Stress

The book is available Here from The Wellness Society. Everyone right now needs a little extra help and hopefully, this e-book can assist some of you in uncovering the toolset you need during this abnormal time, or at least it might help with bridging the gap between now and when you may be able to seek more professional assistance. Obviously, it's not a solution to all problems, and some of you are going to be going through a lot more than others, but I hope many of you can find it useful. Stay safe, stay healthy.

27yo male 6'2" 78kg Social Marijuana user. No nicotine. 2 drinks every Friday. 3-4 cups of coffee a day.

This entire year I've felt on top of the world, I've been killing it in my job, social life, and in the gym. I worked hard, played hard, took my health seriously and felt great because of it. This has been a theme for the past two years.

However, recently I went through a stressful period, where I had to move house resulting in a longer commute (1h each way instead of 20 minutes). I also was chosen to be a substitute team lead at work during the two week vacation of our usual team lead, resulting in increased responsibilities on my end (and wanting to prove that I could handle them). I'm also studying a masters degree part time and had to spend my entire Sunday working on it about two weeks ago.

This resulted in me not being able to sleep well that Sunday night, only being able to fall asleep at 5am and I needed to be up at 8 for work. Since then, I feel like I've been in hell. I have had insomnia for around a week, even resulting in me missing half a day of work because I slept through my alarm. Now I got my sleeping back under control for most nights through deep breathing and a melatonin supplement, but I've started having panic attacks where I feel short of breath, break out into a cold sweat, and feel an overwhelming sense of doom, like the color is draining from my face and my brain starts telling me im dying and having a heart attack or a siezure.

I've started to get tremors as well, where I can't hold my hands steady, and even my sense of balance seems thrown off, like I'm constantly swaying. I feel anxious throughout the day, and I feel like I'm in a loop as I'm feeling anxious about being anxious. This was a sudden and somewhat serious change of pace for how I normally feel, I don't feel like myself at all, and I've been crying at night and hugging my pillows like they're going to die.

I've stopped my intake of weed ever since that first sleepless night, and have started taking ashwaganda in an attempt to lower my cortisol levels. I've also lowered my coffee intake to one a day.

Is this all stress related or is there something more villainous at play here that I should go see a doctor about? My sober intuition says that it's just stress and I shoukd ride the symptoms out and keep exercising harder to relieve the stress, but my panic attacks tell me that I'm dying and need help. I've taken the rest of the week off of work so I can have time to process this.

It’s all my fault of course, I have no one to blame but myself. I have been so horribly depressed since the end of last year when my boyfriend left me, I feel like I’ve lost the little motivation I had to care anymore. I’ve grown very pessimistic towards my future, my surroundings, most days now I wish I was dead or would xxxx myself. I’m barely making it by and I feel like I am nothing but a nuisance to my parents household, I can’t communicate, I don’t feel comfortable sharing my issues, nothing helps. My parents are so disappointed and hurt by me, my mom expressed that she feels uncomfortable in her own home because of me and my dad the other day confronted me about his concerns over myself and dropped bombshell news that he’s had cancer for the last 8 years (manageable/not lethal) but he’s kept it hidden from me so that I can focus on school. I finished my recent and what was supposed to be my last semester with an incomplete in one class, I just couldn’t find the energy or desire to write two papers throughout the semester and was extended to work on it for a couple more months. I still got to walk at my graduation, my extended family knows I “graduated” and my parents expected me to finish despite this setback, and even with all this time I still failed because I put it off until the last minute and submitted subpar and incomplete work, something my dad only recently expressed his disappointment in me for. I did finish one paper but apparently I didn’t even understand the assignment correctly so I got a C, the other I ran out of time to complete so I got a plain F. With the other few Bs that I had in my class I finished with a D+ for a major course that requires at minimum a C.

My God, I feel like I can’t do this anymore. I don’t want to do this anymore, the only reason I’m still here is because I’m a coward and I can’t do that to my parents, they would never forgive themselves for the rest of their lives for something that’s not their fault. But now I’m faced with the reality that despite assuring my parents that I would get things resolved, I failed. This has been the worst semester of my life. I wasted my parents time and my teachers time. I hate life more and more by the day and this is just the cherry on top. Is there really nothing that I can do?

I’ve already spoken to my advisor and said instructor for the course, my advisor could only tell me basically it is what it is and I’ll have to retake it again in the fall, I will not be getting my degree. My instructor is surely well over my poor performance this semester, I felt like I was nothing but a nuisance in his class and for all the extra time and support that I’ve had to beg him for, I absolutely do not blame him, I can only point to myself for my own shortcomings.

