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originalpinkmountain

Stress relief alternative to vodka and butter pecan . . .

l pinkmountain
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago

Once or twice a week I go over to visit my Dad at his place. He has a massive anxiety disorder that he can't or won't get under control, he's been this way for years but at 89 its hard for me to just ignore him or avoid him. I have compassion for him in his misery, but it is extremely stressful to be around him. Every single little thing that happens could become a problem for him which he would chastise and yell at me about. Last time he got all upset at me because I was helping him write checks (because his hands shake so much) and I had the audacity to write "and" instead of drawing an ampersand. That's just one of hundreds of examples I could give . . . . Often when I get home, my first thought is "I need a drink!"

Don't worry, I am no big drinker, the most I have ever had is two glasses of wine. Alcohol doesn't seem to make me feel very chill most of the time, just sleepy at best, and I don't want to spend the money or calories on drinking a lot, for that reason alone, not to mention all the other health or social problems it might cause. Being expensive and high calorie is a big enough alcohol deterrent for me. Same with chocolate and sweets. But last night, a stiff Moscow Mule and a pint of Hagen Daz butter pecan ice cream along with some TV sit coms and a couple of legal shows, and I was in the mellow zone. However, I woke up with a hangover of regrets. This pandemic has made me fat, I have totally given up and I hate my "new" body. It has to stop. I also stress eat because of my new job. I don't have a handle on it yet and that stresses me.

So when you "need a drink" or some fast, serious mellowing out at the end of the day, are there any no or low calorie options that work for you? A walk might do it, hubs and I used to take one in the evenings but where I live, the roads are extremely poor for walking along, particularly dangerous at night, just would not be advisable . . . I do yoga or read before bed, but that doesn't really give me that buzzed chill feeling, just sleepy. I'm open to other ideas. Maybe I should get a foot massage machine. I'm having a lot of trouble I think with arthritis in my feet.

Pot in small doses for "recreation" is legal here in MI, but I was never into it. Don't like smoking, tried a pot brownie, made me feel sleepy and "small" which I guess is a possible effect--the opposite of "getting high" as Steve Martin posited? I just felt slightly "out of it" but not in a good way, in a way as in "I'm not feeling too well I think I'll go to bed." Not particularly enjoyable or making me feel like it was worth eating a brownie for . . . cannabis in fatty sweet stuff isn't going to solve my stress eating problem . . .

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