Ask HN: What do you do to blow off steam? - KhalilK
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super_mario
Ride road bike for at least 3 - 4 hours at moderate to just below time trial
pace. This will exhaust you, normalize your hormones, improve your mood (high
from endorphins), reduce your stress, and reduce your aggression levels
(adrenalin) etc. Eat to recover and feel great for at least couple of days.

This is also better than indoor exercise because of the long sun and fresh air
exposure.

I have been doing this (cycle every day) for 24 years now. And nothing else
does it for me better than this.

~~~
davidw
+1 for going for a bike ride. It'd be nice to be able to go running, but it
just doesn't do it for me. It's boring. On a bike, you're slightly removed
from the world - going through it, but not plodding along connected to it.
Also, you can go somewhere. It's not hard to do 50/60 k in a few hours, which
means you can vary your route a lot more than running.

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kelnos
At the risk of painting myself in a negative light: I drink. I go out with
friends, throw back some tasty cocktails/beer/Scotch/wine, and vent about my
day/week/whatever.

Depending on my mood, I'll either be one-on-one/two/three with a few close
friends and lay it all out, or go out with a larger group and just use the
alcohol to take my mind off things.

Healthy? Jury's still out. Effective? Yup.

~~~
madeofpalk
Drinking with friends is a pretty acceptable thing to do. Can't see how it
would paint you in a negative light.

~~~
coherentpony
It's completely reasonable. Lack of moderation is the problem, not enjoying
oneself.

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keerthiko
I play video games. Usually an hour or so is enough for the 'steam to get
blown off', but sometimes I do get sucked in and lose track. I try not to play
competitive multiplayer games when I'm riled up, as they can get me more riled
up, but I love to pick up one of the 10s of unplayed critically acclaimed
single player titles lying in my Steam (ironic?) library I got as part of some
bundle. It really takes my mind off everything, and reminds me of the magic
that software can create, and makes me want to get back to creating it.

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sergiotapia
I step away from work and focus on fixing little tiny things around the house
I've been putting off for a while.

Switch lightbulbs, clean drains, vacuum the attic, etc. 2 hours of this and
I'm happy because:

a) I took my mind off work.

b) I fixed up my house something fierce.

\---

I would love to buy and ride a bike but I would get run over by a car or
stabbed here in Bolivia.

~~~
ekr
That's what forests and mountains are for, you don't need to ride on roads.
Get a mountain bike!

~~~
sergiotapia
And I would get stabbed by indians...

~~~
kehers
Lool

~~~
ADanFromCanada
What's with all the stabbing in Bolivia?

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blablabla123
Smokin da Ganja. ;) Usually I'm super overly focused and concentrated the
whole week, like in Zombie mode. This helps to get back into the normal world.
;)

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raelmiu
I lift weights. Used to listen to Death Metal. But mostly, I've learned that
it's not really necessary. Just makes us feel powerful, recently started
meditating with teh Headspace app and that works a lot better.

~~~
fiblye
Weightlifting definitely turned my life around.

When I can't go to the gym, pullups are a good substitute and I highly
recommend everyone get a pullup bar. I do a set or three every time I go to
the bathroom and it helps clear my mind and restore my self-confidence.

~~~
raelmiu
I feel exactly the same. Best way to work out.

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kabdib
Short term: I go take a walk. 45 minutes to an hour of brisk walking around
the city in places where I don't have to stop much for cars.

Longer term: I'll just take a day off, email cow-orkers that I'm out that day,
and go motorcycling in the mountains. I started doing this 25 years ago;
having a hobby that has _nothing_ to do with computers helps a lot. (I'm not a
crazy rider, I wear all the safety gear, have a bike with ABS and so on).

Vacations: I like to go somewhere and read books for a week. I seldom get to
have this kind of vacation, but it's my ideal one.

------
fotcorn
Quake 3 Arena DM17 frag limit 100, simplest bot ai.

~~~
rbinv
Gotta love q3dm17. Alternatively, Deck 16, Morpheus and Facing Worlds in UT.

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khalidmbajwa
I sleep. Its going to sound really weird but over the years i have constructed
this alternate reality. A whole universe over the years i have built up in my
mind, and whenever i am angry, or depressed, i lie down on a bed, pretend i am
in this alternate reality and it helps me relax and slip into a peaceful
slumber :)

~~~
tekacs
And one day you 'wake up' in that reality and struggle to remember if this
reality was in fact the dream all along? :)

(in fairness I find it entirely possible to wake up and spend a few moments
weeding out the real from a dream)

~~~
PaulHoule
I just had this dream where I was up in Syracuse and trying to catch this bus
and things kept going wrong and when I finally got on the bus I argued with
the driver and said I shouldn't have to pay and he kicked me off and then when
I got on the next one it went to the wrong place.

In the middle of all this I was waking up and falling back asleep so I knew it
was a dream and then I saw my kid running and thought I had to chase after him
and some women said, "Just go do what you want" and instead of chasing after
him I went and did what I wanted.

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cpwright
Home improvement and woodworking. It is a good change of pace, at work I
shuffle bits and like to create new functionality (or improve the performance
of existing software); but it isn't tangible. It is nice to look at a vanity
or the like and know that you made it, and know what challenges there were
along the way; whether it is something simple like getting the drawers to fit
properly, a doing a bead on the inside of a flat panel door's frame, or
something more complex a bow front. It is intellectually stimulating in a
different way than software development.