But to be just 1% away, I didn’t want a good grade at this point, I knew very well that that wasn’t happening, but omg, I just needed to pass. I can’t mentally/emotionally take this, I have let my family down yet again and will likely worsen a relationship that’s already falling apart, I feel absolutely sick, alone, I just want to give up. I have no money because I overspend, still no job, I feel abandoned by who I thought was the love of my life, and I want to xxxx myself every day. I’m in many different kinds of therapy, but for what?? Nothing helps, it all feels pointless and like a waste of time but I do it to make my parents happier I guess, and give me SOMETHING to do.

Please, I just need to know is this really it, I can’t do anything further to boost my grade to just the tip of a C letter grade? I’ve reached out to the Dean of academics as well in hopes MAYBE they’ll have something to offer, but I’m not hopeful.

I can’t take another semester of this bullshit, I don’t want to have to face my parents and tell them that after everything, their time, money, and trust in me was wasted. What do I do, please, I am so so desperate.

TL;DR I failed an incomplete class and will not be receiving my bachelors, it seems hopeless. My mental health has been at its worst and I fear disappointing my parents. Is there nothing I can do to just get by with a C instead of D letter grade?

So I’ve been waking up super early in the morning and I’ve been looking into it and I’m starting to think I have high cortisol. The only real symptom I have is waking up around 3-7 am besides 3 days ago I had one of the worst headaches I’ve had in a while. It all started around last week when me and my girlfriend were arguing really bad and now we’re kind of broken up so maybe that’s what caused it and maybe I’ll get better? My ex always said she thinks I have anxiety but I never really thought about it I would just sometimes get super anxious about certain things. I’ve also been eating more sugar than I usually eat. Idk this whole thing is making me even more stressed thinking I’ll get diabetes. Any help or advice would help (I’m relatively healthy 5’10 150 at 18) also my mother has anxiety and my dad said he used to have anxiety in his 20s

Recently, I've found myself misspelling simple 4/5 letter words, writing at a middle school level, pausing over simple choices, and forgetting things that happened mere moments ago - there's a lot more things I'm frustrated with currently, but that was just to list a few examples.

I have a concerning amount of brainfog and feel that I've became exceedingly subpar at everything I do, with me being unable to overcome my struggles despite plentiful repeats of trial and error :/

I also feel like this is only getting worse over time.

This series of events went into full gear during exam season so my best guess is that it's stress-induced brainfog. The thing is that it's Summer right now and I have no responsibilities, so I have genuinely zero clue as to why I still feel the stress that I did when I had exams.

How can I overcome this? I miss feeling like I was sharp and actually capable of doing what I set my mind to..

Anxiety is a common mental health condition that affects millions of people worldwide. Understanding its causes and finding effective coping strategies can make a significant difference in managing anxiety and improving overall well-being.

Anxiety can stem from various factors, including:

• Genetics: Research shows that anxiety disorders can run in families, suggesting a genetic component.
• Brain Chemistry: Imbalances in neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine can contribute to anxiety.
• Environmental Factors: Stressful life events, trauma, and significant changes can trigger anxiety.
• Personality: Individuals with certain personality traits, such as high sensitivity, may be more prone to anxiety.

According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA), anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S., affecting 40 million adults each year.

Managing anxiety involves a combination of self-care practices and professional support. Here are some effective strategies:

• Mindfulness and Meditation: Practices like mindfulness meditation can help calm the mind and reduce anxiety.
• Physical Activity: Regular exercise releases endorphins, which can alleviate anxiety symptoms.
• Healthy Lifestyle Choices: A balanced diet, adequate sleep, and avoiding excessive caffeine and alcohol can improve mental health.
• Therapy: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is particularly effective in treating anxiety disorders.
• Support Network: Connecting with friends, family, or support groups can provide emotional support and reduce feelings of isolation.

Understanding the root causes of anxiety and integrating lifestyle changes with professional treatment can empower individuals to regain control over their lives.

We'd love to hear from you! Have you found any effective strategies for managing anxiety? Share your experiences or tips in the comments below. Your insights could help others on their journey to better mental health. Let's support each other in understanding and coping with anxiety.

I was a .net windows app developer. Now the technologies have changed and our office are working on web technologies. So having a disinterest and stress period. If i study the subject given a stress feee period, i could learn from online courses and practice. Still the job will be stressful. But i will be able to cope and be a bit more confident. But such a time wont be possible as some or other work comes up in office. Now I will have to use my weekends for studying that would add to stress. My work was always stressful the time i started since 2015 also because I have OCD. I never got proper training or learning in this field since the job started. If i learned things would have been easier. This has been the story since the start. Now at this point its so stressful. I wish I had chosen a better career. Newer technologies are also a bit harder to grasp so hard to focus on for studying in a stressful time.

