DEAR LITTLESCRIBE: Stressed Out. Tried Everything. Please Help!
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DEAR LITTLESCRIBE:
How do I reduce my stress level? I’m suffering from chronic tensions in my body, I’m diagnosed with ADHD, and no matter what I do, my stress level is too high. I have tried everything.
DEAR STRESSED:
Disclaimer--not a doctor here. Just a person who's "bought the t-shirt" so-to-speak.
To start off, I'd like to encourage you to have hope. Just because you don't see an answer doesn't mean there isn't one. There is one. You'll find it. It will take time, and honing, and patience. But it is there.
One thing, though, I’m not going to tell you to meditate. That stuff is crap if you’re ADHD. Too many distracting and triggering thoughts. I mean, if you wanna do Yoga and breathe deeply and all that jazz, go right ahead. That is REALLY super good for you. But don't put pressure on yourself to meditate. You do that much better when you're actually DOING something, even if it's taking a shower. Right?
Speaking of shower, do you keep a notepad near the shower? You may get some of your best ideas there. If you jot them down, you won't have to have them swimming around, and it will free you up for thinking other more creative and solution-oriented things.
I AM going to remind you to maintain daily upkeep: diet, sleep, physical activity. Your life is hard enough already. You can use all the balance you can get. Pay attention to food sensitivities like preservatives and gluten. You know what works for you and what doesn’t. I’m not going to prattle on.
I’m sure you have tried medications. But just to put my plug in, make sure you try Aderol. I have heard rave reviews from adults I care about who suffer from fairly severe ADHD.
A UNIQUE
idea for people with severe ADHD is to combat your symptoms by becoming a marathon runner. This is often, strangely, a really great fit for ADHD adults. Aside from the healthy dose of endorphins you get that will help calm the brain, you actually release the pent-up-ed-ness more effectively through the large muscle groups in your legs than through any other part of your body. AND--it keeps your mind and body busy to the degree that your brain chemistry is needing.
If your chronic tension is turning into chronic pain, then this may be a difficult endeavor at first, and you may need depression or pain medication to help until you can get into a good groove. But all that tension will likely have a place to go with something like marathon and Iron Man training. If you have the kind of physique that can handle strenuous activity, I’d highly, highly recommend this.
We can probably agree that there are a lot of things that HELP:
Acupuncture · Acupressure · Hypnosis · Medication · Healing Codes · Lucid dreaming · Emotional Processing and Release · Massage · Binaural beats · Cognitive Therapy · Chiropractic care · Craniosacral therapy · Allergy care and diet revamping · Mineral and diet detoxing · Sleep training · Deep breathing exercises · Marijuana · Soaking in bath salts or a hot tub each night · Playing candy crush · Listening to relaxing, well-composed music · long hikes · biofeedback · exercise · good sleep hygiene
Doesn't this look relaxing? (img)
But the problem is, they just HELP. They don't really resolve the issue of anxiety, ADHD, and stress on a more permanent basis. And that is the frustrating part--having to do ALL that work, for so little reward.
But again, I must insist you continue doing things that you KNOW promote your health and well-being, especially sleep! Even if these things do not yield measurable results. Your body is being taxed beyond what it should be systematically. Anything you can do to alleviate this stress is going to be a GOOD thing.
You've potentially got a lifelong gift of struggle here, and you're in it for the long haul. So keeping to the basics will make everything else more doable.
I find it curious that you mention “chronic tensions” in the body. This is something that really sounds like a sympathetic nervous system issue like anxiety—a fight or flight mode. Not that chronic tensions are not an ADHD problem, but with your reference to stress levels, I would look into perhaps a co-existing condition of anxiety.
Is it hard for you to wake up in the mornings? If so, it could be because your adrenals are being taxed, which could be a co-existing anxiety issue.
And for my topmost recommendation: Brainwave Optimization. It’s a cousin to neurofeedback, but rather than conditioning your brain to operate a certain way, with reward systems telling you if you’re doing it “correctly,” you simply LISTEN to your brain activity, and it will do all the work. Nice, right?
For some reason, when the brain is able to hear itself, it recognizes its own activity and corrects it, resulting in a deeper relaxation of specific systems so that it can function more properly in general systems. I wrote a post on it awhile back. Right here if you want to learn more.
If you have ever experienced any kind of prolonged stress, trauma, abuse, or life in general, your brain does things to overcompensate temporarily. But if the issue is not resolved for some reason, then the brain kind of gets in stuck mode. This little device helps to unstick it.
I use it at least a couple times a week. I just sit there for ten minutes, put the ear buds in, and then I'm done. I sleep better, I have more focus, better attention, better memory, clearer thoughts, more energy. It's kind of crazy.
My dad uses it daily for insomnia. He now sleeps better than he has in decades.
No, I do not get paid to promote this product, but I should as I’m a huge advocate!
I hope these ideas are helpful, or that they get you thinking in directions that might lead you to your answer.
I am a BIG believer that there is a solution out there for everyone. Whatever your struggle, you will find a way to deal with it and either overcome it to a successful degree, or manage it in a way that makes you feel really good about things and about yourself. The universe is crazy like that. Just because you don't see an answer doesn't mean there isn't one. There is one. And it is meant for you. And you will find it. And you'll know it when you do.
Please feel free to follow up with any questions you may still have.
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