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PaperclipPerfector  1d ago (text post)   1213 thread views

Wellness Wednesday for June 18, 2025

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So Oura has be saying that my daytime stress score has been really high since pretty much forever. Subjectively I don't know how much store I put in this metric, as it doesn't seem to be particularly responsive to any of the weekly rhythms that my other metrics seem to be responsive too. However, at the same time, it does feel like I'm stressed out/anxious all the time during the day. I'd like this to stop for probably obvious reasons: my QOL is lower, running and work performance is lower when I'm constantly in flight mode, and it also seems to be a red flag for new friends and/or romantic partners. Some things I'm thinking of trying.

  1. Limiting stimulation/internet use to 2 hrs/day outside of work hours. I do wonder if overstimulation is causing a lot of this anxiety: I'm always checking email/TheMotte/social media for new stimulation. Really cutting out porn for good can't hurt either.

  2. Scheduling less stuff at work and in life. In some ways this is much more easily said than done. I feel like I'm perpetually in a whole at work: always many presentations/experiments behind where I should be, so I over-schedule to try and catch up and then end up not actually doing what I said I was going to do and falling further behind. Same with life outside of work. This is maybe the big one to work on.

  3. Actually getting serious about meditation. Many users have suggested this on this form and I've been dragging my feet because meditation seems like another thing to try and fit into my overbooked schedule.

  4. More breaks during the work day where I actually just do nothing rather than browse the internet.

Any other thoughts TheMotte?

What makes you trust the stress score rather than your own feeling? I sense a loop here, as if you are feeling stressed not from stress, but from this score. While ironic, this is the very nature of so-called biofeedback. Just a thought.

I don't think this is the reason. I only started checking the score within the past few weeks, but it's been tracking for nearly 3 years. Daytime stress has pretty much always been high, unless I am relaxing at my parent's house.

Do you think that's going to change? Stress measures (increased heart rate etc.) don't always indicate anything bad. We need that kind of thing to get through the day sometimes, unless it's debilitating. And I don't imagine things like cortisol, prolactin, etc. are measured.

But this doesn't address your question, sorry.

I guess I'm curious if I even can change it. The reason why I even would take it seriously is because subjectively since starting grad school it does seem that I've been quite stressed and not really operating at 100%.

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