Anxiety

elliotulysses · Oct 2, 2014

Does anyone else here experience anxiety? I have GAD among other things, but I really feel that taking care of my animals clears my mind and reduces my daily stress level.
Has anyone else found their eight legged friends therapeutic?

Storm76 · Oct 2, 2014

It's the only time for me lately I feel confident to be honest. I know what I'm doing, how to do it and them eating, growing and even dropping dudsacs proves to me they're fine the way they're cared for. Takes my mind off all the stuff going on in my life. So yes, it's always a nice surprise to find one has molted or is out after a long time of absence in their hide. It's relaxing.

elliotulysses · Oct 2, 2014

Storm76 said:
It's the only time for me lately I feel confident to be honest. I know what I'm doing, how to do it and them eating, growing and even dropping dudsacs proves to me they're fine the way they're cared for. Takes my mind off all the stuff going on in my life. So yes, it's always a nice surprise to find one has molted or is out after a long time of absence in their hide. It's relaxing.

I feel like it's having a more personal, more animated garden. Very rewarding to raise up and care for.
Speaking of molting, I think both my girls are premolt!

Storm76 · Oct 2, 2014

elliotulysses said:
I feel like it's having a more personal, more animated garden. Very rewarding to raise up and care for.
Speaking of molting, I think both my girls are premolt!

Good luck on the molting then. And yeah, animated garden might be a stretch, but it's a rewarding hobby in my opinion.

awiec · Oct 2, 2014

I like my spider and bonsai collection just because they are quite, require some care to make my day entertaining but don't really add any extra stress to my life. The plants/spiders are not going to care if I have the wrong tone in my voice when I say hi or that I'm in a bad mood because my sugar is low.

elliotulysses · Oct 2, 2014

awiec said:
I like my spider and bonsai collection just because they are quite, require some care to make my day entertaining but don't really add any extra stress to my life. The plants/spiders are not going to care if I have the wrong tone in my voice when I say hi or that I'm in a bad mood because my sugar is low.

Same!
And with some of my mental disorders, it helps motivate me to take care of something and ultimately helped in the long run (I have severe bipolar1)
How is bonsai? I love the look of them.

Kruggar · Oct 2, 2014

I find watching fish very relaxing. I can feel my blood pressure lower whenever I sit near my tank.

It may be that I'm also just sitting and relaxing to start with! lol

elliotulysses · Oct 2, 2014

Kruggar said:
I find watching fish very relaxing. I can feel my blood pressure lower whenever I sit near my tank.

It may be that I'm also just sitting and relaxing to start with! lol

Good point. Maybe it's because it calms you down to hear all the running water and see the objects flow. My aquariums make me feel very wonderful when I get stressed

awiec · Oct 2, 2014

elliotulysses said:
Same!
And with some of my mental disorders, it helps motivate me to take care of something and ultimately helped in the long run (I have severe bipolar1)
How is bonsai? I love the look of them.

Pretty easy once you get going. They are basically the plant equivalent of tarantulas, need the occasional feeding and maintenance and you can up-keep them for a reasonable price. I have about 30 or so plants and they don't take much out of my day, I think the tarantulas require more care than they do.

elliotulysses said:
Good point. Maybe it's because it calms you down to hear all the running water and see the objects flow. My aquariums make me feel very wonderful when I get stressed

I will have to admit that I do enjoy my bf's fish tank despite the fact it sometimes takes away some of my tarantula fund. Micro tanks are so much fun to keep.

JohnDapiaoen · Oct 2, 2014

Kruggar said:
I find watching fish very relaxing. I can feel my blood pressure lower whenever I sit near my tank.

It may be that I'm also just sitting and relaxing to start with! lol

Fishkeeping is a HUGE stress reliever. I used to keep a reef tank and simply looking at coral and fish moving with the current can take you away... then you see the electricity bill.

-JohnD.

