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Stress

flxmanning

By flxmanning
in Coping with Celiac Disease

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flxmanning Apprentice
flxmanning
Posted

I'm under a huge amount of stress right now since school is coming to an end and I have tests, projects, work, etc. This is the time where I need to be healthy the most and I just seem to be getting sick more and more often. Can the amount of stress you're under really make everything worse?

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mle-ii Explorer
mle-ii
Posted
I'm under a huge amount of stress right now since school is coming to an end and I have tests, projects, work, etc. This is the time where I need to be healthy the most and I just seem to be getting sick more and more often. Can the amount of stress you're under really make everything worse?

Unfortunatly it does for me. When we are under stress the body releases hormones/chemicals that the body reacts to which can cause GI and other symptoms. When under stress the body spends more energy on resources to respond to the stress thus spending less energy on digesting and healing and other things. When under stress the body can try to eliminate food from the GI so it doesn't have to spend energy on digesting it.

Counseling has helped me. Along with breathing with your diaphram* and meditation.

*Close your eyes. Focus on your breath, visualize the air moving in and out of your body. If you start thinking about something besides breathing, don't worry, just bring your focus back to yourself back to your breathing. Breath in through the nose deeply using your diaphram (stomach breathing) instead of your chest, hold for 2-4 seconds, exhale through the mouth, hold for 2-3 seconds and repeat. Helps with my stress anxiety. :)

Mike

An excellent book on the topic of stress and how it effects the body is a book I read recently called "Why Zebras don't get Ulcers" by Robert M. Sapolsky.

Open Original Shared Link .com/gp/product/071673210...ce&n=283155

happygirl Collaborator
happygirl
Posted

That is a great book!

When I was in graduate school (2003-2005), a professor/mentor in our human development/family studies department used that book as one of her main textbooks in an undergraduate class that she taught. We read parts of in to facilitate discussions and it is a fascinating-and humorous-book!

mle-ii Explorer
mle-ii
Posted
That is a great book!

When I was in graduate school (2003-2005), a professor/mentor in our human development/family studies department used that book as one of her main textbooks in an undergraduate class that she taught. We read parts of in to facilitate discussions and it is a fascinating-and humorous-book!

Even if I wasn't interested in the topic it'd be a great read. Love his style of writing. :)

eleep Enthusiast
eleep
Posted

Yes, I can attest to the fact that stress makes it worse as well and that it's really important, when healing, to have de-stressing techniques, methods, etc... at your fingertips.

I went through a personal crisis just as I went gluten-free and the ensuing chaos has, I'm pretty sure, delayed my healing quite a bit -- too much new stuff was going on at once for me to know what to focus on for a while and it was a few months before I really felt like I was able to sufficiently feed/cook for myself AND not get glutened AND take the supplements I needed AND keep up with exercise and meditation.

It helps me a lot to remember that I can't do everything all at once and to make the things that are healing and sustaining my first priority as much as possible. I'm in a place now where I can see how far I've come in the past 5 months or so, and it's a lot further than I ever thought I would make it when I was in the middle of the mess.

eleep

queenofhearts Explorer
queenofhearts
Posted
I'm under a huge amount of stress right now since school is coming to an end and I have tests, projects, work, etc. This is the time where I need to be healthy the most and I just seem to be getting sick more and more often. Can the amount of stress you're under really make everything worse?

You bet your boots! Stress makes just about anything worse if you ask me.

Try really hard to be kind to your body now. I know it's tough when you're short on time. Drink lots of WATER. Do some gentle yoga if you possibly can. Don't forget your fruits & veg. And breathe!

I live by deadlines, & I have painted on my studio wall: "There is time only to work slowly. There is no time not to love." (Deena Metzger.) When I get really crazy I look at that inscription, take a deep breath, & try to regain perspective.

Leah

flxmanning Apprentice
flxmanning
Posted
  • Author

Thank you so much for the support. I really can't tell you how much it helps to just have someone understand what I'm going through right now. It just seems that I'm stuck in a catch-22. The more I focus on my health and try to get that in working order, the less I get stressed about that, but then my school falls behind because of it. Then, I get stressed about school, push to clear that up and my health starts falling apart due to the stress of it. The whole thing is just so frusterating.

I'm definately going to pick that book up, though, since I'm a pretty avid reader anyways. Thank you again for the book suggestion and all of the support.

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happygirl Collaborator
happygirl
Posted

flxmanning--

I unfortunately have been right where you are and can completely symphathize. It is a tough boat to be in. I wish you the best and hope that things work out for you. Good luck and we are always here to help, especially in all things gluten free! :D

Laura

queenofhearts Explorer
queenofhearts
Posted
Thank you so much for the support. I really can't tell you how much it helps to just have someone understand what I'm going through right now. It just seems that I'm stuck in a catch-22. The more I focus on my health and try to get that in working order, the less I get stressed about that, but then my school falls behind because of it. Then, I get stressed about school, push to clear that up and my health starts falling apart due to the stress of it. The whole thing is just so frusterating.

I'm definately going to pick that book up, though, since I'm a pretty avid reader anyways. Thank you again for the book suggestion and all of the support.

One thing that helps me is to have a glass of water & some healthy finger-food-- fruit, baby carrots, grape tomatoes, that sort of thing-- handy to snack on when I'm working at the computer nonstop. Otherwise I tend to get really hungry without realizing it & then suddenly feel desperate for calories & I eat too much of the wrong stuff. (Not gluten, mind you-- but not healthy either, & anyway my system doesn't react well to lots of food all at once.)

Leah

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    • knitty kitty
      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

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    • Jane02
      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      By Jane02 · Posted

      Thank you so much @knitty kitty for this insightful information! I would have never considered fractionated coconut oil to be a potential source of GI upset. I will consider all the info you shared. Very interesting about the Thiamine deficiency.  I've tracked daily averages of my intake in a nutrition software. The only nutrient I can't consistently meet from my diet is vitamin D. Calcium is a hit and miss as I rely on vegetables, dark leafy greens as a major source, for my calcium intake. I'm able to meet it when I either eat or juice a bundle of kale or collard greens daily haha. My thiamine intake is roughly 120% of my needs, although I do recognize that I may not be absorbing all of these nutrients consistently with intermittent unintentional exposures to gluten.  My vitamin A intake is roughly 900% (~6400 mcg/d) of my needs as I eat a lot of sweet potato, although since it's plant-derived vitamin A (beta-carotene) apparently it's not likely to cause toxicity.  Thanks again! 
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    • Scott Adams
      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

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      I do not know this, but since they are labelled gluten-free, and are not really a product that could easily be contaminated when making them (there would be not flour in the air of such a facility, for example), I don't really see contamination as something to be concerned about for this type of product. 
    • trents
      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

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      Contact them.
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