evening). Enough drinking, pure water is fine. That's a good start in any case

[hycaria]

Get a hobby that requires focus and/or physical effort.

[kazen44]

turning to philosophy has helped me immensely in managing stress. also, realizing you cannot satisfy everyone all the time, and sometimes trying to change certain conditions which you have no control over is futile.

[gverrilla]

you can't 'manage' stress, you have to overcome it. initially, you have to factor it in as a price for your current lifestyles and choices. good luck

[the-dude]

Embrace the void.