LythSalicaria · Oct 2, 2014

Absolutely - keeping Ts as been incredibly therapeutic for me. It started as a way to conquer a phobia and turned into one of my primary preoccupations. Along with what others have mentioned here, I also take a lot of pride in looking after my Ts. Watching them grow and thrive and knowing that it's thanks to me makes me feel just a tiny bit better about myself in general.

BobGrill · Oct 2, 2014

I suffer from anxiety and Aspergers syndrome. Keeping tarantulas has definitely helped. It also gives me purpose to keep working and not give up in life.

cold blood · Oct 2, 2014

BobGrill said:
I suffer from anxiety and Aspergers syndrome. Keeping tarantulas has definitely helped. It also gives me purpose to keep working and not give up in life.

Its never worth giving up Bob, you're an intelligent person homie

JohnDapiaoen · Oct 2, 2014

On a side note, who's anxiety skyrockets when a T darts out of their cage during regular husbandry?

-JohnD.

cold blood · Oct 2, 2014

JohnDapiaoen said:
On a side note, who's anxiety skyrockets when a T darts out of their cage during regular husbandry?

-JohnD.

More of an adrenaline rush...gets the heart going a little for a minute sometimes. It always happens when I least expect it, probably because it happens so infrequently.

A few months ago I went into my G. pulchripes enclosure with a 12" tweezers to re-position the water dish that had been dumped. She was curled up in the corner all snug, I expected to right the dish and be out in 2 seconds. Literally as soon as I touched the dish, she jumped across the enclosure, onto the tweezers...made me laugh, actually. I held motionless for a bit until she backed off, thought I was in the clear and lifted out. Instantly she was on the tweezers, up and on the outside of the enclosure. I was amused, but I did feel that increased heart rate for a second. She went right back without much issue. I kinda like a spider that keeps me on my toes.

I have a pair of 3" P. cams that will need to be re-housed soon, could one of them be next up to the plate??

awiec · Oct 2, 2014

JohnDapiaoen said:
On a side note, who's anxiety skyrockets when a T darts out of their cage during regular husbandry?

-JohnD.

Everything goes into slow-mo for me and I just react. After all is said and done I feel great. I don't necessarily worry about them darting, but I'm not very surprised that they do so I stay relaxed the whole time for mine and the spider's sake.

cold blood · Oct 2, 2014

awiec said:
Everything goes into slow-mo for me and I just react. After all is said and done I feel great. I don't necessarily worry about them darting, but I'm not very surprised that they do so I stay relaxed the whole time for mine and the spider's sake.

Staying relaxed is important, I also naturally have very calm tendencies, especially under pressure or at critical moments...I'm lucky that way, I guess. I never understood panic, it never helps any situation.

awiec · Oct 2, 2014

cold blood said:
Staying relaxed is important, I also naturally have very calm tendencies, especially under pressure or at critical moments...I'm lucky that way, I guess. I never understood panic, it never helps any situation.

Nope especially when your P.regalis, after commenting on what a good girl she was, decides "I'm gunna do it" and starts running in circles around the cage with the top open. I could have freaked out but I just put the top back on and then she went back into her log.

JohnDapiaoen · Oct 2, 2014

awiec said:
Everything goes into slow-mo for me and I just react. After all is said and done I feel great. I don't necessarily worry about them darting, but I'm not very surprised that they do so I stay relaxed the whole time for mine and the spider's sake.

Sounds about right, my anxiety is geared more toward the T running behind a tight place and me having to move some heavy furniture around. Worst case scenario is darting behind a T shelf. That means I have to move every T off the shelf before moving the shelf itself.

-JohnD.

awiec · Oct 2, 2014

JohnDapiaoen said:
Sounds about right, my anxiety is geared more toward the T running behind a tight place and me having to move some heavy furniture around. Worst case scenario is darting behind a T shelf. That means I have to move every T off the shelf before moving it.

-JohnD.

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