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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 13 of 13. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by tina on May 21, 2003, at 15:09:13
I'm having a lot of stress right now and I really don't know how to cope with it all. I don't really want to go into what's weighing on me, I just want ideas on how to cope with the stressful effects like headaches, stomach aches, fatigue and all that other crap that comes with stress.
Anything would be appreciated.
thanks
tina
Posted by Dinah on May 21, 2003, at 16:15:53
In reply to I feel crappy, posted by tina on May 21, 2003, at 15:09:13
I'm sorry you're under so much stress, Tina. I wish I had the answer, but I don't. My only suggestion would be to take extra special care of yourself, and force yourself to make time to do it. Bubble baths, a good walk (if you like exercise), a good book (if you can concentrate on reading), orgasms. Whatever relaxes you.
Take care, and I hope you get a break from the stress soon.
Posted by tina on May 21, 2003, at 16:32:30
In reply to Re: Sorry :( » tina, posted by Dinah on May 21, 2003, at 16:15:53
There I was, innocently reading your reply when I came to the word "orgasms" and I laughed out loud. So, thanks to you, I have had one stress-free moment today.
Bless you Dinah
I should know by now that I can always count on you :-)
luv
tina
Posted by Miller on May 21, 2003, at 17:41:12
In reply to Re: Sorry :( Thank you Dinah :), posted by tina on May 21, 2003, at 16:32:30
Hi Tina,
It is rough dealing with stress and the physical results of it. The only thing I can suggest is to do something out of your ordinary routine.
For me, I usually have to physically do something. Since my head usually pounds, I take 4 Ibuprofen and go walk around K-Mart if I have nomoney and the mall if I do. Lots of fluids, too. (Not necessarily body fluids as Dinah would suggest ;)
I also try to find something mindless and non stressful. One of my favorites is coloring. I have more coloring books and posters than someone with kids!!
I hope you feel better soon.
-Miller
Posted by Dinah on May 21, 2003, at 18:56:54
In reply to Re: Sorry :( Thank you Dinah :), posted by tina on May 21, 2003, at 16:32:30
I met my therapist at an anxiety workshop he was giving. He was listing all the various relaxation techniques, and highly recommended orgasms. Overall, I've found that to be true, and have sometimes even used it to diminish self injury urges.
Happy to have lightened your load for a while. :)
Posted by noa on May 21, 2003, at 19:55:07
In reply to I feel crappy, posted by tina on May 21, 2003, at 15:09:13
Tina, hope the laugh helped. And the other thing, too!
I have one or two old movies on tape that I watch when I'm sick or feeling blah. Don't know if that would work for you.
Carbos help--they are calming and sedating for me. Not the best long term strategy, but they help with I'm really agitated.
Reading is hard at those times--requires too much concentration.
Exercise helps but sometimes it is hard to get mobilized.
Someone once mentioned those small trampolines. That might help!
Once I was feeling stressed and happened to haved a whole bunch of that bubble wrap from my move--popping those bubbles was a great stress reliever!
How about finger painting?
Baths help me, too.
Another idea is brushing. You know, with autistic kids and kids with other sensory integration problems, they brush their arms and legs, etc. to calm their agitation. I think it also supposedly helps with getting them focused, etc. Don't do it hard enough to self injure, though. But the stimulation can be very calming. Get a bath brush or I bet a loofah could stand in for a brush, or something like that and try it gently. I have tried it and it is calming for me. I should try it more often myself.
Posted by tina on May 22, 2003, at 8:37:44
In reply to Re: I feel crappy » tina, posted by noa on May 21, 2003, at 19:55:07
Thank you all for the great advice. I know the real cure is just to resolve the problem that's making me stressed but that isn't an option right now. I really appreciate all the suggestions and I'll try them all.
You guys are great :)
T
Posted by noa on May 22, 2003, at 9:52:34
In reply to Re: I feel crappy.....Noa, Dinah, Miller, posted by tina on May 22, 2003, at 8:37:44
Below is some info. When looking for this info, I started to see more and more how sensory integration can relate to some of the problems many of us describe here. It is a relatively new concept and the medical establishment is still quite skeptical, because the research on whether it produces permanent improvement in children's brains is scant. But I think there is something to this.
Some of the signs I can relate to: over sensitivity to sensory input of various kinds or undersensitivity to sensory input. Distractibility, getting "disorganized" emotionally, being too aware of the seams in your socks or the labels in your shirt, etc.
