Posts by Noah Harris50

That book wouldn't do you any good since it's all in Danish. I can hook you up with some sugar-free dessert recipes though 🙂
Plus, I've got other recipes too, not just sweets. There's plenty of actual good food out there that isn't cake, haha

Grace Lewis6 said:I really think changing up your diet helped you a lot back then... I've been following this plan for a few weeks now, though I definitely slip up every couple of days 🙄

I have Hashimoto's, so I'm dealing with hypothyroidism and need to lose quite a bit of weight, especially since I've put on some pounds over the last two years because I couldn't even get allowed to exercise 😳

But we can do this! You start with your dietary changes, and I'll stick with mine (they're actually pretty similar), so let's just see where we end up 😉

See, it’s pretty much the same thing. But the way it's described sounds more like a diet than an actual lifestyle. And honestly, anything labeled a "diet" gives me the creeps. They're usually just about dropping weight. Like, it's insane to cut out root vegetables. That stuff is super healthy.

Processed sugar and all that industrial junk is trash, though. I'm all about real food.

granitemarlin77 said:Because it’s interesting—you don't always need some deep, profound reason for that.
Look, I know people who work—especially nowadays—are stressed out. But honestly? I think the ones without steady jobs are under way more pressure. When you actually have a job and responsibilities, even if it's a grind, it acts like a buffer against those frustrations turning into chronic stress. For me, "work therapy" is the best kind of therapy. Once you're busy, you don't have the luxury of sitting around spiraling about everything you'd be obsessing over if you were unemployed.

Your job sounds creative and fulfilling. But—and I say this looking at your symptoms—maybe you should consider seeing a pro (if you haven't already). It’s totally normal to seek help these days, unfortunately, and there’s zero shame in talking to a psychologist or psychiatrist—especially if things are sliding toward chronic depression. From what you described, it really sounds like you're dealing with depression. Plus, things like heavy bleeding between cycles can be a massive red flag that something is off biologically, let alone when you throw anxiety, insomnia, irritability, mood swings, rapid breathing, panic attacks, or asthma into the mix... you know your own body better than anyone. My advice? Don't try to be your own doctor. Get professional help before things get out of hand. Too many people try to fix themselves with "alternative" methods only to end up in a specialist's office much later—and for some, by then, it's already too late.

Obviously, that’s just my two cents. Just a sincere suggestion/idea—feel free to ignore it entirely if you want.

You hit the nail on the head with most of that. But, I’m not depressed. I’m actually in a great mood and doing plenty of things I love. Like I said, it's chronic stress that brought along some anxiety and panic attacks.

Admitting I can't fix this alone and might need professional help is something I just had to face. I’m a total control freak and a perfectionist—I always thought I could handle everything myself without anyone's help. But an hour with a psychologist or a stress coach around here costs $367, and you usually have to buy a block of 12 sessions (which feels like the bare minimum). That adds up to less than $5.00, and I'm not dropping that kind of cash unless I'm certain the person can actually help me a LOT. I know nothing worth having comes without risk, but I'm not about to gamble one risk after another $5.00. So, I'll start with the basics: vitamins, yoga, running, cutting out Wheat and sugar (which is already minimal), staying positive, and maybe finding a new hobby. Everything I used to do lost its spark a long time ago.

granitemarlin77 said:Interesting topic.🙂
Maybe I missed it—are you working right now, and is your job a total grind?

I work as a freelance photographer and a researcher for travel books and articles. Not exactly a high-stress gig.

Why is this even worth talking about?

placidtinker80 said:So what exactly are you planning to do for the next two months like you mentioned earlier in this thread? What are you even sticking to...

Cutting out all Wheat and sugar. I still cheat occasionally. Not much on the sugar front, but the Wheat? Yeah. Already mentioned that above.

granitemarlin77 said:Noah Harris50
Maybe I missed it, but if you don't mind me asking—do you actually work? Like, do you have a job? And if you do... is it a total grind?

So, what actually brought you to this thread?

placidtinker80 said:So, what exactly are you planning to do over the next two months? And is it actually true that grains make you gain weight? I can't believe it; that's the first time I've ever heard that.😁

Wheat and sugar are empty carbs. Yeah, they make you fat.

Grace Lewis6 said:So, I guess I'm not the only one dealing with eye twitching... 😬

@Noah Harris50, I'm feeling all those same symptoms you mentioned, except for having trouble falling asleep—though that's been happening more often lately!

For me, things really spiraled when I was stuck in a job I absolutely hated. But even now that I've moved on, the stress hasn't gone away because it mostly stems from family issues 🙄
that feel pretty much impossible to fix, and they're totally out of my control 🤷

On top of everything else, I've also been diagnosed with chronic fatigue, which just makes it worse since I barely have any energy or willpower left for anything 😳

Oh, and I just took a personality test 🙂 turns out I'm an ISTJ (pretty much spot on)
Introverted Sensing Thinking Judging
Strength of the preferences %
67 25 38 11

Fine, I’ve got a killer "cure" for chronic fatigue. If you want, try it for two months and see if it actually does anything.

