Help with chronic stress

[answersfound]

I have dealt with chronic stress over the past 5 years and am really fearful of the long term effects it is having on me. I have deeply ingrained negative thinking patterns and paranoia that I cannot seem to break free from. Life just seems to be too much for me to handle. There has been a lot of drama and conflict in my life, which has led to constant adrenaline rushes. I'm incredibly weakened and depleted. Any attempt to exert myself leaves me feeling awful. This is impacting many of my relationships. I feel this constant pressure in my head and fear my brain is shrinking. I am young and feel like alzheimers is a legitimate possibility for me in the near future. All I want is a simple life where I'm happy. I want to be able to handle life's stressors. I'm not living right now, I'm coping. I appreciate any advice or help in advance. My mind is too powerful. It is destroying me. It's always racing and I'm in a constant state of fear.

 

[barefooter]

I think you should give us some more details on what the stressors are in your life, so you can get better advice about how to deal with them. Good diet and physical activity are great for becoming more resilient to stress, but it's only part of the equation. If you are being exposed to too much stress, you either need to see if you can change your reactions to things or change your life to remove the stressors.

My mind is too powerful. It is destroying me. It's always racing and I'm in a constant state of fear.

If your mind is so powerful, than put it to good use doing something stimulating. Learn something new, take up an instrument, do some art, anything engaging, challenging, and fun. Don't try to fight your mind, or look at it like an enemy. Understand it, see what the strengths and weakness are, and build a life for yourself that works with those. If your thoughts are too inward facing, you're never going to think yourself out of it, so instead do things that you love.

 

[Mittir]

Regular 30 minute meditation can change brain's gray matters in about 8 weeks.
I tried that and noticed within few weeks something has changed deeply. It takes a lot of efforts
to be angry or agitated now. Everything seems fine most of the time.
I have done fancy meditation on and off for a long time but never paid attention
how it changed over all response to life. I think the best kind of meditation is the
simple meditation without any fancy technique. Just sit straight with erect spine
and do nothing, or pay attention to breathing or frontal lobe or nose , anything.
I think meditating twice in 15-20 minute sessions, just after waking up and
any time after sunset is more helpful. I think expecting brains to grow more gray
matters add extra benefit. I also did not skip a day for 8 weeks.

http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2 ... ter-brain/

I have noticed when i eat extra starch or any hard to digest food it takes more than
20 minutes to reach that deep station. Gut is a major obstacle, but even with
bad gut any amount of meditation is helpful.

 

[narouz]

I have noticed when i eat extra starch or any hard to digest food it takes more than
20 minutes to reach that deep station.

That's really interesting, Mittir.

I did Transcendental Meditation regularly in the '70's for...I guess for about half a year to a year.
I really think it changed me in some deep way.

It was a very gradual and subtle thing, but...
I do think so.

Don't picture anything glamorous or heroic here.
Just being able to be more mindful, patient, observant, calm, aware, sensitive, etc....
Not running away from one's self.

 

[Mittir]

Just being able to be more mindful, patient, observant, calm, aware, sensitive, etc....
Not running away from one's self.

I would add happiness and peacefulness to that. I have read somewhere and i believe that
our natural state is be happy, to be in bliss. Anything that disrupts happiness can not be good
for me. In past when i did meditation i expected that i would feel good, a high like state.
but i did not expect other things. I think expectation in meditative state is the big shift now.
I was wondering if one can be in blissful just by good nutrition and life style (peating)
or meditation is a must to achieve that.

 

[answersfound]

Thank you everyone for your contributions. I find the most peace when I can turn off the mind and focus on presence. Specifically the eckhart Tolle books have been incredibly helpful. Just sometimes I get caught in a spiral of bad thinking patterns and it's hard to get out, because the thinking itself is the problem.

 

[Nicholas]

bercelli's TRE method has been helpful for me in dealing with the physical harm that comes from these mental states. it doesn't cure the thoughts - but weakens the vicious cycle in how negative thoughts change the body negatively and in turn perpetuate or give more power to negative thoughts. as far as the thoughts themselves, it helps me to remember that they are not my own - they do not originate inside my mind but are more like something sent to me to discern the truth. not many have the courage or discipline to heal the mind

 

[answersfound]

bercelli's TRE method has been helpful for me in dealing with the physical harm that comes from these mental states. it doesn't cure the thoughts - but weakens the vicious cycle in how negative thoughts change the body negatively and in turn perpetuate negative thoughts. as far as the thoughts themselves, it helps me to remember that they are not my own - they do not originate inside my mind but are more like something sent to me to discern the truth.

