stress

jillmarie125

Ok- Not sure if anyone has noticed (oh god i sound pathetic but i am hoping someone has noticed! lol) but i haven't been around that much. Life has gotten to me I guess you could say. I have been really stressed out lately. I am an emotional eater- happy, sad, mad...I eat. Excpet for stress. When I am really stressed out I kind of shut down and stop eating. I went thru this before about 10 months ago. It took me 2 weeks to slowly work my way back up to eating 1000 calories. Then another week to get back to 1400. Does anyone else get this way? food is such an emotional thing for me. I can't seem to overcome it. I have been staring at a pack of oatmeal for about an hour now. I know I need to eat but the thought of food makes me feel sick and makes me think of all my problems.

Holy Crap! typing this out makes me see how silly I sound. But I can't help it.

MysteriousMerlin

It's not silly at all. And I totally feel for you. Stress has a huge impact on our mood and emotions.

I try deep breathing exercises for spot stress moments. I've never done yoga but I've heard it helps.

I do try to look at things in perspective. Will this particular issue matter in 2 days? Will it matter in a week? A month? I run possible solutions to whatever is causing the stress through my head as well, so I have options available if needed. It may not always be best solution, but it gives me some relief knowing I have something to go on.

I also consider if it's something I can change. If I can't change it or improve it, I won't waste my energy worrying about it. My husband takes on so many projects at his school, then he gets stressed. He really needs to learn to say "no" sometimes. People won't hate you for it.

If the stress is caused by other people, consider your options. Is this person family? Can you avoid them as much as possible? Would talking to this person potentially solve any issues?

If the person is a friend, I have to consider how much I really like the person. If they're causing a lot of crap or drama in your life, is it worth keeping them around?

jillmarie125

Thank you. I really appreciate your advice. Some alone time for yoga or even to just sit there and clear my head sounds great right now. Thank you again.

CrusherKun

Jill,

I actually did notice you were AWOL a bit, I did see that you were logging in though as Friends list said you logged in yesterday when i checked (Trust me i really did go looking for ya). Its never easy when stress gets in the way, I know that, and I can promise that everyone has. Never feel silly about saying something either. To me, this is the outlet that we need to take advantage of to help each other through those difficult times. If you keep it in, it eats at you, and in your case, you are not able to continue the healthy habits you have worked so hard at achieving.

I agree with Amber (MM) that you have to get to the root of the cause of the stress and find a solution. Obviously how to go about that will depend on the issue at hand, and while i welcome you opening up to us about it, I know that isnt always something you can do with strangers, or maybe its easier to do with them. But know we are here for ourselves and in my case, that means helping others in anyway that I can.

Im only a PM away!

Stay Strong my Friend!

Brad (feels wierd saying my real name in these things)

aka - CK

brisingr86

Not much to add to what has been said regarding figuring out the source of the stress and/or understanding whether it's just a storm to weather that will pass. Unfortunately I do have a tendency to stress eat, but something that helps me when I'm really stressed is just grabbing a book. I have comfort books like some people have comfort food. usually teen/young adult stuff I read when I was younger, but they let me escape and I don't have to think about them. Yoga or a good workout are great ways to get some happy chemicals going, but sometimes when you're stressed you want something more of an escape (maybe that's just me). Feel free to PM if you need to vent about particulars.