A few years back, doctors told me I was allergic to gluten—basically, too much Wheat. Right around then, they slapped a chronic fatigue diagnosis on me, too. I had to figure out how to live gluten-free, and since I had zero clue what I was doing and it happened right around my birthday, my friends gifted me this book about living without gluten and sugar. It was packed with solid advice and recipes that skipped both. Once I started following those recipes religiously, here’s what went down:

1. I found a ton of great new meals and ideas for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks.

2. I cut ALL sugar and all Wheat out of my diet.

3. I had more energy than I ever thought possible.

4. My belly fat vanished and I looked awesome.

But then life decided to throw some curveballs, bringing along a bit of depression, stress, and anxiety... So, I slid right back into my old habits. Reintroduced the Wheat, started eating stuff with sugar, quit yoga, stopped running. Now I'm right back where I started—in the gutter.

I'm going back at it. I'll check in in two months to let you know how it's going. You in? 🙂

Rachel Kern said:Hey everyone,

My dad recently suffered a stroke, and they also diagnosed him with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). His doctor put him on 0.25mg of Xanax—so, I’m wondering, how risky is it to actually use this stuff? Has anyone here dealt with this before? I’m specifically curious about when someone should stop taking it, because I’ve heard rumors that it can lead to some pretty nasty dependency issues.

Wrong thread.

placidtinker80 said:I honestly think the MOST important thing for everyone dealing with this—and anyone else, really—is realizing we have to find happiness within ourselves. We can't just sit around waiting for someone else to make us happy. Other people are supposed to complement our lives, not be the sole source of our joy; if we don't learn how to be content on our own, we’re basically doomed. For way too long, I was completely hyper-focused on my boyfriend. My entire mood for the day depended entirely on him, which sounds exhausting because it was. It turned me into an unhappy person because that wasn't real happiness. And don't even get me started on what he put me through... it absolutely wrecked me. Now that he's gone—well, it's been almost six months now—I realize this is actually the perfect time to finally learn how to love myself and be happy solo. Is it easy? God no, it's tough. But I think reaching this realization is a massive step forward.

Facts. You gotta do things for yourself and embrace being "selfish" in a healthy way. I used to spend all my energy running away from myself and trying to fix everyone else instead of actually taking care of my own needs.

placidtinker80 said:It’s actually the exact opposite for me. My stress isn't coming from academic pressure at college or having too much on my plate—it’s coming from something else entirely. Now I’m dealing with a different issue altogether: nothing interests me, and nothing brings me joy. I’ve been trying to keep this to myself, telling myself I should just push through and try to change it, but I can't. I just can't find interest or purpose in anything anymore, and honestly, I feel like that lack of spark is making me even more on edge... I took a test, and this is what it says:
our Type is
ISFP
Introverted Sensing Feeling Perceiving
Strength of the preferences %
33 50 25 44

... see? Exactly!
Same here.

Steven Miller80 said:And I believe he's absolutely right. I'm currently drowning in a heavy college workload, and looking at his words, it feels like he hit the nail on the head—it is the absolute truth. You can practice yoga all day, try Pilates, or take all the supplements in the world, but if those activities don't resonate with your heart, you aren't going to achieve any true mental release from the pressure. It works the same way if you can't carve out quiet time to pursue your passions because life keeps throwing distractions your way—whether it's the kids, a buzzing phone, or endless family obligations. In those cases, the "self-care" becomes nothing more than a futile waste of precious time.
Personally, I am fortunate enough to have the resources to step away and focus on my interests in peace, and I count myself lucky because I tend to handle stress quite poorly.

I’ve got the time, and I spend it doing what I love—reading, catching movies, cooking for my husband and friends, traveling, grabbing coffee with buddies every day, hitting up galleries, or just walking. I actually like yoga too, so it’s not some chore I’m forcing myself through.

My stress doesn't come from being too busy to enjoy life.

Look, I always try to do what I love in peace, but I’m still stressed out regardless. So yeah, your advice isn't exactly hitting the mark. And I don't even know why you're calling me rude or how I'm being rude. Like, what kind of statement is even that: "The cure for stress is doing what you love in peace." 🤷
If you actually want to help, tell me about your own experience—what caused your stress, how did it show up, and what did you specifically do to find that peace while doing what you love.

