Looking for Stress managment ideas,..... I used mine up

My ramblings:

So this is a little off topic, but it is something we dont deal with as good as more healthy people. Just having chronic illness of any type IS stressful in itself. I deal with it better now, but its still an issue.

Tried many adaptogenic herbs in the past. After one year ABX, anxiety is way better, but not gone. Has anyone used an herbal mixture that was just awesome? Most of the stuff that relaxes, puts me to sleep.

I strive for the simple life, and compared to many others, I do live fairly simple. I'm a do-it-your self-er too which greatly reduces my cost of living as I maintain my simple home and paid for autos. Materialistic things mean nothing to me.

I know its said you need to remove all stress to properly heal (especially your adrenals), but this is not possible for everyone. Many of us have to work. And most livable earning jobs come with some stress. I,ve changed jobs in the past partially in pursuit of less stress, and its just the same thing again with different people, and unfortunately, unless you work alone there are always "difficult" people, the type who no one likes dealing with on a daily basis.

Tried mediation (really?), honestly though, a regular old nap works better for me than meditation. Maybe mediation provides "time out" for extroverts, but introverts have already know many ways of doing this on there own.

I think my answer is winn the lottery and build a cabin on a secluded mountain....or a tropical beach hut..
But I thought I'd ask, since I dont play the lottery..............

For my anxiety, I like using avena sativa (oats in the milky stage). I prefer the tincture though.

I too strive for the simple life with the simple pleasures. I've never been one for cities or busy streets. But I can still find myself overly anxious about things from time to time, so I have to be careful to still take time to be sure I de-stress.

For meditation, I prefer mindfulness meditation as it helps me to keep from going over past mistakes and things. "Mindfulness meditation is the practice of intentionally focusing on the present moment, accepting and non-judgmentally paying attention to the sensations, thoughts, and emotions that arise."
liveanddare.com/types-of-meditation/ Scroll almost 1/3rd of the way down to see mindfulness meditation.

I've had no choice but to not work for the last 25 years, as I've been too ill - but I know what you mean. I definitely have more control over my stress levels than someone that has to be at work all day.

This is difficult to suggest outright, but I'll put it this way. My stress levels have become a real issue for me since my 'bf' has chosen not to touch/sleep with me anymore. If I do 'get in the mood' which went from 24/7 to barely ever this year, I seldom have the opportunity to de-stress myself.

The release, if you can get there is hard to match with any herbal remedy.

All really great input - ALL of it. Such experienced people here (fortunately, unfortunately).

I may have been guilty of not providing overly-generalized responses in the past (which may or may not have anything to do with your post) but I'll clarify a few things regarding "de-stressing" from my experience. We're all different and come from different paths, on different journeys. But we're all dealing with an incredibly stressful illness and that has very similar impacts on our lives:

I don't think everyone can--or even should just quit their jobs. But MOST people bring certain personal characteristics to stressful environments that can exacerbate their reactions to stressful environments. It's not a criticism, it's the reality that many of us have physiological conditions--like thyroid, adrenal, neurotransmitter imbalances that affect our thinking and behavior. PARTICULARLY with this illness.

Some of it was there BEFORE we became ill (which often is why our weakened immune systems couldn't fight it off), some of it is a genetic predisposition, some of us have learned to cope with stress with more stress, and some of it is a direct result from the illness. All that to say, most people have a lot more stress in their lives than they realize, and many people CAN do something about it.

AND, I'll go as far as to say that many "type A's" like me think they can't disengage... but they can.

At one point in life I didn't think that was ever a possibility for me, until I had no choice. So, until you get to that point (and hopefully you don't ever) you have to "manage". No, you can't always avoid difficult people at work but you are in charge of how you interact with them, how you process their crappy behavior, and how you manifest it--or not--into physiological stress. This is the "management" part of it that we have to be mindful of--as much as we can. If we can't do this effectively, the only way to manage is to remove ourselves from the situation.

And the reality is also true that sometimes you cannot manage it because you don't always choose how your neurotransmitters (which help you process stress) function. I was told for YEARS that I was my own worst problem. That stress and too much work and travel and not enough sleep, etc... was the cause of aaaallllll my problems. And that it was my fault that I didn't correct it. Never mind the fact that I tried and also blamed myself for a couple decades. Now I know much more about what is and isn't in my control and there are some jobs that are going to be more stressful and therefore more detrimental to me. Now that I've made so much progress, there is no way in H*E*L*L that I'm going to jeopardize my recovery. This may also mean a change in profession - we'll see.

So, back to "management":

- this is where you devise a plan to remove yourself from situations you don't need to be in the middle of, where you delegate responsibilities to others better to lessen your load (even if it doesn't get done "right" - it'll still probably get done
- this is where you set boundaries and train people how to interact with you and what you will and won't put up with
- this is when you turn your phone OFF and control the outside triggers that create excitement (not just stress but anything that triggers adrenaline)
- this is where you develop coping mechanisms when you're "in the middle of it," can't safely remove yourself from a situation, and have to prevent stressful reactions (like if you're in a meeting and people are being stupid or rude - stroking your pen or squeezing your toes together in a rhythm that reminds you to breathe and create your "bubble of protection" so their issues don't affect you).
- this is where meditation is critical. Scheduling time to sit quietly in a room, in your car. Meditation can be the 'far out' there kind where you go into a self-hypnotic stage. It can be very simple and effective breathing mechanisms that no one even notices. Astro, you know enough about how the body processes oxygen to know how beneficial deep, controlled, rhythmic breathing is and there are videos all over youtube that are easy to pick up.

Again, when none of this really helps that much you HAVE to question what in the world you are doing in a job that is so detrimental to your health? At a time that de-stressing is one of the most important things you need to be doing.

Look, I've been there. I was my sole supporter. I had no one to help me with bills or emergencies. I had to find the confidence that I was doing the right thing in the long-term. I didn't listen to anyone who told me my job was killing me. I had to figure it out the hard way. It's always surprising what you can make yourself do when you think you are backed into a corner.

I didn't find a lot of help with two years of serious (and expensive) testing and supplementation with an ND. My neurotransmitter imbalances just kept swinging in opposite (and extreme) levels. The ONLY way I was able to address serious problems was to correctly supplement the thyroid and allow enough time for adrenals to recover. And this "allowing enough time" was all about de-stressing. And the de-stressing was all about finding ways to calm my mind (noted above), disengaging, giving up my smart phone, etc. The simple stuff that sounds impossible but is really pretty easy. Nothing magical.

This may/may not be helpful - I do hope you find some relief.

-p

The stress and anxiety just caused by herxes is something I'm trying to manage. Usually it's worst when I'm also totally out of it from the herx, so going for a drive isn't an option.

L-Theanine does help some. I've added in GABA but the jury is still out on that one.

I fantasize about downing a handful of benzos but they apparently aren't good for your immune system. Would be really nice to have them though as I think I could push harder through treatment if I could only take the edge off the worst 8-16 hrs of each herx.

Once the herx subsides I go for a bike ride and this is what is keeping me sane week after week. A lot of good rides in the area. My energy is good on non-herx days and I've been doing some rides into the front range a couple thousand feet up and then flying down again.

I've tried biking when I'm still herxing and it just ends up being a ragey anxiety filled ride. I stopped trying at these times because it doesn't really help relieve the psych symptoms and I'm afraid it'll ruin biking for me permanently.

My outdoor back-to-nature place has to be by water. Water seems to rejuvenate me and I forget all my cares.

I am not working and I cannot imagine working with lyme.

All of you that do work with lyme sure deserve my applause because I honestly could not do it.