What do you do when stressed?

[NannyBeBe]

I pray that all will go well for you. If I may, I would offer Psalm 57:1. It has given me great comfort.
Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast.

 

[slo]

Hugs to you!
I understand overwhelming stress very well. Sadly, my DD27 has really put me and my DH through a lot (I got it the worst though, because I was always the one the got the brunt of it). Because of me not managing my stress, it took a real toll on my insides by making a very mild Ulcerative Colitis jump into high gear and quickly go to severe. I am now in remission and I try my hardest every day to keep it that way. Sadly, one of the reasons I’m in remission is because my daughter and I rarely speak now, which helps keep my stress level down.

During that horribly stressful time, I really focused on things that would give me some peace like….
*taking a deep dive into my faith like I’ve never done before.
*working on puzzles to take a break from life. If my mind started to wander, then I’d watch something happy and familiar while working on the puzzle.
*Watching positive movies & shows - nothing negative and violent
*reading positive things - for me this was religious material
*looking my best regardless how I felt. This is a big one for me. If I dress nice, do my hair and makeup real nice, then I feel like I can handle what life throws at me more.
*Listening to positive things - nothing negative
*Go to bed at a reasonable time. Life is a little easier when you aren’t sleep deprived. This was hard for me for awhile, so I talked to my doctor and i was given a prescription to help.

I take stress management very seriously because stress is so unhealthy. My DD22 currently has a lot of stress with her going through her doctorate program, and I’m always suggesting different things to her. Since she saw everything I went through, she takes her stress management seriously and tries her best to manage it the best she can. She takes a low dose anxiety medication, which helps her. She’s doing a paint by number when she needs a brain break and she enjoys that.

I hope you are able to find ways to manage your stress. Take it seriously, because stress can be relentless on your mental and physical health . But also remember, we all have storms in our life that seem like it will never end, but it does end eventually, and that storm does make us stronger. Then when the next storm comes, we’re able to handle it a little better than the last storm.

Take care and God bless

 

[Praying Colonel]

I work on the basics: Hydration, nutrition, exercise, sleep, focusing on my spiritual life.

 

[disneypharm]

I have tried everything, but the only thing that helped was watching comedies while waiting for test results or before major surgeries.

 

[Hisgirl]

I recently went through a journey that was filled with important waits. Several of them, each one more important than the next.

I prayed. I asked for peace. I stayed quiet and lived hour by hour. Took walk. Prayed some more.

 

[disneyseniors]

I'm not talking about the traffic is so bad stress, or work is extra busy stress. Like overwhelming stress over potentially life changing situation?

I know some that are still able to eat. For me, my appetite completely shuts down and I really almost can't eat.

What do you do to stay sane when all you can do is wait for answers?

I have just gone through a lot of stress and find that I don't have an appetite. I have to be reminded to eat at times!
I am someone who is always hungry and looking forward to my next meal or snack I know things will get back to normal one day soon and I can eat again like always

 

[disneyseniors]

Hugs to you!
I understand overwhelming stress very well. Sadly, my DD27 has really put me and my DH through a lot (I got it the worst though, because I was always the one the got the brunt of it). Because of me not managing my stress, it took a real toll on my insides by making a very mild Ulcerative Colitis jump into high gear and quickly go to severe. I am now in remission and I try my hardest every day to keep it that way. Sadly, one of the reasons I’m in remission is because my daughter and I rarely speak now, which helps keep my stress level down.

During that horribly stressful time, I really focused on things that would give me some peace like….
*taking a deep dive into my faith like I’ve never done before.
*working on puzzles to take a break from life. If my mind started to wander, then I’d watch something happy and familiar while working on the puzzle.
*Watching positive movies & shows - nothing negative and violent
*reading positive things - for me this was religious material
*looking my best regardless how I felt. This is a big one for me. If I dress nice, do my hair and makeup real nice, then I feel like I can handle what life throws at me more.
*Listening to positive things - nothing negative
*Go to bed at a reasonable time. Life is a little easier when you aren’t sleep deprived. This was hard for me for awhile, so I talked to my doctor and i was given a prescription to help.

I take stress management very seriously because stress is so unhealthy. My DD22 currently has a lot of stress with her going through her doctorate program, and I’m always suggesting different things to her. Since she saw everything I went through, she takes her stress management seriously and tries her best to manage it the best she can. She takes a low dose anxiety medication, which helps her. She’s doing a paint by number when she needs a brain break and she enjoys that.