Robin Stewart44 said:hahaha, okay, you totally misread me... I'm not sitting here thinking I have lupus or anything. It’s just that while I was reading up on it, I saw that specific temperature range mentioned a lot. Since I was stuck at 98.6-99.0 degrees for two months straight recently, it made me want to double-check things... so I'll keep an eye on it to see if it happens again. My doctors pretty much think it's just chronic fatigue, and they say my lymph issues (which mess with my legs) are all down to stress... I don't panic over every little thing—I joke about being a hypochondriac all the time—but when something feels genuinely off compared to my usual self, I'm gonna pay attention just in case I need to do something about it. That's why I said earlier I wasn't sure how to label what I'm dealing with, since it's kind of a mix of everything...

Yeah, same here. Total junk drawer situation. 🙂

Honestly, you don't need to be checking your temperature constantly. You're just hyper-focusing on your body and inventing problems that probably aren't even there. Let it go. Isn't everything else you're dealing with enough already?

Robin Stewart44 said:My usual baseline stays right around 97.5 to 97.9... so whenever I hit 98.6 or higher, I definitely feel like I'm running a fever. I actually clocked 98.8 both this morning and tonight, so I'm going to keep an eye on things and track it for a bit more...

Why bother tracking it? You're just stressing yourself out for nothing. Just stop. If you're actually worried about having Lupus, go see a doctor. Why spend your time obsessing over a thermometer and worrying that something's wrong.

Your temp isn't going to be a flat line every single day. It fluctuates. It goes up during your period, and sometimes your body fights off tiny little inflammations without you even feeling it. Honestly, obsessing over these numbers seems pretty crazy.

placidtinker80 said:My symptoms are pretty much identical to yours... how are you feeling on this regimen, and where on earth did you find such high doses of these ingredients? 😁 You mentioned you went through "major" stress—do you want to talk about what happened?

Still stuck in chronic stress mode. Just started the vitamins this week after seeing my doctor. Won't feel a thing for at least a month.

Running and yoga are keeping me sane, though.

Doc told me the best way to kill stress is sports where you actually have to focus 100%. Like tennis, badminton, or basketball. You have to track the ball, so your brain doesn't have room to obsess over everything else. It’s basically forced meditation.

When you're running, cycling, or doing slow yoga, your mind just wanders back to your problems. You can't really do that with the fast stuff.

Also, laugh more. Watch comedies, hang out with people who aren't total drags, and surround yourself with optimists. Laughter helps. 🙂

Watch funny movies, read humor columns, grab some lighthearted books.

Try to stay positive. Force your brain to look at the bright side.

Eric Wright29 said:What's so strange about it? I was under an incredible amount of stress. Then I planted 40 olive trees, and now I spend my quiet time tending to them like they're my own kids. Since then, I feel like a completely different person, even though my actual workload at the office hasn't dropped one bit.

Stress isn't just some byproduct of having a heavy workload.

Robin Stewart44 said:Noah Harris50, if you set aside the insomnia and heart palpitations, I’m checking almost every single box just like you—I'm at about 13 out of 15... and this has been dragging on for like a year and a half, maybe two by now.

The thing that really gets to me is the total lack of motivation and how snappy I get all of a sudden. Like, the tiniest little things just irritate me for no real reason... My days feel packed, but honestly, I'm just forcing myself through everything because I have to get stuff done.

I actually posted on another health thread here saying I have chronic fatigue (that's the official diagnosis from two different doctors). After last summer, I dealt with a low-grade fever of 98.6–99.0 degrees for two straight months, but my lab results—as usual—didn't show anything out of the ordinary. So, I was browsing that thread, and for some reason, I ended up reading about systemic lupus... and being the hypochondriac I am (since I saw myself in their symptoms), I went to check my temperature just now, and yep, it's back at 98.8... so now I guess I have to keep an eye on it over the next few days.

Man, I don't even know what to think anymore or what to call this ridiculous state I'm in. All I know is I need a massive life reset, but right now, I have zero clue how to actually make that happen.

p.s. Bananas are awesome natural sources of B vitamins, so eating one or two every morning wouldn't be a bad idea.😉

Look, a normal body temp is anywhere from 97.7 to 99.5 (and it’s always higher in the evening than during the day).

Forgot to mention the ringing in my ears too. Honestly, I can't tell if it's louder for me or everyone else, but when stress hits, it’s way more obvious. It really kicks in when I actually try to chill out—like during meditation or just lying in bed trying to pass out. Once I start focusing on that buzzing, it drives me insane.

Insomnia is the big one; it’s basically the constant companion of stress. If you aren't dealing with that, maybe it's more like chronic fatigue mixed with anxiety? Do you actually sleep well most nights?

Bananas are loaded with Magnesium. Definitely need to eat them more often. 🙂

Eric Wright29 said:The best way to handle stress is simply to find some peace and do what you actually love.

Anything else is just pure self-inflicted terrorism that leads straight to Normabel (I'm pretty sure about this 😁)

😕