Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Explain How They Treat Themselves After A Stressful Day

People Explain How They Treat Themselves After A Stressful Day
Image by Werner Weisser from Pixabay

We've all been there.


Absolutely nothing went right that day, no matter how hard you tried. You flubbed your words in the big meeting, you dropped your keys underneath the car in 100 degree heat, you spilled your coffee on the first date, or nothing worked the way it was supposed to. It's stressful, especially now, to try and find ways to help alleviate that pressure from, you know, life. Thankfully, you friends on "The Internet" have got you covered, willing to share what they do to help themselves unwind.

Reddit user, u/JimSaves, wanted to know what helps you unwind when they asked:

What do you do to reward yourself after a stressful or anxious day?

Let's get the simple stuff out of the way first, the things we know we all do to help us decompress.

Food and the internet.

100% Will Support Using Hot Sauce

"I eat a bag of chips when I have a tough day. But I also eat it if I had a great day, or if I'm feeling disappointed, or angry, or any strong feeling in general. A bag of chips is my reward for being alive I guess."

ItsDefinitely_NotMe

"Mexican here... a bag of chips, with hot sauce and green lime. And a bottle of Coke on the side."

monolim

Cho. Co. Late.

"Big piece of chocolate and Stardew Valley."

"Also I try to make sure my room is quiet so no one will bother me."

bones_of_an_angel

At Least You're Trying

"Doesn't work but I do it anyway thinking every time it will: wasting time on YouTube watching dumb videos, following my guilty pleasure TV series and just laying in bed while scrolling IG or putting things in online shopping carts without really buying anything. Eat when I'm not hungry because the food was 'there'."

"Works and I should do it more: going to the climbing gym after work for a workout, going for a walk, listening to a good podcast and learning something new, calling a friend I haven't spoken to in a long time for a long catch up chat, walk my dog, play with my dog, have a hot bath without my phone, just put music/podcast on and breath. Meditation. Journaling."

climbmea

Feeling classy? Maybe wanting a little elegance in your life? Try some of these soothing, lo-fi loving practices to help you keep your head on straight.

Lights: OUT

"I take a lengthy shower, listen to the best music I find on my playlist and turn off the lights. It's so relaxing"

u_n_k_n_o_w_n__

"I did this for years, and only recently started getting back into it. Much healthier than the binge-drinking I have been doing."

MrGameAndBeer

A Mix Of Hot And Cold

"A walk with [coffee]/ tea/ hot coco"

Kytti_Korner

"I love doing this especially in fall weather. There's something very satisfying about the brisk air, a warm sweater, and a warm drink in hand."

herewegoeveronwards

Don't Worry About The Cash For Just A day

"I treat myself."

"Buying a new game? Sure. Going out for ice cream? Why not. Heading to a cat cafe to cuddle some cats? Hell yea. Buying some premade ice coffee from sobeys? Sign me up. Watching an episode of Love Island or whatever else I'm binging? Yes. Anything to treat myself and feel better. Especially after going through a day of mistreatment and a rain cloud over my head"

Quartz_Knee

It's The 4th Agreement

"I lay on my bed and listen to music. And reflect on how amazing I did. It's really difficult sometimes because I'm autistic. I know i did my best. I also like to listen to true crime and hang out with our chickens."

mckennamelder

And then there's these which, safe to say, may not be for everyone, but if you ever get the urge to go out and chop some wood then by all means chop away.

Chop. Chop. Chop.

"On really bad days, I'll go outside with an axe and chainsaw. I'll cut down some dead or unsightly trees in the woods along the trails to our pond. Once the tree is down, I'll chop out the roots by hand with the axe. It's a hell of a workout and it really gets the frustrations out."

1234_Temp_qwer

"My Dad taught me at a very young age that chopping and splitting wood is very cathartic."

"It's like therapy with a nice, obvious pile of what you accomplished at the end."

Rawr_Tigerlily

Get Into That Competitive Headspace

"Videogames, as cliché as it sounds it actually does help unless it's competitive"

ZeoDaiko

"For me competitive games are the cure. Cause they need me so focused and at the top of my ability that I have to squeeze out everything I have left into it. And that leaves 0 room for me to think about that bad joke my boss pulled on me or what a complete ahole a colleague was."

Diavolo222

The outside world is hard enough.

Don't bring that negative energy back in through the door with you. Take care of yourselves. We need you out there.

Want to "know" more? Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again. Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Nicki Minaj and Donald Trump
Win McNamee/Getty Images

Trump's 'Gold' Gift To Nicki Minaj Certainly Seems To Explain Her Sudden Pivot To MAGA

Rapper Nicki Minaj made headlines this week for declaring herself President Donald Trump's "number one fan" as he launched his savings accounts for newborns—and now she's gotten a telling gift for her trouble.

Minaj appeared Wednesday at the Trump Accounts Summit in Washington, D.C., where she praised Trump’s rollout of investment accounts for U.S.-born babies.

Keep ReadingShow less
A man in a  suit with a red tie and a pocket square
selective focus photography of person holding black smartphone
Photo by Dane Deaner on Unsplash

People Break Down The Most Overrated 'Adult Goals' People Chase

As children, we begin to grow an image of how our life will turn out.

Usually involving a financially lucrative career, a good-looking spouse who adores us, and a magazine cover worthy house.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @kellymengg's TikTok video
@kellymengg/TikTok

Woman's Story About Plane Passenger Refusing To Lower Window Shade Sparks Heated Flight Etiquette Debate

Though arriving at a destination can be fun and exciting, traveling itself is often exhausting and annoying, especially when we're made to feel uncomfortable along the way.

TikToker Kelly Meng launched a heated debate on TikTok after she shared a story about taking a 15-hour flight next to a woman who refused to do anything but what she wanted with the window shade next to her.

Keep ReadingShow less
Zohran Mamdani
Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images

'New York Post' Dragged After Bizarrely Criticizing Zohran Mamdani's 'Poor Snow Shoveling Form'

The first major winter storm of 2026, which at one point spanned over 2,000 miles, dumped record levels of snow on New York City.

Central Park reported a record 11.4 inches for the day and the most snow since 2022. In Manhattan, Washington Heights almost hit 15 inches, while Brooklyn saw widespread totals of 10 to 12 inches.

Keep ReadingShow less
Ben Affleck Confesses Why He And Matt Damon Added Random Gay Sex Scenes To 'Good Will Hunting' Script
Arturo Holmes/WireImage via Getty Images

Ben Affleck Confesses Why He And Matt Damon Added Random Gay Sex Scenes To 'Good Will Hunting' Script

Who knew the iconic line “How do you like them apples?” might be spiritually adjacent to a stack of random gay sex scenes that never made it into Good Will Hunting? At least, that’s how its writers—Boston buddies Ben Affleck and Matt Damon—have described one of their more chaotic attempts to figure out who was actually reading their script.

For anyone somehow unfamiliar with the Oscar-winning Affleck-Damon bromance: the two met as kids in Cambridge, Massachusetts—Affleck was 8, Damon was 10—and grew up a block and a half apart. They bonded over acting, moved in together after high school, and started grinding through auditions.

Keep ReadingShow less