Stress!!

 I’m not the most laid back person in the world…. In fact, I’m pretty sure I was born with mild chronic stress/anxiety.  Half the health related issues I have probably are at least partly caused or aggravated by my constant state of stress!  Did you know that stress can actually cause physical symptoms?  Stress isn’t just in your head; it actually has a physical effect on your body! It can cause everything from backaches and headaches to insomnia and digestive problems.  Chronic stress can even cause ulcers and heart disease!   I didn’t even really comprehend how stressed I was until half way through my high school career, and even then I had no idea what to do about it!  I’ve struggled so much with trying to find some peace in my life, and I’m still not quite there yet, but I’m trying my hardest to figure things out!  

For Christmas one year my mom gave me a book called “Be Still” by Victoria Anderson and Lois D. Brown.  It’s a really good book that talks a lot about ways to cope with, and even overcome stress and anxiety.  I, of course, put off reading this book for a year or so, and even then just glanced through it with mild interest.  It wasn’t until I was married, in college, and having issues with depression, that I really decided to sit down and read the book.  It was really a surprise to me how many of the things I was experiencing were directly related to my stress levels!   I didn’t realize that my crazy eating habits (i.e. going seven hours on just a granola bar) were having such a big impact on my mood, my stress levels, and even on my relationship with my husband!  I’ve found that just by making sure that I’m eating on a regular basis (and ideally eating good food) that I can manage my moods so much better, and I’m less likely to feel utterly overwhelmed by the world! 

For the last few years I’ve been having trouble sleeping.  I’d get into bed at 11:00 and sit there in the dark for HOURS as my mind just kept going and going and going… it was awful!  I’d be up until three or four in the morning every night, and then I’d be stressed out and grumpy the next day because I wasn’t getting enough sleep because I was stressed!  I tried taking sleeping pills (for the sake of my husband’s sanity), but when I did I’d either be asleep for the next 20 hours, or they just wouldn’t work, or if they did work my insomnia would come back the minute I stopped taking them.  So I decided that really wasn’t the way to go.  After reading my stress book, I decided that maybe I needed to try some relaxation exercises (deep breathing, visualizations, etc.) before I went to bed.  So I tried it, and it didn’t really work.  I still couldn’t focus my mind and I still couldn’t sleep.  Luckily I had some divine inspiration to get online and look up “free relaxation visualization downloads”.  I found a couple of really good relaxation visualizations in mp3 form on InnerHealthStudios.com.  I know it sounds a little dumb, but my favorite is the "self-esteem relaxation" track, because the little affirmations give my brains something to focus on that doesn't inspire stressful thoughts. I listen to one every night and I'm asleep before the track ends!  My only problem now is the fact that my mp3 player is always dead in the morning and I'm afraid I may strangle my self in my sleep with the earphones!!

I'm still stressed, but now I know that I can do something about.  I'm really looking forward to the day when I can handle life with out having my jaw clenched!