Why are they not your own? Can you explain further please

 

[Nicholas]

i know i am only asking to be dismissed quickly, but the truth is that the spiritual realm is more real than the physical realm. we are all being influenced by the spiritual realm whether we realize it or not. if anyone doesn't realize that they are being influenced by the spiritual realm and think they are their own personal being with their own free thoughts then that too is part of the spiritual influence over their lives - they are being deceived by lying spirits that they are their own god. but the most important thing i could possibly say is that even lying spirits are sent of God - meaning, they are being used for good. being deceived is a good thing. being tormented by your thoughts is a good thing. you cannot know truth until you've been deceived first. and you cannot be set free unless you've been in a bondage you had no idea you were in (i.e. being a slave to the lying thoughts). when the truth is revealed to anyone, it becomes apparent that these troublesome spirits are very necessary and very instructive - as they teach you through trial and error and mold you to a place where you can discern between truth and lies ever more quickly. evil has no chance of winning, because evil was created by God for the purpose which i've described.

 

[charlie]

^He gets it.

 

[narouz]

i know i am only asking to be dismissed quickly, but the truth is that the spiritual realm is more real than the physical realm. we are all being influenced by the spiritual realm whether we realize it or not. if anyone doesn't realize that they are being influenced by the spiritual realm and think they are their own personal being with their own free thoughts then that too is part of the spiritual influence over their lives - they are being deceived by lying spirits that they are their own god. but the most important thing i could possibly say is that even lying spirits are sent of God - meaning, they are being used for good. being deceived is a good thing. being tormented by your thoughts is a good thing. you cannot know truth until you've been deceived first. and you cannot be set free unless you've been in a bondage you had no idea you were in (i.e. being a slave to the lying thoughts). when the truth is revealed to anyone, it becomes apparent that these troublesome spirits are very necessary and very instructive - as they teach you through trial and error and mold you to a place where you can discern between truth and lies ever more quickly. evil has no chance of winning, because evil was created by God for the purpose which i've described.

I'm not very religious, but this is an interesting interpretation.
But in the case of, say, f**king ISIS, beheading people, executing children, etc...
hard to see that evil as instructive,
as intended by God...

There is a whole branch of religion dedicated to this sort of thing.
There is a term for it: "theodicy."
How to justify the ways of God to man.

To finish on a more hopeful note,
in one of Flannery O'Connor's novels,
one of her characters speaks this line:
"A man with a good car don't need justifyin'."

 

[charlie]

narouz, evil reigns right now. The "prince of the power of the air" is in control. This is so you will know that you don't want evil to rule. So when you are released, freed, you will undoubtedly know which rule you want.

It's a mysterious plan that many cant understand right now because a lot of it is hidden. All in due time my friend. :)

 

[narouz]

narouz, evil reigns right now. The "prince of the power of the air" is in control. This is so you will know that you don't want evil to rule. So when you are released, freed, you will undoubtedly know which rule you want.

It's a mysterious plan that many cant understand right now because a lot of it is hidden. All in due time my friend. :)

Well, okay.
But next time we have 20 Questions for Dr. Peat,
I want this question about Evil to be number 1.
It's damn vexing!
And I'm sure Peat will give us the answer.

 

[charlie]

He dodged that question.

 

[narouz]

He dodged that question.

Crap.
I need a beer.

 

[halken]

He dodged that question.

Woah...

 

[charlie]

He dodged that question.

Woah...

Well yeh, and 9 others.

 

[pboy]

man I gotta ask you, btw I know exactly how you feel...based on what you wrote youre not the problem at all, and neither was the case for me. Really get straight with yourself as to who or what the problems are in your life..so you can at least separate that from yourself, be like...im dealing with that, contending, but its not me at all. Imagine yourself in a better situation for yourself, see how you'd feel different and better and that is your true self. It sounds like, as was the case for me, people or situations you are in are provoking a cortisol (fight or flight ) response that obstructs you feeling like you, feeling good, feeling life, able to relax, dream, imagine...be relaxed in the torso and breath, feel good in heart and mind

its a serious thing, and I wish you the best...try to identify culprits, imagine yourself in a more ideal situation, alone, and how much different and better off you'd be. Rreally imagine it, vision it, and feel it. Then decide how to proceed..it'll come naturally probably once you've done those things

 

[natedawggh]

I have dealt with chronic stress over the past 5 years and am really fearful of the long term effects it is having on me. I have deeply ingrained negative thinking patterns and paranoia that I cannot seem to break free from. Life just seems to be too much for me to handle. There has been a lot of drama and conflict in my life, which has led to constant adrenaline rushes. I'm incredibly weakened and depleted. Any attempt to exert myself leaves me feeling awful. This is impacting many of my relationships. I feel this constant pressure in my head and fear my brain is shrinking. I am young and feel like alzheimers is a legitimate possibility for me in the near future. All I want is a simple life where I'm happy. I want to be able to handle life's stressors. I'm not living right now, I'm coping. I appreciate any advice or help in advance. My mind is too powerful. It is destroying me. It's always racing and I'm in a constant state of fear.

hey looking...
take a deep breath. :)
I looked through your old posts to get an idea of what you've tried and what your other symptoms are. You mentioned an elevated prolactin and high serum calcium. you also mentioned marijuana use and SSRIs.

