August 14, 2008 at 7:01 am
All of that reading must have sunk in for you. Everything you have said makes perfect sense. Destroying something is definitely a stress outlet but i wouldn't call it a reliever. It makes you feel better but then if you return to the stress in lieu of learning to better deal with the stress where does that put you.
One of the things I am constantly working with (in the words of Grant above) She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed (I like that!) is the whole concept of world importance and 'What will happen if you don't get that done?' We often place great importance on tiny incocequential details.
I couldn't agree more... focus on the important things in life. Friends, Family, Children if you are so inclined, and helping others to make it through the world. I would think that if you need exertion to relieve stress you would find your stress level drop exponentially if you swung a hammer for Habitat for Humanity. Provide 'the dream' for others.
Love the post blandry.
August 14, 2008 at 7:09 am
blandry,
That's the idea behind martial arts, not just the physical, but to learn to control your emotions and get your mind in order.
When I was younger I enjoyed sparring more than Kata, these days I think I enjoy the Kata more....
Breaking is a small part of martial arts, I've broken cinder blocks, boards, etc. and can say it's really not as much of a release as you'd think.
Mark
August 14, 2008 at 7:11 am
Well, I am all of the above.
I have been studying T'ai Chi for years, and it is a wonderful thing. I also am a singer and play keyboard. The singing especially lets me blow out the stress. After a bad week, I can really wail on the blues.
T'ai Chi relieves the stress whenever I do it. I still haven't completely mastered retaining the calm when I'm not doing T'ai Chi. I have improved in dealing with stress but I have a way to go.
Blandry is right. You have to have your mind and spirit in a good place in order to successfully deal with the day's stresses. If I have a bad moment, it's certainly not due to a lack in my T'ai Chi training. It's due to an unhealthy mental state or a lack of mental preparation.
August 14, 2008 at 7:22 am
Actually I think martial arts, when done at a high level, is more mental than physical. One of the reasons I got out of it years ago is that I didn't have the mental energy at the end of many days to focus for 2 hours after a long commute.
You're right that we shouldn't take our jobs too seriously, but it's not always a question of being too intense or serious. There are plenty of times someone pushes a button or upsets us over something that we wouldn't care about most days. Physically stressing the body can bleed off the mental stress, sometimes just because it distracts you.
These days I try to go hard every night, and I find that the days when I'm not 100%, I'll actually get into more of a zone and work harder. It's a nice release after typing for hours or trying to focus on writing.
August 14, 2008 at 7:28 am
I've been in IT for 20 + years and I've been practicing Aikido for about the same amount of time. I fond it not only a good stress reliever but also a great opportunity to actively NOT THINK - just react. I also find Aikido especially a very creative martial art and the partnered practice gives me the opportunity for human contact that sitting in a cubilcle with a computer doesn't.
August 14, 2008 at 7:42 am
Nice to know I'm not the only martial geek out there. And I agree with Grant sparring with a love body or more is much more stress relieving. Love your column.
August 14, 2008 at 7:47 am
Before I got a neck injury I was a black belt and it was a great way to blow off steam.
You kind of forget about a lot of things when you have someones foot planted squarely in the middle of your chest - it puts things into focus real quick!
😀
August 14, 2008 at 7:53 am
Great advice Steve - I have just arrived home after a 1.5 hour Tae Kwon Do training session tonight after work.
We have a tournament Saturday week, just within our club, that I feel vastly under prepared for, given I have only just returned to training after an 8 month break.
However, since it is against people I know & trust, I feel confident that I could survive with no major injuries (apart from pride if I don't make it past the first round 😉 so I highly recommend finding a club that you feel comfortable with.
I agree with you that it is very important to have a physical release from such a mentally draining job as DBA, simply because it refreshes the mind far better than zoning out in front of TV!
--Chris Hamam
Life's a beach, then you DIE (Do It Eternally)
August 14, 2008 at 7:54 am
The martial arts is a great stress reliever. It has been many years since I was invovled in it, studied shoto-kan karate for 3 years and had attained first degree black belt. Worked in retail (7-11) and it was a great stress reliever after dealing some of the unique individuals that would come in late at night.
Haven't been involved with the martial arts for 22 years now, but would love to get back into it myself.
😎
August 14, 2008 at 8:01 am
I used to study Tae Kwon Do and I loved it. When I started a small business in my "free" time it took over my life and I stopped going. Now that I don't run the business anymore I should really take it up again. Problem is, once you're not a complete beginner you get picky about schools. The school I used to go to is too far to conveniently go, so I will have to look to see if any of the nearby ones will meet my standards as far as style goes. When I was consulting and had a long term project in Boise, I temporarily joined a school that theoretically used the same style of Tae Kwon Do that I did - but it was light years off and an awful experience. I just went the month I'd paid for and then pretended I got "called home early".
When you're just starting, you have no preconceived notions and any school will probably do 🙂
--
Anye Mercy
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"You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means." -- Inigo Montoya in "Princess Bride"
"Civilization exists by geologic consent, subject to change without notice." -- Will Durant
August 14, 2008 at 8:08 am
There's do and there's juitsu. The "way" or do study in martial arts is a spiritual excercise. The juitsu or "art" is martial in it's intent. Meaning, we're not so much practicing for an internal struggle, but we're practicing for an external one. In other words, I study at a street oriented school. Our first technique is avoidance. The second is defusing. The third is running away. Assuming all those fail... That's where most of the training comes in. It's really just different from the spiritually focused arts.
BIG NOTE: I'm not knocking the spiritual arts in any way. I'm assuming at some point, old age or injury is going to move me to one of those. Until then, I really enjoy the hard training and the focus on self-defense.
"The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood"
- Theodore Roosevelt
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August 14, 2008 at 8:15 am
Nothing to add, that the other posts didn't already say - I just wanted to express how much I agree with you. Not only does physical exertion release the stress, but it also clears the mind - and quite often, I find a solution to that "unsolvable" problem (or coworker) while I'm working out.
August 14, 2008 at 8:17 am
I used to enjoy splitting logs for my fire. Imagining somebodys face on the surface as the axe goes down. I often find the solution to the unsolvable appears in my sleep...
August 14, 2008 at 8:21 am
Needing to relieve stress sounds logical. So if DBAs and other computer people didn't do martial arts, would we have "postal" incidents where the DBA goes in and shoots... the servers?
August 14, 2008 at 8:23 am
My great stress reliever is reading and learning about SQL Server and DBs, Heh I'm a Tax Lawyer and I'm running my Accounting company 😀
On december I'm starting with BJJ :w00t:
Aikido is also great stress reliever but because all my friends from IT sector are doing it, I think it is bcos they are into a Japanese Culture more then the sport it self, that is why I just avoid Aikido.
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