April 10th 2018 How Do I Blow Off Steam?
I don't know about you guys but for me life can get frustrating at times. Constantly bottling up your frustration is real bad. If you let it build long enough it can end up exploding and hurting yourself and even those around you. I'm not only talking metaphorically, it can literally kill you. Studies have shown stress can increase the likely hood of a heart attack. Nope, this isn't a post about why stress is bad or me going over medical studies on the effects of stress over a prolong period. This is a post on what I do to blow off steam. So get ready to take a look inside my brain.
As many longtime readers of the site know, books have gotten me through some tough times. I used to plunge myself into fantasy books to escape reality. I don't do this anymore because once you put down or finish the book it makes reality smack you. You realize that your life still sucks and it will never be as good as the main character in the book that you just read. Don't get me wrong, I still recommend reading books to blow off steam but not fantasy books. I recommend reading self help books. Why, because they help. Yup I did that but it's true they help a lot. Take for instance Tony Robbins' Awaken The Giant Within, it teaches readers how to control their state of mind. Sounds like a pointless skill but it can help you relieve stress. How because if you can control your state of mind the little things won't affect you as much. You might even learn a new hobby from the book that your reading. Which can help you blow off steam and it also serves as a perfect seaway to the next part of this post.
I use one of my hobbies to blow off steam and it helped a great deal throughout my high school life. What is this great hobby of mine, lifting weights and working out. Whenever I was angry and upset I would use that frustration as a form of motivation. Like most teenagers I went through the "nobody understands me" phase and to cope with my problems I exercised. Was it healthy, probably not but it worked. I would work out until exhaustion and I would often fall asleep right after. I would be too tired and exhausted to remember why I was upset in the first place. Do I recommend this as a form of blowing off steam? No! It sounds like a good way to get in shape but doing it the way I did is pretty harmful to your body. I used to work out past way past my limits which would lead me to fall asleep with a Olympic bar resting on my chest or neck. If I was lucky enough to make it to my staircase, my legs would often give out when I tried to walk up my stairs. Another problem with blowing off steam this way is it can lead to you becoming an adrenaline junkie. You might get addicted to the rush that working out gives you and want to feel that way all of the time. Which can be a good thing as long as you don't go looking for it in the wrong places.
If you have seen any of my recent videos, then you know I no longer work out to burn my frustration through working out. Let's talk about 2018 Josh, how do I relieve my stress now? I create content, a simple yet complicated answer. I use my content as a way to vent my frustration, which is why I often site what my post are inspired by. Today's post was inspired by the look of frustration on everyone who commuted with me tonight when there was a loud passenger. I use my frustrations to create content for you guys. Josh, that sounds great but what if you are mad at your current situation? In that case I put out more content and work on my books. Why, because the only way to change my situation is by working hard to change it. I'm stressed a bit today, so I decided to put out content. At the moment of writing this sentence it is one thirty am. Nope I'm not off from work but I have to get this content out to you guys. Don't worry there's only one more way in which I blow off steam.
The final which I blow off steam is through meditation. Before talking about this form of relaxing let me say a little disclaimer. I suck at meditating but I still do it. Meditation is helps calm the mind and relax the soul. I do different forms of meditation but I usually do a guided meditation. Even just listening to binaural beats helps relax me and allows me to focus on the important things in life. What made me start meditating other than a friend telling me how helpful it could be, Russel Simmons. His book Success Through Stillness, brought up a couple of good effects of meditation. So I decided to do it more, even though I don't do it often it helps me relax. Sometimes you need to take a breather and a step back from your problems. That is what meditation does for me, it allows me to take a step back from my problems.
Those are all the healthy ways that I blow off steam, now let me tell you the worst way I used to blow off steam. I used to try and drink my problems away, which makes no sense. After a night of drinking your problems away, you wake up with a hangover and you come to a realization. Your problems still exist and you just wasted all that money for no reason. Don't worry it took me a while to figure that out. That's why I no longer drink my problems away because it doesn't work and it's a waste of money.
That's basically it for this post. If you enjoyed this post thanks, if not oh well. Either way feel free to leave me a comment down below. If you want more content, you can subscribe to the Books By Josh Show on ITunes, Google Play Music and Stitcher. If you want more content then that you can check us out on YouTube. To get notified whenever we post make sure you follow us on Twitter or Facebook. If you wish to support the site, the best way is to tell your friends about us. If you want to show more love feel free to subscribe or support us. If that still isn't enough, feel free to become a patreon or buy a signed copy of my book from our store page. All of the links to everything can be found at the bottom of this post and like always...... I'll catch you guys in the next one, see-ya.