General What Does Your Vet Do To Relax?

[Deleted member 28812]

Mine is currently in the bathtub and listening to some odd new-age like music... and eating chocolates... because he is pretty pissed off and feels disrespected by everybody including by a subordinate at work who does just the opposite of what he tells him to do and when confronted he does not see the point. So he feels like he wants to yell at him but of course he does not do this.
He came home and was pretty angry.

Typically he likes sport to relax. Today not

The question is for everybody not just vets and spouses by the way.

 

[still_i_rise]

First off, sorry to here your fella is having a bad day but good for him for finding way to channel his stress this way. :)

My husband plays video games Mainly first-person shooting games.
I would rather that he start exploring other venues to relax but I can live with the soundtrack of Battlefield 4 in my life if it's what helps him.

I personally am big on physical activity helping me de-stress. Mainly lifting weights, walking dogs, skiing.
I also do a lot of crafting (knitting, spinning) and that for me is my form of mediation.

 

[Sweetpea76]

My vet likes to shoot and do gunsmithing... probably not the hobby his psychiatrist had in mind when she told him to get one :rolleyes:. He's been a shooter all his life and it's what he enjoys though. He has taught me to shoot, and we go to the range a lot. It is oddly soothing.

 

[still_i_rise]

@Sweetpea76 - I can see that. My husband likes hunting and so do I. There's something soothing about focusing on your target and the satisfaction of hitting your mark.

 

[Sweetpea76]

We just shoot paper because he can't hunt anymore. He is a very good shot and used to compete. We're talking about doing some tournaments when I get better too. It's almost like throwing darts or bowling really. You compete against yourself and can see when you're get better.

 

[Friday]

My vet likes to shoot and do gunsmithing... probably not the hobby his psychiatrist had in mind when she told him to get one :rolleyes:.

LOL... I am shameless following this thread looking for ideas on how to relax... And have zero impulse control. Ahem.

Both my therapists have gotten ticked off at me for stopping shooting. They both actively encouraged / encourage it as a tool for emotional monitoring and regulation. Why? Can't hit what you're aiming at if you're all freakin out. ;) Have to slow your breathing, heart rate, and be very connected to your body and how it moves. The smallest thing can skew a shot. So for that moment you need to be grounded, present, and tranquilo / calm.

 

[Wastinglight]

My vet likes to shoot and do gunsmithing

We both enjoy shooting too. The shooting range is one of the few places my guy feels completely at home, and I find shooting a good way to manage my anxiety, because it's impossible to shoot well when you're anxious! Your breath must be calm and controlled, your movements precise and your mind clear, blocking out all distractions. he says it's a kind of like meditation.

Otherwise, my guy finds mowing the lawn on his ride-on relaxing, he calls it a form of meditation too. I like walking by myself, preferably in a natural area, listening to music.

 

[Sweetpea76]

I'm a bath person too @Lemontree. Being in or around any kind of water sooths me. I told my vet that we need a hot tub many many times... I think I'm starting to wear him down. I think it would help relax him and be good for his pain too.

 

[Sighs]

Mine rides horses, hunts with a compound bow or works out on heavy weights.

Yes - he is as incredibly fit and sexy as that makes him sound! ;)

I think the archery is really good for him. You can't hunt with a bow unless you put in many hours of target practice. Your heart rate and breathing needs to slow even more so than with rifle shooting. It really is a form of meditation. Any stress or lack of concentration as you release the shot and there is no way your arrow will fly true. He would spend about 2 hours each day shooting his bow.

 

[Nico]

When he was *mine*, he also really enjoyed soaking in the tub. When he was deployed, I always sent him bath salts in his care packages. He also used to tell me that *I* relaxed him and that his parents noticed how relaxed he was around me. Interesting, given now I'm shut out. Cooking relaxes him too as well as reading.

I don't have PTSD, but I have anxiety and soaking in bath salts is relaxing coupled with a cup of chamomile tea.

 

[Deleted member 28812]

I'm a bath person too @Lemontree. Being in or around any kind of water sooths me. I told my vet that we need a hot tub many many times... I think I'm starting to wear him down. I think it would help relax him and be good for his pain too.

Well if you make him do it against his wishes, probably not. It will just probably make him sit in the bathtub be angry at you.

Someone posted a testimony and a link about floating therapy for vets but I cannot find it anymore.

 

[Deleted member 28812]

Yes - he is as incredibly fit and sexy as that makes him sound! ;)

Mine too *cough* *cough*. What? It is not my fault my husband is fit and sexy, is it? *cough*
No... well... I like the fact he takes pride in his body in a healthful way and I think it's also good for him. He likes rugby and working out, jogging, riding, not sure if there is a sport he does not like... maybe ballett.