Painting is known to be therapeutic. So is singing and playing musical instruments. My expressive writing is even more effective but none of these is as immediate, as dramatic, and 80% effective like my ED pill.

Sometimes the effect of painting/writing/// is underwhelming. That’s life.

It’s not obvious which stressors are beneath the current state of anxiety/pessimism. It takes skills, effort, practice and sys2 resources to /identify/ those stressors.

Sometimes my sys2 resources feel like depleted, and I choose to focus on chipping away at one of the big-rock stressors/tasks:

* math facetime, family game night, or outing with boy.. to make me feel less guilty as a father
* company projects
* DIYHI
* localSys refresh .. “direct” effort on an quadrant-II item

In the context of the R.Teo bpost (https://btv-open.dreamhosters.com/46375/23copsolutions-r-teo/), these efforts are “direct” efforts.
Other times, none of the direct efforts are appealing or effective, so I would try some diversion efforts or “biological” efforts.

k_office_sanctuary … k_quietime  … k_therapeutic_reflective_blogg

See also

• stress prevention^ reduction^protection
• ##[19] random adversities: coping strategies+outcomes
• jogg`^blogg(therapeutic): G2 lifelong self-care

Q: What are some of your tried-n-tested coping strategies/solutions/techniques for 1) anxiety (most common in me), 2) worries (2nd most common), 3) 困扰 [internal tensions/conflicts]?

By the way, the question statement is a good breakdown of the vague and broad concept of “stress”

[XX | YY = this solution is sometimes an XX , and YY at other times]
[a= directly address the actual or a related stressor (always plain visible, therefore real)]
[b=biological or physical in nature]
[c=cognitive solution, sometimes “a”]
[d=diversion techniques]
[h=harmony, with the body, family,,]
[H=I told HenryLew in 2023 or I wish I did]
[p1=stress prevention] .. [p2=stress protection] .. [r=stress reduction]

In the final 5 minutes of our CompassOne chat in 2021, I named 3 _main_ strategies.

1. [bH p1p2] workout .. to some extent, I can feel turned off after “too much” exercise.
   • [b] jogg … See jogg`^blogg(therapeutic): G2 lifelong self-care. In Dec 2023, my son predicted that “Jogging at the EastCoast beach will reduce your anxiety.”
2. [acH p2] therapeutic blogging .. (+self-talk) As I told Raymond, it can go more in-depth than a friend discussion. Am the best therapist for myself.
3. [a|bd h p2] quietime .. away from family in quasi-isolation (like office sanctuary) often to /restore/ balance and harmony. This lifelong habit has recently (2023) become important and effective. I told Raymond about my decades-long library immersion habit or fastFoodRestaurant quietime. During the quietime I could study, blog, read magazines, or take a rest and watch people passing by (quiet idle time). This is similar to people sitting on a beach, but nowadays I simply go to MRT or bus interchanges.
   .. [b] early rise .. morning quietime is precious and productive
   .. [a|d H r] work on company projects in my quietime .. can serve as a diversion. As a by-product, it also reduces pressure from work.

— I will add a few _minor_ coping strategies —

1. “tww” with smemo as a back burner ..  effective esp. with non-urgent decisions, or juggling…
2. [d] exp recon, cash flow optimization to maximize net int
3. [r p1] delay or reduce competing “efforts” .. so as to prioritize and preserve limited sys2/physical/financial resources. 缩短战线 to maintain the required focus.  For eg, take leave, block out work stressors so as to focus on one of the big rocks and chip away.
   .. [ar] identify and take on quick removals and improve focus
4. [bhH p2] longer sleep .. effective if-and-only-if I feel physically stretched due to multiple/heavy stressors
5. [acH p2] talk to friends/counsellors .. I realize that my friends are too busy to listen to me in-depth. Sometimes I call a counseling hotline if I have a specific question such as parenting. Occasionally, I would get a bold suggestion or actionable insight.
6. [h] be creative with commute .. occasionally, train commute can serve as quietime and facilitate therapeutic blogging, but when time is a scarce resource, tcost of long commute could and should be reduced. For example, clear backlogs on train.
7. [ach p2] praying and meditation .. effective and “direct” for some religious practitioners. Similarly, I often practice audible self-talk or sentence-completion.

It’s worth repeating that coping strategies are highly personal and individualistic. (For an analogy, each person’s favorite relaxation can be subtly different.) What works for you may not work for me. Below are some coping strategies that I no longer find effective:

• [a|d b p1] DIY home improvement projects ..  My DIY project always aims to scratch a persistent itch on the back. A creative, challenging, engaging diversion. As such it can be highly satisfying, but see [i]
• .. [bd p1] home clean-up, gardening .. a form of light workout and also creates a more peaceful, less cluttered environment, which can reduce stress. I guess some women like that, but not effective for me.
• [d] reading vacation .. pick up some magazines or books (printed, not on screen) of interest. Many people like me tend to have a wide range of reading interests. An engaging read can serve as a diversion… usually not effective enough.
• [bdhr] musical instruments
• [d] movies .. not an effective diversion though I go to cinemas about 3 times a month, always alone. On the other hand, sometimes I sit outside the cinema hall (if seating is available) for 3 hours after the movie to get some quietime.
• [d] gaming, watching sports, music, youtube .. inferior to movies or reading vacation. But effective for my son.
• [b] drinking and eating ..  usually not very effective, but when I feel (System2) over-stretched I do eat a controlled amount of “comfort foods” such as ice cream or nuts.
• [bd] get out and volunteer .. often involves physical movement, some interaction with other people, some new, unfamiliar challenges. One of the most effective diversions, but I have no time for it nowadays.