stress

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    Stress States and Working Life...

    How do you deal with levels of stress without stimulating a chronic pain flair up?

    I've had chronic back pain from scoliosis for for 15 years now. I'm off the meds and I'm doing a lot of work on myself with Cognitive Reprocessing Therapy, meditation and mindful movement excercises combined with physiotherapy.

    I can't work because I'm unable to cope with the stress of working as an Operating Department Practitioner (ODP). I left my profession because they couldn't make reasonable adjustments for my condition. So I walked away from my career.

    For the past 18 months I've been trying to wean off painkillers to figure out what to do about my pain, sometimes it's been so overwhelming that I've had panic attacks that have left me suffering from muscle spasms for months.

    I cannot keep going with this idea that I'm the only person going through this, how do we continue to feel our pain in a safe way without overworking the muscles of our backs when we feel our emotions.

    After 15 years of chronic pain it's hard to imagine a world where pain doesn't exist. That's not what I'm looking for, I just want to feel my pain sensations without having an immediate reaction of panic, fear and rage.

    Which brings me to the flip side of chronic pain, when I stopped taking my meds (co-codamol) I began feeling so much, so much that I didn't know how to feel, my pain become overwhelming but so did my emotions. I felt like a baby learning how to navigate states of newness again through this otherworldly state of being because my emotions were so viceral, so explosive. I didn't know how to behave , how to respond to people through these new sensations, it drove me to states of mind that have been described by the internet at psychosis.

    The thing that saved me from my mad mind was the ability to express what I was feeling through art. Painting, poetry, dancing and singing helped me find my way back to myself through my pain. This was about six months ago and at this time I'm trying to bring myself to a place where I can go back to work, safely. There is no room for creative self expression in a hospital...

    The level of self management involved in my day to reduce my pain is a heavy burdeon, I don't know how I will be able to cope without these practices...

    I can't just take a 30 min break and meditate or go for a walk to calm down my nervous system.

    How do people cope with pain and the stress of work when there is no space for us in the system to be able to feel, express and mend ourselves in the moment we need to.....

    Chronic pain, a disability?

    #ChronicPain #Scoliosis #Disability #worklifebalance #Psychosis #cognitivereprocessingtherapy #Stress #cocodamol

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    My Feelings Today

    I am tired and stressed out. I have school and then I go straight to work. I'd rather be curled up in my bed with my stuffed animals. I am not going to put on a smile today even if people want me to. My Bipolar Disorder is getting to me today and on top of that I am freaking stressed out. I just want to go home right now. #BipolarDisorder #Stress

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    #TheMighty #mind and #Stress :😵‍💫

    Just checking in with you all. This has been one seriously emotionally difficult week for me, which I have not experienced since early December.

    This is because I am literally living in a time of uncertainty, on many fronts. And my TBI induced PTSD mind seems to be striving to operate during this time in a state of anxiety. As I type this, I will ask, does the anxious mind crave stress? I am convinced my mind runs to or strives to live in an anxious state. Really, I am sure this form of addiction to stress is true: i.e., it’s like craving something or dealing with a habit.

    Anyway, again, I am simply checking in. Honestly, I think my mind has kept me too internally focused to even open this app most of this week. Thanks for being here!

    28 reactions 9 comments
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    Happy new month of March!

    A little reminder for those tough times. Anything you would add?🤔
    #PTSD
    #Anxiety
    #Caregiving
    #Stress
    #menopause

    14 reactions
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    couldn’t get myself to start studying

    I have upcoming tests and I’m very anxious I couldn’t stop thinking about these tests, the anxiety is very crippling I couldn’t get myself to start studying I keep pacing back and forth. I have been trying to start for weeks now.
    They are very important tests. one is important for college admissions and the other is a test to get into a scholarship program. I’m very stressed I don’t even know where to start now. every day that passes by just makes me feel more shitty, especially since the test day is getting closer every day. I’m very sad, I keep crying every day because of this daily unproductive cycle. I keep doubting myself and my abilities, I keep doubting my knowledge. I keep thinking about what could go wrong in the future, like what if I fail these tests, or what if I did pass the tests but I fail in college? I’m starting to feel physically ill.
    Because of these doubts, I’ve started to look into very advanced topics that I couldn’t grasp and I keep trying to understand them for hours every day it’s very frustrating that I’m doing this instead of focusing on what’s important.
    I keep asking myself am I stupid for not understanding these concepts? I’m feeling very bad right now.
    I’m not even sure about what I want to major in and that’s also adding to that. I am very lost. #Anxiety #Stress #Procrastination #help