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caboteria
Ride my motorcycle on the track. For 20 minutes every hour I get to think
about nothing but what I'm doing at that moment. A day at the track resets my
mind better than a week on vacation.

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iagomr
Bouldering and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu are great pass times for that. Not only to
blow off some steam, but also it's possible to easily get in great shape if
you hate running/gym as I do.

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ericcholis
Depends on the mood, but it's either video games or working out. Generally
video games work for me if I need to shut down for a while, without
distractions. Working out helps re-adjust my mood, likely due to the
endorphins and the feeling of accomplishment. My workout is quite broad, I
like to kayak, hike, or simply lift weights. Whatever strikes me at the
moment....

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br0s
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ). Getting choked for 90 minutes really puts your day
into perspective. Also, it's great exercise.

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PeterWhittaker
Intense exercise early in the day, before doing anything "real": Reduces the
boiling point.

Playing music later in the day or when stuck. Electric guitar 12 bar power
chord blues with amp set on raunch or viola aiming for tones of delicate
beauty, depending on mood.

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wrd
Exercise works well for me. I do Muay Thai (AKA Thai kickboxing) which is a
high-energy, high-impact, quick, always-on-your-toes sort of sport. When I
spar, I find myself in a state of psychological flow and that whatever was
bothering me just melts away.

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radicalbyte
Play with my baby. Before that either weights, cycling or videogames (Halo or
Rez work for me).

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rachelandrew
I run. I usually come back from a run with sticky code or business problems
solved and things I need to write half written in my head. There is definitely
something about being on my feet and out in the fresh air that allows my brain
to sort stuff out.

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confluence
Lift heavy weights. Squat. Deadlift. Bench Press. Overhead Press. Barbell Row.

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combinesoldier
Soak a dish towel, old t-shirt, or the like in water. Then wring it out over
the bathtub, HARD. Wring it out hard, like you're wringing out blood from your
enemies. Grunt while you are doing it.

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JonnieCache
Music: [http://unmode.com](http://unmode.com)

A good route to the flow state. Still spend altogether too much time staring
at computers though. Bouldering is fun.

~~~
abraxasz
Didn't know about unmode! I checked it out and I like it very much, thanks for
sharing!

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dsirijus
I played/sang in a garage band and smashed a lot of cheap guitars during
sessions.

Nothing beats shouting your ass off for few hours then smashing the guitar on
a peak of an adrenaline surge.

Genre matters.

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verandaguy
Running, fixing up the car and/or bike if it's needed, sketching, and actually
biking all work for me.

And drinking with friends, but not in ridiculous excess.

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edem
I grab my copy of Half Life / Half Life 2 and play my favourite levels OR grab
my copy of Mass Effect 3 and do the same. Sometimes play airsoft.

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markwillis82
Running 6 days a week training for marathons. The high from endorphins puts me
in the right mood.

3 hour run on a Sunday evening gets you ready for the Monday morning

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olalonde
In order of frequency: gym, bars/clubs, football (soccer). When I'm on the
computer: Reddit/9gag/bombermine.com

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donohoe
I build twitter bots

[https://twitter.com/simplenewsbot](https://twitter.com/simplenewsbot)

while drinking a nice bourbon

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mcarrano
There are a few activities I do but generally I prefer to disconnect from tech
and noise so I go for a walk, run, or hike.

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lebsi
Inundate myself with trivial/simple mundane tasks until I can no longer think.
Their is a world of crap to be done.

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femmebot
I go out for a brisk walk. You want to do an activity that helps clear your
mind, rather than impair it.

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blueflow
Drawing and laying in bed doing literally nothing/daydreaming. And sometimes
aggressive music.

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virtualwhys
Surf when near the ocean and there are waves; otherwise, bike or take a walk
in the woods.

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criveros
I go out drinking Thursday through Saturday, I barely make it to work on
Fridays,

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LBarret
tai-chi tanglang kungfu.

I learned it years ago and teached it for a few years. Even if I don't
practice as much as I should, the moves come back very naturally. An one-hour
training makes me happy whatever are the circonstances.

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edgeman27
I play in a local competitive squash league. Best stress reliever I know of.

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kehers
Play or learn something new on my acoustic guitar. Or a long walk.

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noir-york
Shooting people. Airsoft, so it's not as bad as it sounds ;)

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Maven911
Nowadays its golf, don't know what it will be for winter.

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chrisan
play with the dogs, woodworking, work on a greenfield app, play video games
with friends (something non-compete [unless I know I'll beat them :P])

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elleferrer
I go fishing.

~~~
lauriswtf
This! Either I go alone or with friends it is the best steam remover for me.
Also living near a river or lake helps a lot.

~~~
elleferrer
It's very therapeutic. Oceans, rivers, streams or even waterfalls always
relaxes me. I've lived near oceans all my life and have island hopped many
beautiful places. I can't imagine not being near water.

~~~
h_r
I don't know what it is about water but I run along the lake Michigan shore.
The sound of the water lapping against the wall or crashing onto the shore is
a great stress reducer.

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saulwiggin
Go for a run. Do some exercise.

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coherentpony
I run.

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boxyhendrix
Masturbate furiously.

Edit: Downvotes? You judge on how you blow off steam too?

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wydyl
Music, bike

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bigwillystyle
masterbate

