keeping on track with stress

HOLLEE85

Ok first off I will say I don't handle stress well at all. The littlest thing can make me stress and it just snowballs. Well I've been stressed this past lil while and now it has gotten to the point where I'm not eating much at all I force myself just cause I'm not hungry. My body aches, I have headaches which I rarely get, and plain out have no energy. I feel guilty for not doing my workout daily but I just don't think I will be able to make it through a workout. Should I force myself to workout or let myself go through recovery than start back up again when I'm less stressed? I feel so guilty about it which for me just adds more stress. Like I said I don't handle stress well at all LOL. Any words of wisdom or encouragement will be appreciated.....I will even try and handle constructive critisism :sad:

rachi20024

Try doing some yoga or pilates, it is a stress reliever for me. I stress over not exercising too. Just do it I promise you will not feel nearly as stressed. I now look forward to my pilates I don't do it because I have to anymore.:flowerforyou: Oh and eating fish helps too!

savvystephy

Well, exercise can be a huge stress buster. I know that I always feel much more relaxed after a work out. Maybe getting yourself to do a workout will actually help you relax.

angiered

I always ask myself this question. "What will I regret later? Going, or not going?"

If the answer is going, I'm probably in pretty bad shape and really need to take a personal day to just rest. But the answer is almost always, "I will regret it if I don't go."

:flowerforyou:

Excersizing will REMOVE the stress you feel when you dont' go, and REDUCE the stress you feel from everything else. It will also help you eat.

Solandra

I have the same reaction to stress, no appetite, no energy. I cope with the appetite issue with meal-replacement-shakes. Not the best thing in the world, but better than not getting anything at all. Then I go for a walk. Even a walk can do enough for me in terms of endorphins to start coping with the stress better.

There are two pieces of advice that I keep going back to, over and over, in dealing with stress and depression. "If you don't have energy, go out and get it!" and "Endorphins make your brain smile."

Good luck, and be kind to yourself!

moujie

The absence of stress is death. Everything, even positive things cause stress. The issue is how you manage the stresses in your life. There are tons of things that can help you de-stress: massage, meditation, working out, yoga, etc. But the biggest helper of all is to not over stress in the first place. easy to say I know. You say you don't handle stress well and now you're not eating (much) and you seem to be feeling overwhelmed. Maybe it's time to really evaluate what's going on in your life and why you're feeling so stressed. Are you sweating the small stuff too much? It doesn't mean there aren't legitimate things going on with you that would cause anyone to stress out - it's just that if it's taking that big of a toll on you it might be time for some serious introspection. Because you can push yourself to work out but if you're not eating well or not eating enough you could end up doing more harm to yourself than good. If you're going through some difficult times your body is taking the brunt of it even though you may not know it - add not eating enough to that mix isn't going to make you feel any better. If nothing else why not make a committment to yourself to do something that is good for you each day? that could include exercise if you're feeling like you WANT to do it - make sure to fuel yourself. but it could also include taking a little time to do something you really like doing, or writing in a journal (which can also help you process the reasons you're under so much stress), or just taking a walk somewhere that is quiet. Give yourself permission to be good to yourself. :flowerforyou:

Gezicht

The best thing you can do for stress is to excersize. It's going to be hard at first so just do what you can, then after a while your body will adjust and then it will get better. Just remember that to change a habit you have to do it for at least 7 weeks.

LJCannon

I recently (last Monday) quit a job where the stress was through the roof. I stayed at the job for 3 weeks which doesn't seem like a long time but it is WAY longer than anyone before me had held it. The only way I did it is because I went to Curves EVERY morning before work, then I walked for 45-60 minutes after work.

The exercise DID help relieve some of my stress and by the time I would get home, I felt almost human :laugh:

No, you don't WANT to go and yes, you do feel like you don't have the time. BUT I Promise you will feel better if you make yourself do it the first few times.

LJCannon

:flowerforyou: Solandra,

I LOVE that advice. I'm going to save it and use it myself.

barbarella

I can be a total Stress Monkey sometimes! :grumble: :laugh:
It mostly has to do with situations unlikely to change for awhile.
I get so upset about these things I just want to explode. :mad: :explode:

I have the opposite reaction that I want to overeat & drink.
But EXERCISE is a BIG KEY to relieving stress.
Even if there is no time or energy to do a proper workout,
you must keep moving..... stretch, walk, climb stairs, lift small handweights.

Then other times it's best to PUSH THROUGH the crumminess & do that hard workout.
I tell ya, after a pumping 60 minutes of Turbo Kick Boxing or Zumba dancing,
a lot of stress melts away........ at least for awhile!!! :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:

Hang in there baby! "All Things Must Pass" (George Harrison song)
Be Kind to yourself & others in your life. :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: