Stress release and RP

[KelatheSkelicia]

Coming from a family where the mother is Southern Baptist, and the father is Jewish is a little awkward. I was raised Jewish, and I can say that no one, except people in school, who were heavily Christian, told me that RPGs were evil. Not dissing on Christians, as I was going to a Conservative Synagoguge at the time.

However, on the Orthdox Jew side of the family, I'm basically an outcast for the way I have decided to live my life. Some of them, like my younger cousins, understand, but most of the older people, except for my Uncle Norman, don't. Unfortunately, my Uncle Norman died of cancer two or three years ago.

On my mother's side. Boy howdy. My grandmother thinks I'm the demon child from hell. She hates my father for being Jewish. She hates my job because it is for an African American newspaper. She hates the fact that I wear black. The list goes on, and on, and on.

The point of this rant is that a lot of people grow up with that influence, but don't let it hurt them. My father played D&D while he was in the Navy, and so he kind of got me started. Even my mom, El Southern Belle type, played a little bit.

Also, on another note, to relax, I read. I read alot. If anyone has checked out my Xanga site, they'd understand. I think part of it is that I'm going to get married soon, and I'm terribly stressed out about my parents liking my fiance, Psly-MUN. I think part of it is also that I'm a chronic insomniac, so relaxing during the day is just me resting as much as possible.

Even beyond reading, to relieve stress, I excercise. And yes, on occasion, I'll drag my foam weapons out to the field, and pound on people. Usually get pounded on more than the reverse, but at the end of the day, I can go home happy.

[Topaz]

Stress relief - whatever opportunity presents itself; RP, chores, music, getting pampered or worshipped, writing, watching the squirrels out back having a pine cone throwing contest - the full list could fill books.

RP: Besides stress relief and a couple of other benefits already mentioned earlier in the thread, its also a great parenting tool and communication tool.

If someone tells me RP is evil - well, that's an invitation for a philosophical debate, isn't it? I like to see it that way. Let's get a pot of coffee brewing and then you can tell me all about it.

[Anjolie Quinn]

I would just like to say that I grew up Catholic and remain faithful to the source. Being a history major has taught me that if I intend to survive onslaughts of prejudice, religious wars, and bizarre bouts of plague I need to remain Catholic. (What can I say about a church with a background twisted enough that it made friends with Hilter?)

Anywho, I started RPing online and eventually discovered the glorious world of LARP. Which one? Vampire: the Masquerade. I am a White Wolf junkie... or was... until they replaced it with Reqium because they're ::explitive deleted::. Anywho, my family didn't approve of my being a V:tM Storyteller because they thought the game was so dark. I literally spent half of my life in high school convincing parents that I was not brainwashing their children and that I typically DO NOT wear vinyl dresses to school.

My sister, crazy fundamentalist mega-witch, convinced me and some of my friends to attend this Wednesday night church thing on the pretense that one of my nieces was there doing a play.

I am stupid.

I went along with it until the whole freaking church decided to join in a circle around myself and my "heathen" friends to save our souls from damnation because we were exposed to the evils of RPGs. All it did was make me want to light a cigarette then and there and make a mental note never to trust my sister again.

My revenge? My niece Hannah is only 7 and can draw 11 kinds of mythical creatures and wants to be a centaur when she grows up.

I love that crazy thing called Karma.

[Charlie Nausikaa]

I am also Catholic. I don't think going to church makes me weak. It's a community and everyone needs to be part of a community. The world's a crazy place and the more support you can get through it, the better off you will be. That is particularly important now that my husband and I are settled and thinking about starting a family of our own. You need support and help when you raise kids. Since few cities/towns/neighborhoods are "communities" anymore, a church fills that role wonderfully.

As for what relaxes me, I guess I'm a bit different. I would never do any kind of tabletop roleplay. I do not like Renn Faires and while I had a passing interests in WoW and CoH, other roleplaying games never really snag my attention for very long. While roleplaying here used to relax me, over the course of the past year and all the craziness, it doesn't anymore. I enjoy it but it doesn't relax me.

The key for me is working out regularly. As long as I do that, I tend to be able to deal with work-releated stress without a problem. Writing also helps and sometimes (particularly when I'm alone) a cleaning frenzy will help. Although, what I really love this time of year is grabbing a good book and laying out beside my parents' pool. It's heaven.

Finally, and most importantly, sex. I am shocked it hasn't yet been mentioned because good sex is the best stress reliever there is. Period. End of story.

[Vinny]

Ah, stress relief....

Despite what most of you know about me, the best form of stress relief that I've found is not to go to the gym and pound away at the bag, lift weights, swim laps until exhaustion, and run until my legs drop off. Not sex, video games, television, having a few drinks with friends, rafting, coaching my wrestlers to another title, playing MtG, or coming on here to have some fun RPing.

I go outside by myself and just sit. Listen the the sounds of nature. Tune out everything as best as I can. Do nothing for a while and maybe think about life, where I'm going, what I'm doing, and marvel at what a strange and wonderful world this is. Think about the people I've come into contact with over the years, each of which has made an impact in my life, even if was simply getting a glance back out of me or getting me to stop and have a chat while I'm running errands. Wonder how old friends that I haven't kept in contact with are doing. Wonder how my friends who I have kept in contact with are doing. Contemplate what I'm going to do the rest of my existance, both before and after I die. Think that in this great big universe(s), I too, have a part to play, no matter how small.

Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. For all that we've done, and all we'll do. If anything, I know the road ahead will be fun, interesting, and never without a good time.

[Cory]

I'm like a number of people I've noticed. When I get home from work I love to crack open a beer, pop a CD in the player, slip on my noise-canceling headphones and plop onto the couch for a spell. A couple CDs Quinn's player sent me have been in heavy rotation in my CD player. *Shameless name dropping!* Carl Hayn and the Holdouts. Buybuybuy!! I also have one friend that's helping me re-learn to play the guitar, but that doesn't happen as often as I like. I'm just getting started on stress relief.

If it's been a particularly bad day I'll start up some Ivalice III (MUD) or Morrowind III and go tomb/cavern/shrine raiding. Or now I've found EA Sports "Fight Night: Round 3" for Xbox to be extremely enjoyable. I never thought I'd like another boxing game since Mike Tyson's Punch-Out! Used to do some fighting of my own at nightclub here in downtown that transformed into a boxing arena on Wednesday nights. Amateurs could sign up to fight or challenge an enemy to a grudge match. It was fookin awesome!!! That was a great way to rid stress, alas I haven't been there in forever and a day.

See a pattern yet? I'm a workaholic just like my grandfather. My job causes my stress and keeps me away from things I love to do, but still I go into work everyday. And despite my complaints I do enjoy doing what I do now. I work with some great people to boot.

Because of scoliosis and two extensive surgeries to correct it I was limited in the sports I could play whlie growing up. I could still play the games and be active, but no high school sports. Tried some alternatives and got hooked on golf. So now when I have the time I really enjoy playing 9-18 holes.. or go to the driving range to just "grip it and rip it".

When it came to RPing over the span of my teen years into my 20's now my mother and stepfather were open-minded Christians, thankfully. Never once did they say they didn't like the games I had attached myself to. As they saw it, I was meeting new people and expanding my view of the world. Although, they didn't like the amount of time ("dedication" I called it ) I was putting into RPGs like Ivalice and the RDI and now RoH. I've only ever recieved flak from my father. He's a strict Southern Baptist, but I've never understood that man. My older sisters and I always believed he followed the "Do As I Say Not As I Do" religion. Biggest hypocrit I know. Meh.

In closing,
SEX ROCKS!