Hi guys, I am currently looking for individuals who would like 1:1 support with stress (or other mental health related experiences). I am a trained Holistic Counsellor who has specialised in stress and anxiety for many years. However, I am currently completing some mandatory 1:1 hours and would love to offer these free sessions to people who are genuinely interested in the process and see the value of this opportunity.

The only requirements are that you are based in Australia and are 15 years or older. I would be offering 5-10 free online sessions. There is no sales involved and no expectation to continue afterwards - this is purely a free exchange for the right individuals/s. If you are interested (or know someone who might be), please let me know and we can go from there 😊🙏

i dont know how to deal with this because the stress is so bad that its been going strong without breaks for a few years now, and its taken its toll on my body it seems, and its getting unbareable. how do i deal with someone from a much older generation and doesnt respect boundaries or a desire for space to heal? clearly he cares about me but hes really bad at it, especially with refusing to acknowledge hes the source of my stress and will go ballistic if i do. im trying my best to not develop any unhealthy coping mechanisms, so suggestions would be nice

Currently experiencing a lot of stress at my job. I’ve been here for about 3 years now a the in house graphic designer. It’s always been a bit disorganized with short stents of stress but it’s been manageable. Lately it’s been so bad. I’m plucking/pulling out hair, picking at my nails, and just feeling sick or anxious when I come it. I’ve started waking up on and off at night too, which is something I’ve never really been prone to do before. I have applications out and gotten interviews but I haven’t made it past a final interview yet. I know it’s pretty horrible to quit a job and have nothing lined up, but I’m really struggling to deal with my work and I’m starting to worry about having an outburst at work. I ’ve got pto days, ( I’d need to wait a few weeks before I actually get to use them.) but time off just feels like a quick bandaid instead of solving the issue.

I know it could be much worse being unemployed with no job, but my current work is really becoming an issue health wise. TLDR: work is actually making me pull hair out and sick. When does the stress of a job outweigh sticking around for money?

Hello, so I have been majorly stressed at work lately, my new boss has been sort of driving me out of my mind, well I’ve been in and out of the doctor for the past month & last week it happened.. I had a panic attack at work, and my boss called the ambulance.

I have been on Prozac for the past 12 days from a psych to help with the anxiety, however today and yesterday I realized my stomach starts to “flex” when I’m doing anything work related (dishes, cleaning, etc)

It almost feels like I have a damn ab builder on my stomach. I was just doing the dishes & realized “Jesus my stomach is really tight, like I’m flexing”

Has anyone else had this issue? I don’t have any acid reflux, etc. I’m just trying to find a way to resolve it. I’ve been off work for the past few days & feel like if I go back to work I’m going to be in miserable pain because of this symptom.

Since my depressive episode has started I'm having these intrusive thoughts that everyone except me are feeling careless with their lives and I'm different from all of them. Like for example they come back home from work, they can sit on the couch, enjoy watching TV, take a nap whenever they want, go shopping, do whatever they want and I feel like I'm blocked from doing all these things cause I can't rest at all. During weekend people usually rest but when I think of resting or doing nothing I feel really big anxiety, like something bad is happening. Sitting on the couch and doing nothing is stressing me out somehow, I feel this weird blockage whenever I have nothing to do, yet I can't force myself to do anything. Next week me and my fiancé are visiting my hometown and thinking about sitting in the hotel with nothing to do gives me really big anxiety, yet spending time outside doing some activities feels like I'm forced to do it. I've never felt like this before, I always felt careless like being able to do anything. Does anyone feel similar way? Does this feeling go away?

A few of the following I find extremely worrying. But all of them combined are quite a lot to deal with at once.

Any silver lining or ways to look at this that would help parce things out and make sense of this mess ?

far-right candidates all over the west that get support from Putin and love him back (LePen, Farage, Orban, Trump, AfD).

Brexit wrecked the UK, the EU as a structure that allows a political powerhouse to have common voice to share the voice of reason and democracy in the world is put in question.

The fact the war in Russia is unrelenting, that the Soviet Union and Communist China (contrarily to Nazi Germany) never looked critically at their own history leads to this mess. After all, Stalin and Mao are still revered in Russia and China, despite the tens of millions of deaths their bloody regimes caused.

The fact that since Covid, widespread mistrust towards institutions grew. January 6th in the US and more and more authoritarian/violent words from Trump with the upcoming election being a watershed moment, one way or the other.

