Dealing with chronic stress

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 😁)

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.

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.

I have plenty of interests and things I enjoy, but nothing truly allows me to unwind or hit the reset button quite like this. It wasn't until I finally worked through this assessment that I gained a genuine understanding of my own nature, which allowed me to finally make peace with who I am. At the end of the day, you can't fight your own essence, and ultimately, you have to be the one person you can truly rely on.

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

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.

For my fellow ISFP types, make sure to check out the section at the bottom of the page

At the end of the day, we are human beings, and stress isn't just something triggered by a demanding job, college exams, or family drama. As people, we carry an endless stream of interests and thousands of fleeting thoughts every single day, all of which can weigh heavily on our mental state. I often find myself returning to that classic piece of wisdom from Socrates—"Know thyself." People throw that phrase around constantly, but I truly believe it is the single most important thing a person can do for their own well-being. In my view, the most effective way to actually achieve that level of self-awareness is through meditation.

To give you an idea of what I mean, a close friend of mine once attended a Buddhist meditation retreat where participants were required to maintain total silence for ten full days. It was intense. She hit a massive psychological wall on the very first day, much like many of us do, simply because she was finally forced to confront everything swirling around inside her. That is the hardest part. Our modern world is practically engineered to provide constant distraction; it’s designed to keep our minds occupied and entertained in a thousand different ways, specifically so we can avoid the daunting task of sitting with ourselves.

When you really sit down and think about it—what do you actually need to survive? What do you truly need to find genuine happiness? The list is surprisingly short. Everything else is just noise. Once you realize that, you can approach those necessary tasks with much less friction. We really ought to internalize that truth.

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.

Steven Miller80 said:For my fellow ISFP types, make sure to check out the section at the bottom of the page

At the end of the day, we are human beings, and stress isn't just something triggered by a demanding job, college exams, or family drama. As people, we carry an endless stream of interests and thousands of fleeting thoughts every single day, all of which can weigh heavily on our mental state. I often find myself returning to that classic piece of wisdom from Socrates—"Know thyself." People throw that phrase around constantly, but I truly believe it is the single most important thing a person can do for their own well-being. In my view, the most effective way to actually achieve that level of self-awareness is through meditation.

To give you an idea of what I mean, a close friend of mine once attended a Buddhist meditation retreat where participants were required to maintain total silence for ten full days. It was intense. She hit a massive psychological wall on the very first day, much like many of us do, simply because she was finally forced to confront everything swirling around inside her. That is the hardest part. Our modern world is practically engineered to provide constant distraction; it’s designed to keep our minds occupied and entertained in a thousand different ways, specifically so we can avoid the daunting task of sitting with ourselves.

When you really sit down and think about it—what do you actually need to survive? What do you truly need to find genuine happiness? The list is surprisingly short. Everything else is just noise. Once you realize that, you can approach those necessary tasks with much less friction. We really ought to internalize that truth.

Thanks, I read it, and honestly, quite a lot of it really hit home for me.🙂

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.

Noah Harris50 said: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.

I second everything she said (except the part about the husband, since I don't have one 😁)... stress isn't always caused by how many responsibilities you have on your plate...

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

Yeah, totally... that's exactly how it feels.....

Noah Harris50 said: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.

I'm right there with you... I see so much of myself in your posts, Noah Harris50. It’s like, maybe the whole issue was just that I always put everyone else first, and now that I look back, I realize I've been doing that for way too long...

I find myself nodding along with all of you here; it seems we are cut from the same cloth. For me, the real struggle came from being in a relationship with a girl who was incredibly extroverted. I am deeply Introverted, though certainly not antisocial by nature. Before I truly understood my own temperament, I used to carry this heavy sense of guilt, believing there was something fundamentally broken within me because I didn't enjoy constantly heading out or socializing. To her, recounting endless anecdotes, trivial events, and various life experiences was how she recharged her batteries, but to me, listening to that constant stream of chatter felt like an exhausting drain on my limited energy reserves. It felt purposeless. Most people seem to follow the same predictable social scripts—the endless rounds of coffee dates and the repetitive catch-ups with girlfriends. Then, inevitably, she would insist on rushing out because, you guessed it, she was bored to tears. Meanwhile, I feel perfectly content in my own space; I don't require the presence of others to feel whole or fulfilled.

Of course, I realize it isn't quite that black and white. My point is simply that embracing your true nature is essential for your own well-being. This experience left a lasting impression on me because, as an Introverted person, I often feel at odds with a society that seems to demand extroversion at every turn. I suspect it might even be a byproduct of our modern economy and corporate culture; the world seems to favor the loud and outgoing because, let's face it, they tend to spend significantly more 🙄
.

Steven Miller80 said:I find myself nodding along with all of you here; it seems we are cut from the same cloth. For me, the real struggle came from being in a relationship with a girl who was incredibly extroverted. I am deeply Introverted, though certainly not antisocial by nature. Before I truly understood my own temperament, I used to carry this heavy sense of guilt, believing there was something fundamentally broken within me because I didn't enjoy constantly heading out or socializing. To her, recounting endless anecdotes, trivial events, and various life experiences was how she recharged her batteries, but to me, listening to that constant stream of chatter felt like an exhausting drain on my limited energy reserves. It felt purposeless. Most people seem to follow the same predictable social scripts—the endless rounds of coffee dates and the repetitive catch-ups with girlfriends. Then, inevitably, she would insist on rushing out because, you guessed it, she was bored to tears. Meanwhile, I feel perfectly content in my own space; I don't require the presence of others to feel whole or fulfilled.

Of course, I realize it isn't quite that black and white. My point is simply that embracing your true nature is essential for your own well-being. This experience left a lasting impression on me because, as an Introverted person, I often feel at odds with a society that seems to demand extroversion at every turn. I suspect it might even be a byproduct of our modern economy and corporate culture; the world seems to favor the loud and outgoing because, let's face it, they tend to spend significantly more 🙄
.

I actually think you should be thrilled about this. So many people would kill for what you have... that ability to be genuinely happy in your own company? That’s something I’ve been trying to achieve for months now, but I haven't figured out how to get there yet.

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.

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.

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

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.

Yeah, this is definitely the wrong thread. 🙂 We don't deal with stuff like that here at all; we're just trying to help each other out using "natural" methods, so to speak...

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? 🙂

Noah Harris50 said: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? 🙂

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 😉