    22 reactions 6 comments
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    Stressed Out

    I'm so stressed out no one really wants to hang out with me and I have a lot of missing work because of how much school I miss because of medical stuff, and my mouth hurts so I've just been crying in class and I feel like everyone is staring at me and it's making me even more stressed, I'm hoping someone can come get me because I'm not sure I can do this anymore. I feel like such a baby rn ;-; #Stress

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    😬Our ‘Public Persona’😬

    This is exactly what I, and countless others, do everyday - we put up a ‘public persona’ to hide what we’re truly going through. We pretend that we aren’t: in #AGONY or #depressed or #exhausted or #anxious . We pretend because we are #scared of how others would treat us if they really know what we were going through. The thing is though, by pretending we are something we’re not, we are giving ourselves more #Stress but also denying someone the opportunity to help us deal with the things that are really going on in our lives.
    #itsokaynottobeokay #itsoktoneedhelp #ChronicIllness #chronicillnessawareness #ChronicPain #chronicpainawareness #mentalhealthmatters #MentalHealth #MensMentalHealth #CollegeMentalHealth #MentalHealthAwareness #Disability #IntellectualDisability #DevelopmentalDisability #InvisibleDisability #disabilityawareness #invisibleillnessawareness #FunctionalNeurologicalDisorder #FND #FNDAwareness #JointHypermobilitySyndrome #ChronicMigraineSyndrome #ChronicVestibularMigraine #HemiplegicMigraine #Migraine #BipolarDepression #ChronicDepression #Depression #ChronicFatigue #Anxiety #SensoryProcessingDisorder #BrainFog #PanicAttacks #PanicDisorder #notalone #BeYourself

    334 reactions 72 comments
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    Driving Anxiety

    On the second day of driving practical classes, my instructor led me to a busy road. I was terrified that I wouldn't be able to learn how to drive because I couldn't follow him, couldn't turn when I needed to, kept using the pedals inappropriately, and the car repeatedly stopped in the lanes.I am frightening whether I can learn driving?

    #Anxiety

    #Phobia #panic #Stress

    8 reactions 6 comments
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    Just checking in #Depression #Anxiety #Stress

    I haven't posted in a while. Things have been somewhat stable. I've been at my job almost 6 months now. I like working at Disney World but what makes things stressful for me are when guest don't listen or follow your directions. I work at the Skyliner which is a form of transportation that operates like a ride, so guest safety is a big part of my job. When guests don't listen it puts their safety, cast members and other guest's safety in jeopardy. Thankfully I have not had any incidents of guests or cast members being injured but many nights I come home completely mentally and physically exhausted. I did put in a request to transfer to a less safety critical and less stressful position. I am waiting for an opening.

    Financially I am ok but I had a medical situation that happened around Thanksgiving and had to go to the hospital. I don't have medical insurance. I now have a $40,000 bill I am not able to pay. Also the Skyliner was closed for refurbishment for a week. I am part-time, so I got no hours for that week. I really hate when I seem to be getting above water, then something pulls me back under again. I just want a better life that I can't seem to be able to have.

    I did put my down time to good use. I have passes to both Disney World and Universal Orlando. So, I went to both during that time off and took some pictures. I use photography as therapy. I will post a few pictures soon.

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    Motivational Monday: You Made It To Today So Keep Going

    “The thing is…
    is that you’re still alive,
    your heart is still beating,
    your eyes are still blinking,
    your brain is still thinking,
    you thought you couldn’t survive yesterday,
    but you made it to today.
    So keep going.”- S.B

    You can definitely make it through today if you survived yesterday. One step at a time, one moment at a time. Keep going 💙

    #Diabetes #DiabetesType1 #DiabetesType2 #Diabetestype3 #lada #mody #prediabetes #GestationalDiabetes #JuvenileDiabetesType1 #ChronicIllness #AutoimmuneDisease #Health #MentalHealth #Lifestyle #IfYouFeelHopeless #Support #SupportGroups #Stress #Anxiety #MightyTogether

    38 reactions 6 comments