The whole public debates and turmoil with people on either side of the fence hitting on each other like there is no way to get along with topics such as wokeness, Islam, Israel, the massacres of October 7th, Iran threatening to start a larger war in the whole of the Middle East with all its proxies, the fact that dictators around the world work together (Putin, Iran, Xi in China, North Korea).

The fact that India is backing Russia, tacitly.

The fact that the internet enhances the shrillest of voices, rather than the more competent ones, it is addicting (dopamine circuitry) and enhances the voice of wannabe dictators.

Hybrid warfare, with elections being undermined in western democracies by foreign actors.

NATO as such being threatened from within.

The whole mess with Taiwan being threatened by China, while the Communist regime in China gets more and more totalitarian over time, and with today's possibilities given new technologies. North Korea getting more and more assertive and getting new technology from Russia.

I Have nausea every day. I did all tests and everything is perfectly fine. They tell me its anxiety...idk but i know that is very hard to live with nausea every day. I never tu* because of this if it means sth. Can anyone give me some advices?

Fuck….

When I was younger I would get swollen lymph node in the back of my neck right side but after many years it stopped until like two years ago it started again then stopped but ever since I always feel like 2-3 lumps on the side of my neck sometimes they feel bigger other times smaller. Then I have vertigo main issue is the right ear although both ears bother me but the right side is the worse especially since it affects my neck and right under my skull making me feel like my neck is weak or like my head wants to fall off with off balance feeling and like someone is pulling me down my ears get heavy and painful and it’s been horrible. Since this I have to sleep leading on one of my arms to sleep upwards causing me to always wake up with arms that are falling asleep can’t feel I don’t know if it’s from this or from taking Clonazepam more often and Zantac and pepto bismol for my ibs BUT I think I have petechiae I get tiny little blood spots on my arms even blood lines then after a few hours or days they turn brown and leave. But the little blood spots aren’t close together just a few space apart. Also have started lifting 3 and 5 pound weights so don’t know if it’s due to any of that and I eat lots of ginger. I also have an eczema patch on my wrist since the beginning of spring that hasn’t left but I get nervous because it also kinda looks like mycosis fungoides, never really itches much. Lastly after year of not having any swollen lymph nodes I have 2 under my right armpit. They hurt when I touch them I’ve been using a new deodorant but I’m always switching deodorants and they are always aluminum free. I’m only 24 and freaking out

I had previously posted here saying how I was stuck in a really toxic workplace. Have given my notice period here so will be out of job soon. On top of that my gf for 3 years and basically the only meaningful relationship which I ever had broke up with me yesterday. Dont know where to go from here. We've been in a live in relationship for 3 yrs. Now my life feels basically hollow inside.

Sorry if this posts sounds all over the place, I'm extremly stressed out and can't form coherent sentences anymore.

Does anyone else have trouble feeling anything? I feel extremly disconnected from other people to the point I don't really care about socializing or caring about their emotions. It's not anxiety, where I would feel fear, it's not depression where I would wander what is the point, I simply feel like I'm surrounded by strangers, children or animals.

I don't care about praise for good performance at my work, I don't care about other people thinking badly of me. I do try to be pleasant, but I really don't care about connecting with others. I don't work hard to be praised, I want to ensure my safety.

Hi everyone,

I'm Vivek, and I've been struggling with a noisy and conflict-ridden family environment at home. My parents frequently argue, and it's challenging to find a quiet space to focus on my goals. We live in a small 1BHK house, and I feel overwhelmed trying to balance personal aspirations with the constant noise.

Here's a bit about my situation: - Our living space is limited, making it difficult to find a quiet place to work or study.

• I find it hard to communicate my need for a quieter environment to my family.

• The only quiet time I have is between 12:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m., which isn't always feasible due to sleep schedules.

I want to focus on personal growth, fitness, and pursuing my career goals, but the family dynamics often hinder my progress. I also hesitate to share these issues outside the family due to privacy concerns and potential repercussions.

If anyone has been through a similar situation or has advice on managing family noise while trying to achieve personal goals, I would greatly appreciate your insights and suggestions.

