Do you experience a lot of daily stress? It's kind of weird that one person's high stress day is a normal day to someone else. Each person handles stress differently. What is debilitating for me could be a walk in the park for you.
At this time in my life I am under a great deal of stress and any little, normal teeny weeny stress that comes along is something that could be the straw that broke the camel's back. I feel as though I'm on the verge of checking in to our local psych unit for an extended stay.
I guess I'm just venting here, I have no real qualifications to give you an accurate and responsible account of what stress does to a person's body and mind. I do have the experience to share with you and sometimes that is more valuable than a degree. No one can truly understand what it is like unless they have experienced stress that is so overwhelming a person simply shuts down completely.
Sometimes when I talk to someone about what is causing my anxiety, my schizoaffective symptoms, and my body aches and pains, I can hear myself talking and at the same time I find me telling myself "That's ridiculous, it's not that bad, you're just whining about everything, get a grip!" It's not that easy though because if I could I would.
I barely get by as it is, looking after my mother and trying to take care of myself (which is more difficult than caring for my mother!) . Stress makes my symptoms worse and right now I am able to do next to nothing. I'm supposed to be the caregiver here and I am at a point that I need someone to take care of me. The guilt I have from being so needy is compounding my stress and making my symptoms worse. I tell myself, "You should be able to do this! You made promises to everyone that you would do this for your mother! You are letting everybody down!" The voices I hear are worse than that, telling me horrible things, making me feel even worse. Gloom and doom. In the Pit and seeing no way out. I know there's a "way out" but I just can't see it right now. It seems like everything is getting worse with no hope of getting better in sight.
I try to tell myself the same thing I would tell one of my kids who was having troubles like this. "Things DO get better, I promise you that! There IS a light at the end of the tunnel even though you can't see it right now. These feelings are not permanent, these feelings will pass - maybe today, maybe tomorrow, maybe a week from now but they will pass". Now I just have to believe, have faith, trust in someone and God that I am not alone and I am loved no matter what.
It ain't easy but it's do-able. I think.
BTW - This book, Feeling Good by Dr David Burns, is one of the best self-help, informative books on emotional and mental disorders that I've come across in twenty five years of scouring book stores for something to relieve my symptoms.
Also, "Happiness Is A Choice" is another wonderful book, see link below...
