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I'd like to punch something like this to destress:
I don't have one though. What general household items can I put together to allow me to do the same?
Moderator note: "Mind hacks" are off-topic here. This question is about a substitute-tool for a punching dummy, not about reducing stress. Please answer accordingly. Thank you!
A 50 lb bag of dog food inside a sleeping bag or large laundry bag may provide a satisfying impact without significant risk of hand injury. Failing that, a well-stuffed bag of laundry can also sub for a heavy bag. Either one can be upgraded with a printed photo or drawing of a face taped on.
Following are two different types of punching bags. To mount them onto a base, you could use a similar method as mentioned before, with a PVC pipe and an old parasol stand, or maybe you even have a small (but bigger than a gallon) water tank and could fill that one up with sand.
Do not punch without gloves. You could still wrap it with duct tape to make it even more durable.
To protect your wrists, also use gloves when punching this bag.
If it does not have to be human-shaped, you can just prop up your mattress against a wall. Since it's soft, you can punch it out to your heart's content. A wall also does nicely, I've found the pain of your fist crashing into hard concrete quickly relieves any frustration.
As a reference, see this YouTube Video.
I used to know a martial arts expert. He turned the newel post at the bottom of his stairs into a target by padding it heavily. He used it both for kicking and punching. He would attack it every time he went past.
A large pile of dough is perfect for this activity.
Satisfying smack, safe soft material, and then the opportunity to enjoy a meal afterwards; pizza dough would be preferable for the post-workup meal.
Most commercial punching bags are simply canvas cases containing a large amount of tightly packed rags, sometimes with a bit of something heavy packed in the middle for added weight. you could achieve something similar using old clothes, towels etc for filling, and a large bag/sack (e.g. hessian sack, sleeping bag) to hold them.
You could get an old camping tarp and fill it with bags of flour, or even some dirt. It will have a good weight to it, but won't be overly solid, and if you don't have the tarp, looks like you can pick one up at Wal-mart for $10 - $15 (in the US anyway).
If you go the dirt route, you would have the added benefit of the manual labor which could potentially help to de-stress as well, if you're that kind of person. The problem with dirt, however, is if you end up getting rocks in it. Might hurt to punch
Also, you can punch two pillows combined. However , it may not be useful for training. Maybe just for reducing the stress level.