What relaxes you? Each person copes differently. I think I’m burnt out from work

My mother is Italian and my father is Eastern European and Puerto Rican, growing up I mostly grew up knowing all my culture backgrounds but was mainly close with my Italian side being that my moms family lived closer. Throughout the years one of my dad’s nephews that is 10 years older would verbally mentally and at one point physically abuse me.. often he would call me white trash how I shouldn’t be proud of myself for being white or being Italian because I am also a greaseball Italians are trash. I was only 7 years old at the time. When I was 12 years old I had gotten a friend request from my dad’s nephews mom…. My lovely aunt who decided to stalk my Facebook and only call when she would see a new Facebook post of mine wondering what’s it’s about, at some point she started to be weird due to the face I had the Italian flag as my background cover and posted a status about how Italian dinners can be 3 hours long (as a joke) when she started to leave weird comments one being under that post “Puerto Rican is in your blood darling you can’t escape it” I deleted the comment and try to forget and make nothing of it but as the weeks went on she just became worse and all came crashing down when one night she kept calling my dads phone.. it was midnight and we were all tired my childhood dog passed and my grandfather was in the hospital in very bad shape at the time… but that didn’t stop her from calling my dad just to ask to get on the phone with me to yell at me for not representing the Puerto Rican and that I gotta act more like it, I didn’t know how to exactly define myself as I never thought I would be out in such a weird situation in never ever thought or was there ever any problems until my aunt came around and starting doing all this so all I kept repeating was that she is Ukrainian and such and she doesn’t show any of that and she kept saying she’s interested to learning more about it yet was attacking me about this crap. This phone call ended by my dad getting on the phone yelling at her she then starting rumors that I was hanging out with boys older boys and was acting too wild and my dad should check my Facebook when both my parents had access to my Facebook and didn’t have my first boyfriend or was in intimate til I was around 18-20 years old and nowhere was I wild I was a homeschooled kid that didn’t have many friends. So yeah after that phone call my aunt called my grandmother twisting the story around and saying my mom is racist and then my dads nephew kept saying it as well and then my grandmother called my dad yelling and the whole thing was a mess. The next day my dads nephew had the nerve to walk all the way to my house put his foot on my front steps and demanded someone to come out the house and he wouldn’t leave til someone came out all to say to my dad I’m Puerto Rican and it isn’t right. Fast forward a few years later I’m 17 years old and my mothers brother and her uncle find out all that took place and used it against me and would tell people rather people that knew me or didn’t that I’m half Puerto Rican when I’m not and also lie about things how I was like lying about my ethnicity background when I wasn’t and my moms brother friends would be like “your part Russian really? Noo” so besides my dads crazy family I have two uncles from my moms side stirring up more problems and strangers are thinking I have some identity crisis and crap. Even some family members are my mom side make like they forgot my dad is also Ukrainian/Russian and Polish etc and just acts surprised when I mention anything about it and even one cousin text my dad happy birthday in Spanish when they know my dad does not know one ounce of Spanish. So I feel like I’m literally going crazy and it’s been going on for years and just gets worse even when I’m away from these people and no longer have them in my life. As of now my dad’s family identifies as just Puerto Rican.. tanning dressing and just overall acting different, for my grandmothers 90th birthday her cake was of the Puerto Rican flag and that picture was all over FB, leave comments on cousins post in Spanish there is nothing with their father and the Ukrainian side. One of my cousins put on their Instagram bio the Italian and Puerto Rican flag like she is half and half when she is not neither half of those things. Why am I getting attacked for no reason but these people can be all one sided? I have nothing and I mean nothing at all against any race or culture but I’m so turned off and traumatized by all this that if anyone ask what I am I just say white American Italian with some Ukrainian if they wanna know details I actually am trying to really connect to my Eastern European side since I’ve always felt very connected even though I never knew much of the culture and resemble that side a bit and just to troll I have the Italian and Ukrainian flag in my bio on Instagram. But because of that I’m the bad guy who has issues I don’t know what more to do I’m tired drained literally drained from this. There is so much more wrong they have done but that story is for another time

I just read project 2025 and how trump plans to overturn Roe V. Wade/reproductive rights for women and how he is going to try to take away the first amendment rights of citizens by telling them not to say words with gender ideologies tied to them. How do people not worry about this on a constant basis? How is it possible for the gears to just stop spinning in people's heads and for them to focus on other things? I've been stressing out over this ever since the presidential debate and have been hyperfocusing on trying to do as much research on the matter as I can because "hopefully I'll be wrong if I just find a source that disproves my worries" but to no avail has that occurred. I dont understand the process in making laws too well or political stuff but I'm failing to find answers due to not knowing how to phrase my question s the right way without them being so specific the search bar just shows irrelevant topics that I wasn't asking about. Such a sick world to live in. I even had a dream about world War 3 last night and that we were preparing for it and all the stores got shut down and I asked why and they mentioned about world War 3 coming. I don't know how to not stress and obsess over this. I've been hyper fixating on it hoping to find "better answers" because it's such a hard pill to swallow that the world is "just like this" amd there's politicians behind a desk just shrugging and going "that's how the world works" while actively focusing on laws and issues that aren't even important and don't matter. