Lately life has been really rough at every turn. My hours are decreased at work, boss shoots off like a loose cannon, my family is in a rough spot, the weather is crummy and rainy (I believe I have mild SAD, like my mother), and I’m trying to clear up a credit card debt that isn’t mine (which, at this point, might be cheaper/more cost effective to simply pay and move along rather than keep destroying my credit). It seems like everywhere I turn there is more stress to be had, some of it with an end in sight but much of it with no firm end date. My stomach has been taking the brunt of it; it ties itself into knots and I feel queasy and lack an appetite. I go to the bathroom far more than I should. I find that I need more sleep than I normally do. I have no idea to handle this, since it’s not one problem I can immediately “fix”, it’s a series of problems that are out of my hand yet affect me. Usually when stress has hit me it’s been one or two things that I can zero in on and form a plan for.
I’m sure it’s not depression, because I’m not sad or unmotivated, I simply feel sick and nauseated going about my day. Exercise after work seems to help, but afterwards that gnawing feeling comes right back.
How do you deal with this? Occasional stretching (like, hands over head, leaning back) to stretch out my actual stomach help slightly. Are there any breathing techniques to be considered? I’m looking for solutions I can do at my desk or in the hallway throughout work, not suggestions like “try yoga! meditate!” because I can’t do those through the work day. What about those biofeedback thingies?
Exercise is good. If you can, do it more often and more vigorously. During one really stressful time in my life, we had a tree cut down in our front yard. My husband got a log splitter and split the wood while I transported it into the back yard and stacked it. That full-body strenuous exercise did more to make me feel better than anything else I tried.
Also try consciously relaxing your stomach and torso muscles when you’re sitting or lying down. Doing that in conjunction with the breathing should help.
I found that yoga (more than other types of exercise) helped with my physical stress symptoms throughout the day, not just when I was actually exercising. So consider adding some yoga, if you can.
Also you might trying Googling something like ‘desk meditation’, ‘desk yoga’, ‘5 minute meditation’, etc. There are various quick stress-relief exercises that you can learn that are designed for your situation.
ETA: forgot - for instance, one that my friend (a family therapist) taught me: breathe in deeply. Blow out, pausing twice in the middle. Puff-puff-puff out. This is such an unnatural breathing pattern that it apparently trips some “nothing to worry about” trigger in your brain, or something like that. Do it three or four times; don’t go too far or you’ll get dizzy.
Cut out caffeine, you might not feel the effects for about a day but afterwards it’s completely worth it. Less stomach upset too. After work, is it possible to completely distract yourself with nice relaxing things that you like doing? Watching tv, read a book…it sounds simple but little luxuries to come home to help.
romansperson, those Weil exercises did help. Thank you. I didn’t really know where to look.
I can absorb what I’m reading and watching, but my stomach remains clenched. The problems are moreso persona/family than work. Work I can handle because I don’t care about my job (as stupid as that sounds in this economy). It’s just work + everything else that’s making the situation bad. So far the breathing has worked ot an extent. I’ve cut out caffeine for years; I have maybe 1-2 cups of decaf a week.
I hate regular yoga. I don’t like the Hindu aspect or anything of it. I do like power yoga, and do it 1-2x/week. I’m just not a relaxed sort of person. But this is the first that my stomach has been in literal knots for days on end. I will try the desk meditation and desk yoga and report back. And I’ll certainly try the breathing, since the Dr. Weil stuff worked (to an extent) already.
Thanks all, will report back tomorrow after I’ve tried more suggestions!
I’ve had something similar, maybe. Due to lots of anxiety/stress and not having any coping mechanisms (no drugs, not into drinking or any self-destructive behaviors) I was just physically hurting all the time. Things were piling up but I just wanted to sleep all day, didn’t want to deal with anything. It’s like the pain transcended from the mental level and manifested itself in the physical in the form of jabbing stomach pains.
Exercise used to help. I’d get an endorphin rush, but it was quick to pass and it lasted only when I did at least an **hour **of hardcore cardio.
I eventually went to a therapist and psychiatrist. In my case, my therapist made the hypothesis that I at the least had some type of mild depression, anxiety disorder, or dysthymia. She explained that my body was so used to feeling down which was why it took an insane amount of cardio just to get up to a “good” feeling. Great to know, but I still didn’t know how to deal.
I was finally diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder and a low-grade depression. I was given Prozac to help combat my anxiety.
While I was wary of taking medication (I’m the type of person who will only take cold medicine when they’re dying!) it really did help to take the edge off. The pain really subsides when I’m on it. Before, when I could feel a stomach pain coming on, I’d just have to clench, brace, and ride it out. But now, it’s like the pain never manifests itself anymore. I can be stressed but without the physical pain…like it disappears into some abyss.
Simple meditation has been shown to reduce stress. The simplest type of “mindfulness” meditation is counting one’s breaths. Sit in a relaxed position. Close your eyes. Begin counting each breath from 1 to 10. Do as many cycles of this as you’re comfortable with.
At first you will consistently lose count. That’s normal. In between counts your mind will flutter around to various topics. This is also normal. The idea is to try as best you can to remember the last count and come back to it when you take your next breath.
Don’t make any attempt to control your breathing. Your only objective is to count from 1 to 10 and then back again. Wherever else your mind goes and whatever else you feel, simply is. This is not an exercise in self control or anything else of the kind beyond remembering the number of your last breath.
Recycle glass? get a small sized metal trashcan and a smashing implement of your choice…and when outraged you can prepulverize your glass.
Just remember to sort first.
Lift weights.
Let rock and roll do the screaming for you-turn on something loud and jump around the house to it.
Throw yourself on the grass and have an old-fashioned temper-tantrum…SOFT turf only, as heel-drumming and fist-pounding are de rigeur. Yell if you can get away with it also. Or roll around in the grass-barrel-roll, tumble, flop, whatever-vigorously for a few minutes.
Make sure you’re eating very nutritiously, drink lots of water, take a good multivitamin high on the b’s
Heh, I think this is part of the problem. My apartment is very small, and has no yard. I plan to move once my lease is up next July to a house with outdoor space. Simply getting outside is critical. My office is high up and once I get down through the slow elevators and past the billowing cloud of smokers, I’ve spent 10 minutes :mad:. But I look forward to my own outdoor space; I realize now how critical it is to my health and happiness.
lindsaybluth, this is going to sound really weird, but cut out the decaf. Nothing but nothing makes my stomach hurt worse than decaffeinated coffee. I know you’re only looking at once or twice a week, but I bet it’ll help.
Along with that, how’s your diet? Cutting out most of the flour, sugar, corn syrup and related fake foods has cured me of stomach problems I had since my teen years.
My diet for the past 2 1/2 years has been exceptional. I had Ravioli and Vegetable soup for dinner last night, with the whole wheat ravioli. Breakfast is a whole wheat bagel or some form of whole wheat/grain cereal and 1% milk. Lunch is leftovers or (if I’m at home) egg whites and a whole egg and wheat toast or tuna with minimal mayo. Another example of dinner is a vegetarian chili and quinoa. I eat about 150 calories of ice cream every day. Snacks are cut up vegetables and fruit. I eat like a healthy freakin’ champ. So I know it’s definitely not that. If I eat restaurant food, I feel sluggish, but this is like knots/grinding in my stomach from stress.
Frankly I’m starting to think that I might also have a slight intolerance to wheat.
