Hello to all who are reading this now. I started this thread because I have very poor stress management skills and it's definitely not conducive to any kind of good health or healing. I've been receiving mediocre treatment for my Crohn's and the stressful situations that I face in life on a daily definitely don't help. Working to eliminate toxic people from my life and to take advantage of having a low-stress environment, but I still suffer terrible stress that has become unmanageable. Anyone have any good ideas to improve my stress management skills? Haven't had the best luck with meditation because my mind often races and I can't stop thinking. Praying and religious meditation that I embrace going to synagogue help but that can only happen at certain times and isn't necessarily practical at times though it has helped me. Any other good suggestions and techniques for stress management are welcome.
-
Welcome to Crohn's Forum, a support group for people with all forms of IBD. While this community is not a substitute for doctor's advice and we cannot treat or diagnose, we find being able to communicate with others who have IBD is invaluable as we navigate our struggles and celebrate our successes. We invite you to join us.
Stress Management Tips?
- Thread starter gadgetninjette91
- Start date
What is causing the stress? I ended up quitting my high stress job, and going into a different line of work. I also got rid of some toxic people in my life. I find long walks very relaxing. I take my camera with me and walk to local parks and waterfront. I do gardening in the summer. Instead of meditating, there are all kinds of relaxation music on youtube. This is my favourite, a Nepalese buddhist monk Ani Choying Drolma (Ani means nun)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81HKh4RMlME&list=PL9AjYYnw2qOnRxQ6iH-S0EALZ9szbUxzP
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81HKh4RMlME&list=PL9AjYYnw2qOnRxQ6iH-S0EALZ9szbUxzP
Cat-a-Tonic
Super Moderator
I find that exercise helps me a ton with both stress and depression. If you're able to, try a bit of yoga or going for a walk outside. I'm terrible at meditation too, I feel like I need to be doing something, I get really fidgety and bored just doing essentially nothing. Something like yoga is much more helpful to me because the I can keep my mind focused on things like my posture and my breathing and how my muscles are feeling. My mind races a lot too, I need to give it something to focus on like that and then I'm okay. And getting the happy endorphins flowing of course makes me feel a lot better too! Obviously don't push yourself too much particularly at first, you don't want to make things worse or exhaust yourself. But try just 5 minutes of yoga every so often, or a walk around the block, and see how that goes.
It's a lot to do with cutting toxic people, namely my now ex-fiancé. He's been the biggest source of stress for me as I was being deceived and mistreated and he is playing passive-aggressive at the moment because I cut him from my life and won't uphold his agreement to handle a bill that I myself couldn't pay because I have out-of-pocket medical expenses at the moment. So that's the biggest stressor at the moment but also having to deal with others' reactions to my illness and just peoples' general lack of understanding and sympathy when I need support the most as I'm a fairly new diagnosis. In general I often feel rushed and in a hurry to get things done which also causes me a great deal of stress. Even when I'm not actively flaring, the stress tires me out a great deal. Calming music definitely helps, I'll be sure to check out that link as I know that monks have an amazing way of staying peaceful against all odds and I'm very interested in being in that kind of mind frame myself.
Walking in nature definitely brings calming feelings, I like to listen to music to help me walk faster but I also like to listen to the sounds of nature and my environment, birds chirping in particular. I haven't had much experience with yoga but it's certainly something I can try, like you said in small spurts as I struggle with fatigue a lot. But I have heard that exercise is the best antidepressant out there which means it definitely has some stress benefits as a lot of stress comes with being depressed. Thanks for the suggestions.
Exercise really helps so does a pet and here's a thing I used to remind myself,if doesn,t matter tomorrow or next week it doesn,t matter today.good luck
Thank you! I may look into getting a companion animal of some kind, either a cat or a hypoallergenic dog. Hopefully get it registered as a service animal. A dog would certainly help me stay active.
I've always had cats, and feel empty when there isn't one in our household. But our last long-term cat had two nasty illnesses and then a sudden, terrible death, and then the foster cat we took on had an awful and very painful illness, all within a year. I realised that I couldn't deal with the stress that it caused me as I care so much about them, and it has sent me into another flare. I'm really not sure if I can get another pet once the foster cat ends his days, but I will be very sad if that is the case.
All I'm saying is that, although pet owners do generally benefit from better health and lower stress, you just need to really think about how you will deal with any problems that could potentially arise if you do share your life with a furry friend. And UnXmas's points about making sure it will be cared for if you are ill are also very important - right now I can't even take myself for a walk, never mind a dog!
All I'm saying is that, although pet owners do generally benefit from better health and lower stress, you just need to really think about how you will deal with any problems that could potentially arise if you do share your life with a furry friend. And UnXmas's points about making sure it will be cared for if you are ill are also very important - right now I can't even take myself for a walk, never mind a dog!
Have you tried mindfulness?
That is something I am looking into at the moment as I am a complete stress-bunny and I am finding it very helpful to train myself to stop dwelling on things I cannot change and to just try to deal with one thing at a time instead of being overwhelmed by the huge amount of stuff I have to do.
That is something I am looking into at the moment as I am a complete stress-bunny and I am finding it very helpful to train myself to stop dwelling on things I cannot change and to just try to deal with one thing at a time instead of being overwhelmed by the huge amount of stuff I have to do.
- Location
- Montréal, Canada
getting a small dog was probably the best thing I have done in my life. Shes is now 5 yrs and 4 pounds easy to bring everywhere in ''camouflage''backpack bag lol and ''hypoallergenic''. I watched a lot of Cesar Milan's videos before I got her and dog education was a priority! she is so friendly and easy I have no trouble finding babysitters 
getting a pet is a long term commitment that can also be costly though, unfortunately, so its a must think very well.
For stress management, Ive also discovered lately the pleasure of guided relaxation. ''Guided'' mean there is a speaker/voice guiding you. Ive have never been able to do it alone as pure meditation, I need a guide and its works perfectly like that; I am very receptive. You can find many videos on youtube. I listen to them in French so I cant recommend one specific in English. If you can also find a yoga class with a teacher who emphasizes on relaxation that would be awesome. there are different yogas, but look for one with relaxation. I have such class and its incredibly relaxing. It brings tons of positive vibrations.
getting a pet is a long term commitment that can also be costly though, unfortunately, so its a must think very well.For stress management, Ive also discovered lately the pleasure of guided relaxation. ''Guided'' mean there is a speaker/voice guiding you. Ive have never been able to do it alone as pure meditation, I need a guide and its works perfectly like that; I am very receptive. You can find many videos on youtube. I listen to them in French so I cant recommend one specific in English. If you can also find a yoga class with a teacher who emphasizes on relaxation that would be awesome. there are different yogas, but look for one with relaxation. I have such class and its incredibly relaxing. It brings tons of positive vibrations.