Dealing with Stress

[deanwebb]

Always good to have a thread about keeping stress at bay. Since I got into my new role, WOW I had a lot of stuff hit me. But, I have coping mechanisms, so I can try and deal with these things without having to resort to getting blackout drunk or narcotics abuse. Employers prefer that sort of thing, and it's better for your health!

1. Exercise - just make the decision to be uncomfortable for the duration of the exercise and DO IT. Walking is something almost anyone can do, and 20-30 minutes of it on a regular basis is amazing for the body and mind.

2. Diversion - had a hard day yesterday, watched 3 hours of a comedy series that I love after dinner. The laughter and focusing on something other than work was amazing for getting my stress-related symptoms to clear up. I'm planning to schedule more breaks in my day where I can just walk away from my PC and *do something else* without interruption. Not just dive into the WC between calls, either. Proper breaks where I take my mind off things.

3. Sleep - and for me, waking up on my own, without an alarm. On days where I don't start at 8am, I set my alarm for 30 minutes before my first call, just in case. Otherwise, I wake up when I wake up and my body is ready on its own schedule. Going to sleep at the right time is also important and having a routine helps a lot. For me, I'll set the sleep timer on the TV for 20 minutes and start an episode of The Golden Girls. I have zero investment in that show, but it has a sweet opening song that makes me thankful for my friends and I think about them and good times as the gals deal with whatever. They're pretty quiet, so there's little to no chance of a sudden sound waking me up.

4. Know the symptoms - there are lots of ways stress can hit us, so let's track them...

Muscles - stress causes us to tense muscles that we're not even using. If you find that you have body aches in particular locations, then try to catch yourself during the day to see if you're tensing those muscles. Just have a reminder pop up in your day and check yourself. If you're stressing a muscle, stop, and then try to be more conscious about that stress reaction. I recently was getting headaches from the way my neck muscles were tensing up, so, yeah, find the tenseness and RELAX it.

If the aches are general and don't go with a fever, then you may be worn down hard. You might want to see a doctor, and don't be surprised if a blood test reveals a vitamin deficiency. I'm on B supplements after my last visit, and my BP was also on the high side. Not over the limit, but I'm concerned because I usually had that number in line.

Digestion - Stress can mess you up here, so try "easy" foods when you are stressed out. For me, that's cheese, bread, fruits, vegetables, peanut butter... I find meats become very hard to digest when I'm stressed out and I get stomach problems from that. There's also indigestion - if you're getting a sore throat during the day or by the end of the day, if you have heartburn, if you have a cough that hits you when you talk and never seems to go away, but never goes on and on, these can all be signs of acid reflux. There are some solid over-the-counter remedies for reflux, wouldn't hurt to try one. You want actual medication beyond stomach acid reducers, though, if you have the cough/sore throat thing.

Breathing - trouble breathing? Could be a panic attack. See the doctor for this one. Could be something else, as well. That's why you want to see the doctor. I should put in my disclaimer here...

DISCLAIMER: I'm not a doctor. I don't even play one on TV. Heck, I'm a manager, so I'm not even 100% technical, anymore. If you got some serious symptoms and you try some tips from the Internet and they don't clear up, SEE A DOCTOR FOR GOODNESS' SAKE! Do what you gotta do, but I'm just some guy with ideas, I'm no medical professional, so get one of those on your side to help you out. That may be the best advice of all: go in to see the doctor!

[heath]

This really hits home.  Thanks, Dean. 

[Dieselboy]

Really good advice.

Not enough sleep causes poor health. There's an app you can get for your phone called "headspace". The first 10 lessons are (or were) free (when I tried). Those beginner lessons are really valuable because you can use what you learnt there in many places like at your desk, in a quiet room or to get to sleep quicker. I recommend it. You only need 10 minutes (a minute or 2 to install the app and 5 minutes for the first lesson).

[icecream-guy]

Really good advice.

Not enough sleep causes poor health. There's an app you can get for your phone called "headspace". The first 10 lessons are (or were) free (when I tried). Those beginner lessons are really valuable because you can use what you learnt there in many places like at your desk, in a quiet room or to get to sleep quicker. I recommend it. You only need 10 minutes (a minute or 2 to install the app and 5 minutes for the first lesson).

I don't have problems getting to sleep, it's those 2-3 hours where I am up at night and can't fall back asleep, usually when it happens later in the morning like
4 AM, I'm up for the day.

[deanwebb]

Also found out that skipping meals for some people means an excess of stomach acid, which, combined with a lot of stress, can make for an even worse case of acid reflux.

No more intermittent fasting for me...

[icecream-guy]

Also found out that skipping meals for some people means an excess of stomach acid, which, combined with a lot of stress, can make for an even worse case of acid reflux.

No more intermittent fasting for me...

drink lots of water. just under a gallon / day for men, that will reduce stomach acid.

[deanwebb]

^ True. Dilution for the win! But also, if it's room temperature or warmer, it leads to a physiological reaction that reduces the production of additional acid.

[config t]

Been trying to de-stress this week myself. I definitely over extended between starting a new job and moving into an apartment during a very hot summer. Classic stress and dehydration symptoms.

[deanwebb]

Been trying to de-stress this week myself. I definitely over extended between starting a new job and moving into an apartment during a very hot summer. Classic stress and dehydration symptoms.

Doctor: Be sure to drink plenty of fluids!
Patient: But, doc, that's all I drink!