A couple thoughts:

You sound like you are actually in learned helplessness. This is something I was in a bit ago. If you are drinking ANY alcohol or smoking any pot, you are actually manually elevating the stress hormones that are causing this stress reaction that you are feeling. Pot increases cortisol and alcohol increases estrogen, prolactin, and serotonin CHRONICALLY. There is no way around these effects and they cannot be counteracted by any supplement, therapy, or diet. They just must be eliminated and if you cannot do it on your own you can go to alcoholics anonymous. I've been a member for five months because I could not stop drinking no matter how hard I tried to do it. I have found AA to be a whole lot of fun and really fulfilling, so if you have these habits I encourage you to do something about them.

IF you do not have these habits, you still obviously have learned helplessness which is characterized by excessive stress hormones, most notably serotonin. If you have hair loss (I think I read that you do) this is from high prolactin. You can fix these problems with two methods (again, assuming you do not drink or smoke AT ALL, cause otherwise these will not work) get high dietary calcium from dairy products or eggshell. Get at least 2000mg a day (work up to this level). This will definitely suppress prolactin. You had high serum calcium not because of your diet, because high serum calcium in correlation to high prolactin means you are not getting enough in your diet, so your body is compensating by driving up the PTH, to liberate calcium from your bones. For a healthy person, getting adequate calcium from a few glasses of milk will work. For someone who is sick an experiencing stress... the calcium in a few glasses will not be enough. This is what is causing you so much stress. Increasing your dietary calcium intake will ironically lower your serum calcium as well suppress your PTH and prolactin back to normal levels, which will in turn reduce serotonin. You need to be diligent in figuring out exactly how much you are getting, and making sure that level is at least 2g across the day.

You can also take L-Lysine to reduce serotonin even more, and this will give you a sense of calm. You must take lysine regularly but not at high dose. If you eat foods with high tryptophan content (such as milk) you may experience a migraine from the resurgence of serotonin. If this is the case you need to get your protein from a source low in tryptophan such as casein, potato, etc.

 

[answersfound]

I have dealt with chronic stress over the past 5 years and am really fearful of the long term effects it is having on me. I have deeply ingrained negative thinking patterns and paranoia that I cannot seem to break free from. Life just seems to be too much for me to handle. There has been a lot of drama and conflict in my life, which has led to constant adrenaline rushes. I'm incredibly weakened and depleted. Any attempt to exert myself leaves me feeling awful. This is impacting many of my relationships. I feel this constant pressure in my head and fear my brain is shrinking. I am young and feel like alzheimers is a legitimate possibility for me in the near future. All I want is a simple life where I'm happy. I want to be able to handle life's stressors. I'm not living right now, I'm coping. I appreciate any advice or help in advance. My mind is too powerful. It is destroying me. It's always racing and I'm in a constant state of fear.

hey looking...
take a deep breath. :)
I looked through your old posts to get an idea of what you've tried and what your other symptoms are. You mentioned an elevated prolactin and high serum calcium. you also mentioned marijuana use and SSRIs.

A couple thoughts:

You sound like you are actually in learned helplessness. This is something I was in a bit ago. If you are drinking ANY alcohol or smoking any pot, you are actually manually elevating the stress hormones that are causing this stress reaction that you are feeling. Pot increases cortisol and alcohol increases estrogen, prolactin, and serotonin CHRONICALLY. There is no way around these effects and they cannot be counteracted by any supplement, therapy, or diet. They just must be eliminated and if you cannot do it on your own you can go to alcoholics anonymous. I've been a member for five months because I could not stop drinking no matter how hard I tried to do it. I have found AA to be a whole lot of fun and really fulfilling, so if you have these habits I encourage you to do something about them.

IF you do not have these habits, you still obviously have learned helplessness which is characterized by excessive stress hormones, most notably serotonin. If you have hair loss (I think I read that you do) this is from high prolactin. You can fix these problems with two methods (again, assuming you do not drink or smoke AT ALL, cause otherwise these will not work) get high dietary calcium from dairy products or eggshell. Get at least 2000mg a day (work up to this level). This will definitely suppress prolactin. You had high serum calcium not because of your diet, because high serum calcium in correlation to high prolactin means you are not getting enough in your diet, so your body is compensating by driving up the PTH, to liberate calcium from your bones. For a healthy person, getting adequate calcium from a few glasses of milk will work. For someone who is sick an experiencing stress... the calcium in a few glasses will not be enough. This is what is causing you so much stress. Increasing your dietary calcium intake will ironically lower your serum calcium as well suppress your PTH and prolactin back to normal levels, which will in turn reduce serotonin. You need to be diligent in figuring out exactly how much you are getting, and making sure that level is at least 2g across the day.

You can also take L-Lysine to reduce serotonin even more, and this will give you a sense of calm. You must take lysine regularly but not at high dose. If you eat foods with high tryptophan content (such as milk) you may experience a migraine from the resurgence of serotonin. If this is the case you need to get your protein from a source low in tryptophan such as casein, potato, etc.

Okay thank you natedawgh...my PTH is actually pretty low because of all the milk I take but the tryptophan has probably been haulting progress.

Also, doesn't masturbation raise prolactin? I masturbate on a daily basis but am willing to stop if it interferes with health.