SwampD Posted October 2, 2017 Report Share Posted October 2, 2017 Exercise and fresh air. You will be amazed at how much better, relaxed and comfortable with everything you feel after, say, a 5-mile run. Sweat it out. Satisfaction guaranteed. This. I would also add to try and limit caffeine and carbs, as well as limiting screen time (computer, TV, and even phone). The are all stimulants that can make it harder for me to relax. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattPie Posted October 2, 2017 Report Share Posted October 2, 2017 Exercise and fresh air. You will be amazed at how much better, relaxed and comfortable with everything you feel after, say, a 5-mile run. Sweat it out. Satisfaction guaranteed. I dunno, dying in a ditch 2 miles from home sounds pretty stressful. :) (that's the inevitable conclusion of me trying to run 5 miles) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nfreeman Posted October 2, 2017 Report Share Posted October 2, 2017 I dunno, dying in a ditch 2 miles from home sounds pretty stressful. :) (that's the inevitable conclusion of me trying to run 5 miles) Well, you don't start with 5! Start with 1 mile, or half a mile, or whatever. (A not-very-fast pace, but still a run that will get your heart going, is 10 min per mile.) Wear an ipod and listen to whatever takes your mind off the run (I like to start with music and then switch to sports podcasts, but YMMV). You will find that you can keep increasing your distance by a quarter to a half mile each time, and you can get to 5 miles before you know it. You can also alternate running and walking as needed to catch your breath. The important thing is to sweat it out. There is no medication/booze/dope/other that is remotely as effective for stress/anxiety/depression/insomnia. Sorry for the proselytizing but I am such a strong believer in this. I am lucky not to have anything terrible in my life, but I'm still pretty busy with work, wife, kids, bills to pay, message board moderation, etc. and exercise is what keeps me sleeping at night and unwound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattPie Posted October 2, 2017 Report Share Posted October 2, 2017 Well, you don't start with 5! Start with 1 mile, or half a mile, or whatever. (A not-very-fast pace, but still a run that will get your heart going, is 10 min per mile.) Wear an ipod and listen to whatever takes your mind off the run (I like to start with music and then switch to sports podcasts, but YMMV). You will find that you can keep increasing your distance by a quarter to a half mile each time, and you can get to 5 miles before you know it. You can also alternate running and walking as needed to catch your breath. The important thing is to sweat it out. There is no medication/booze/dope/other that is remotely as effective for stress/anxiety/depression/insomnia. Sorry for the proselytizing but I am such a strong believer in this. I am lucky not to have anything terrible in my life, but I'm still pretty busy with work, wife, kids, bills to pay, message board moderation, etc. and exercise is what keeps me sleeping at night and unwound. I feel you, just running isn't the sport for me. Misshapen feet and questionable knees just can't take that kind of beating. I do walk here and there and now that my shoulder is feeling OK I'll get back on the bicycle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woods-racer Posted October 2, 2017 Report Share Posted October 2, 2017 I dunno, dying in a ditch 2 miles from home sounds pretty stressful. :) (that's the inevitable conclusion of me trying to run 5 miles) :w00t: That's funny Matt! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
That Aud Smell Posted October 2, 2017 Report Share Posted October 2, 2017 I'm sorry to hear of this struggle and difficulty, Flagg. As with most things in life, I find that being attentive to an issue and identifying a solution or solution(s), and then being persistent and consistent with implementation, are the keys to addressing any issue or problem. Honestly, you're right. I feel so much better on days when I exercise in the morning than on days when I don't. Word. I didn't work out this morning. Now my back hurts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
josie Posted October 2, 2017 Report Share Posted October 2, 2017 Man, Flagg, are you and I related? You describe my struggles well. I have an appointment with a neuropsychologist in November (made the appt in July when I thought I was going to do something stupid) that'll be ~6 hours of tests (logic puzzles, cognitive stuff, not like, Ludovico experiment stuff haha) that will hopefully help sort out what's wrong with my head. I told my GI doc that I was 90% sure my extreme gut problems were anxiety related. He said "It can certainly contribute. We're going to do tests to be sure, but don't blame this all on yourself. Brains and guts are tricky and they're connected in ways we're not totally sure about yet". I didn't put 2 and 2 together that I could possibly have an anxiety disorder until reading an article in a magazine, of all things. I went... Dear god, this is me. Read it aloud to d4rk and he's like... "uh... DUH". And allowing myself to acknowledge that yes, there's a problem, and I'm not necessarily doing this to myself for once/being stupid/failing, has helped a lot. I'm terrified of being medicated. But I'm opening up to the idea of having a general anxiety drug IF and WHEN I need it. So if things start to go off the rails, knowing I have a chemical failsafe is good. They gave me something like that back in high school for my GI problems... take this bitter little pill and stick it under your tongue when things start to go south. Later found out it was just immodium, but by prescribing it, it has a sort of placebo effect as being stronger. After talking to some friends, I found out almost everyone I know has this issue/has a script for stuff like Lexapro for when they start having some problems. Made me feel better. None of this helps my 3 am panic attacks that manifest themselves as heart attacks (had one once, am terrified to have another) and stomach flu (terrified of vomiting). But thankfully, now that I know there IS a problem, I'm having less of them. Get a doc. Sometimes having a diagnosis can make all the difference with this sort of thing. I hope you find answers soon <3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LTS Posted October 2, 2017 Report Share Posted October 2, 2017 The other thing about stress is alluded to by Sabre Dance. Stress really can manifest itself in any number of ways. It's not just digestive, etc. Without any real evidence I firmly believe that stress is behind a large majority of our healthcare issues. We all live under the constant threat of violence. We are a less tolerant society thanks to social media and the ability to see and hear contrarian views (intelligently or not). We are busier than ever and we occupy ourselves with more things. More work, more activities, more everything. We need to relax, a lot. The American way of life is to work yourself into an early grave. work hard, play hard.. except most don't get enough play or it's the wrong kind that doesn't relieve stress. We go on vacation and then pack the schedule full and when we get back we say "I need a vacation from my vacation." It's all wrong. Anyway... Change your perspective... it's not easy, but it's required. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spndnchz Posted October 2, 2017 Report Share Posted October 2, 2017 Some years back, .... <snip>. So, yes, sometimes our body reacts to stress (real or perceived) even if we aren't consciously aware of it. I had something similar once, not Gramma related but I had a muscle twitch between my ribs that soon went away once the stress left. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