I am very sensitive to noises, auditorily distractible, cannot stand loud noise. Have strong sense of smell and gag reflex. I get overwhelmed and overstimulated fairly easily and have to shut down and shut out all the light and sound. Sometimes when I am processing a lot in a busy day, I get overly revved up and have a hard time focusing and calming the overstimulation.
I avoid crowds. Etc. etc.I may just order myself one of those brushes!
ANother technique mentioned is one I think Dinah has recommended--tight wrapping in a sheet or blanket. I guess the deep pressure helps calm and organize.
Here is some sampling of info about sensory integration, including brushing technique:
http://autismawakeninginia.bizland.com/autismawakening4therapy2/id2.html
you can buy the recommended brush here:
http://www.theraproducts.com/indexInterestingly, there is a book about non-talk therapies for bipolar disorder, including sensory integration therapy:"Bipolar Disorders: A Guide to Helping Children and Adolescents" by Mitzi Walsh. YOu can see an excerpt here:
http://www.patientcenters.com/bipolar/news/non_talk.html
Posted by kara lynne on May 22, 2003, at 14:05:22
In reply to Re: I feel crappy.....some info about brushing, posted by noa on May 22, 2003, at 9:52:34
That's really interesting info. I've always said (half jokingly) that I feel autistic-- in that extreme sensitivity to stimuli way. I'm going to go look at those websites.
Posted by Pfinstegg on May 22, 2003, at 19:24:02
In reply to Re: I feel crappy.....some info about brushing, posted by noa on May 22, 2003, at 9:52:34
I thought I'd just add my two cents' worth to the discussion on sensory integration. My son had a lot of non-specific learning disabilities, and a very immature nervous system- always several years behind his age. He didn't learn to read, write, or do arithmetic until about the fourth grade, and was always in "remedial sports" at school, never able to catch a ball or get selected for a team. He was so depressed and discouraged about school that he was determined to leave when he reached sixteen. We did lots of things to try and help him, but I think the most helpful was the sensory integration therapy. We went to a therapist three times a week for about 10 years, and also got all the equipment so that we could do it twice a day at home.
To make a long story short, the pediatric neurologist was stunned at how rapidly his nervous system matured- maybe it would have, anyway, but who can say? He has slowly become a skilled athlete- an expert skier, mountain-climber and country and Scottish dancer. And he is a year away from getting his doctorate in theoretical physics from Princeton. I must say I am still stunned about that last development- it's hard to imagine the boy who flunked arithmetic so at home with the complex mathematics of string theory!.
I have recently been reading a bit about the use of sensory integration for anxiety and depressive disorders. I think that it is well worth looking into. I feel certain that it played a role in helping my son's abnormal neurological "soft signs" disappear; perhaps it can have a beneficial effect in helping to reverse the hippocampal and frontal lobe abnormalities found in adult anxiety and depression. It's a wonderful topic for discussion here.
Pfinstegg
Posted by Dinah on May 22, 2003, at 22:04:44
In reply to Re: I feel crappy.....some info about brushing, posted by noa on May 22, 2003, at 9:52:34
Thank you, Noa, for those sites. I've been periodically looking into that possibility for myself, but I haven't been able to find much about sensory integration problems in adults.
I do know that often my impulses to self injure are directly related to feelings of overstimulation, so perhaps the sort of brushing you mentioned would serve the same function of organizing those feelings.
So much of what's wrong with me just doesn't seem to fit in perfectly with depression or anxiety, and this sort of treatment seems promising.
Posted by noa on May 22, 2003, at 23:07:36
In reply to Senory Integration and the CNS, posted by Pfinstegg on May 22, 2003, at 19:24:02
Thanks! If you come across any links or other resources about SI (sensory integration, not self injury, or course!) to treat anxiety and depression, I'd love to see them.
Your son reminds me of Albert Einstein. Apparently, he had delayed language and his teachers described him a slow!
Posted by Pfinstegg on May 25, 2003, at 23:10:09
In reply to Re: Senory Integration and the CNS » Pfinstegg, posted by noa on May 22, 2003, at 23:07:36
I'm looking, but haven't found much. There is a Sensory Integration therapist in my area who is starting to treat adult psychiatric patients; I have her name on file, but I think I'll wait until she has more experience, and can tell me whether she is really helping anyone, before I consult her.I am very interested, though.
I, too, remember reading that Einstein was actually considered to be retarded as a child. We are so thrilled that our son has found a way around the huge problems he had, and so proud of him for keeping on trying so hard, but he isn't turning into an Einstein, just a solid physicist who wants mostly to teach. But, anyhow, he's almost certainly a nicer guy than Einstein was! (says his mom)
Pfinstegg
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