I hope you are able to find ways to manage your stress. Take it seriously, because stress can be relentless on your mental and physical health . But also remember, we all have storms in our life that seem like it will never end, but it does end eventually, and that storm does make us stronger. Then when the next storm comes, we’re able to handle it a little better than the last storm.

Take care and God bless

Bless you. I know how hard it is to go through extreme stress, which I am just getting over now. I do alot of what you do including a lot of prayer and meditation, doing crossword puzzles, watching and reading positive things, taking the time to put on makeup and fix my hair which does make me feel better. I have a problem with sleeping when stressed, but I manage to catch up on that later. All my best to you. You are definitely Not alone in this.

 

[JackiesHubby]

I'm not talking about the traffic is so bad stress, or work is extra busy stress. Like overwhelming stress over potentially life changing situation?

I know some that are still able to eat. For me, my appetite completely shuts down and I really almost can't eat.

What do you do to stay sane when all you can do is wait for answers?

I hope my reply isnt too long but it is personal and it has helped me. I am ex military, my wife currently has stage 4 cancer, I am her care giver and we've been together for 38 years. I have lived stress each day during desert storm and again starting 3 years ago. My wife has almost died in my arms twice in the last 19 months (we got through that each time by grace). I handle stress by what i think is ignorance, obstinance, and just plain stubbornness. I know that other people depend on me and I am too stubborn to let them down. They key, I find is to put others above yourself. It works for me, but you have to be ready to put your mind into that position. I believe in a higher power (not to offend those of you who don not) but I also believe that HE requires us to put our effort into it as well.

 

[brockash]

I'm not talking about the traffic is so bad stress, or work is extra busy stress. Like overwhelming stress over potentially life changing situation?

I know some that are still able to eat. For me, my appetite completely shuts down and I really almost can't eat.

What do you do to stay sane when all you can do is wait for answers?

Live in denial as much as possible. I try to go on living like normal until I know something for sure. Staying busy helps. I try hard to not worry too much about things until I'm certain there's something to worry about. Waiting stinks...good luck.

 

[kanne323]

I've been dealing with more stress than I usually encounter for the past two months or so. I've been trying to prioritize water intake, moving my body (without focusing on a strict exercise regimen right now, I don't have time to get to the gym often due to what's going on), grounding, trying to focus on what I can control versus what I can't control, lowered expectations of myself, downtime, soft clothes, cozy blankets, and reading to escape. I usually write, but I've found the last few months to be so exhausting that I just can't, which eliminates my strongest coping mechanism.

One of my favorite grounding exercises (can help bring you down from an escalated state) is to simply imagine the produce department at the grocery store and go through the alphabet, finding a fruit or vegetable for each letter. This makes you focus on the immediate task. I also do some visualizations.

Music has always been a help to me, but lately, it hasn't been working so well. I finally found a podcast I'm enjoying, so that's what I put on when I'm driving, cooking, on a walk, etc. I'm re-watching a few old favorite shows and decided to NOT start season two of The Pitt, because I know that it will be anxiety-provoking rather than calming. I'm looking for lighter books to read and making sure to get the library at least every other week. I'm talking with a few friends regularly.

Getting outside helps me, but that's hard when it's constantly cold, gray, and icy. I grab onto moments of sunshine and 32 has been feeling really good the last few days compared to what we've been having. I live half a mile from the beach and try to get there for a few minutes every few days- some days I take a longer walk, other days I just watch the waves for a few minutes and breathe in the salty air.

For food, easy to swallow things might be helpful, and easy to prepare. I eat a lot of eggs when I'm dealing with anxiety. Easy to cook and easy to get down. I also make a lot of soups anyway this time of year.

The expectations are hard to combat for me. This was my first weekend home and not working since before Christmas. I had a whole list of things I needed to get done. I'm trying to give myself some grace and be okay with only getting the groceries, a little cooking, and one errand done. The hardwood floors and closets to be cleaned out will wait. It helps to keep in mind that we have different kinds of budgets- time, money, and energy. And all need to be respected and planned. It's okay to conserve energy or spend it in a way that's not necessarily the most productive. The next few weekends will be traveling for caregiving purposes, so the chores will get done when they get done. I need to save a little bit of my own energy for what's to come.