That Aud Smell Posted October 2, 2017 Report Share Posted October 2, 2017 Without any real evidence I firmly believe that stress is behind a large majority of our healthcare issues. Hear, hear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qwksndmonster Posted October 2, 2017 Report Share Posted October 2, 2017 Hear, hear.Well, stress and capitalism. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randall Flagg Posted October 3, 2017 Author Report Share Posted October 3, 2017 Thanks again for the tips, help, and support from all of you :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randall Flagg Posted October 4, 2017 Author Report Share Posted October 4, 2017 A little update - got a Dr. today, told him everything going back to the first upset stomach I could remember that couldn't be explained, and he immediately whisked me down the hall to get bloodwork done to look for Celiac disease and some thyroid issues. If those get ruled out, I'm going to a gastro specialist. If that gives us nothing, then he's doping me up on stress meds. Today the lump in my throat, which was there all morning, was gone when I walked out of the doctors office, so that's nice, and the fact that I just got back from desperately trying to do a homework assignment i fell behind on by being out of commission for 4 days in a row didn't even bring it back. Maybe it's because I was with all the other students who were having equal problems. But I just stapled together the worst piece of trash assignment I've ever done in my life, in the class that I'm struggling the most in, so that should be great. Quantum midterm Friday, then I can take a breath and relax. Nights like tonight make me start to set up a linkedin profile, realize i have no marketable skills, and cry myself to sleep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
North Buffalo Posted October 4, 2017 Report Share Posted October 4, 2017 A little update - got a Dr. today, told him everything going back to the first upset stomach I could remember that couldn't be explained, and he immediately whisked me down the hall to get bloodwork done to look for Celiac disease and some thyroid issues. If those get ruled out, I'm going to a gastro specialist. If that gives us nothing, then he's doping me up on stress meds. Today the lump in my throat, which was there all morning, was gone when I walked out of the doctors office, so that's nice, and the fact that I just got back from desperately trying to do a homework assignment i fell behind on by being out of commission for 4 days in a row didn't even bring it back. Maybe it's because I was with all the other students who were having equal problems. But I just stapled together the worst piece of trash assignment I've ever done in my life, in the class that I'm struggling the most in, so that should be great. Quantum midterm Friday, then I can take a breath and relax. Nights like tonight make me start to set up a linkedin profile, realize i have no marketable skills, and cry myself to sleep. Think larger box, your skills translate, you just have to figure out how... get a professional resume writer...and again relax, deep breaths... it will work out, though maybe not the way you think and there is more than one way to get to where you want to go... just like in math and physics, there is more than one way to solve a problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LTS Posted October 4, 2017 Report Share Posted October 4, 2017 A little update - got a Dr. today, told him everything going back to the first upset stomach I could remember that couldn't be explained, and he immediately whisked me down the hall to get bloodwork done to look for Celiac disease and some thyroid issues. If those get ruled out, I'm going to a gastro specialist. If that gives us nothing, then he's doping me up on stress meds. Today the lump in my throat, which was there all morning, was gone when I walked out of the doctors office, so that's nice, and the fact that I just got back from desperately trying to do a homework assignment i fell behind on by being out of commission for 4 days in a row didn't even bring it back. Maybe it's because I was with all the other students who were having equal problems. But I just stapled together the worst piece of trash assignment I've ever done in my life, in the class that I'm struggling the most in, so that should be great. Quantum midterm Friday, then I can take a breath and relax. Nights like tonight make me start to set up a linkedin profile, realize i have no marketable skills, and cry myself to sleep. You are overthinking it. Most people I work with don't have marketable skills, they have marketable experience. The path in life is never a straight line and it's never a one step journey. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
biodork Posted October 4, 2017 Report Share Posted October 4, 2017 Well this is apropos: How Dumb TV Can Ease Your Panic Attacks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattPie Posted October 5, 2017 Report Share Posted October 5, 2017 So I'm not sure if this is applicable, but supposedly hanging your head upside down is reported to be good for calming down. That can take the form of lying off a couch or whatnot, or doing a "downward facing dog" yoga pose. (RosePie may have some sensory issues around sound) http://asensorylife.com/inverting-the-head.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwampD Posted October 5, 2017 Report Share Posted October 5, 2017 How has nobody mentioned porn yet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WildCard Posted October 5, 2017 Report Share Posted October 5, 2017 How has nobody mentioned porn yet? As a release or adding to it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LTS Posted October 5, 2017 Report Share Posted October 5, 2017 How has nobody mentioned porn yet? Not a good option if you have performance issue concerns... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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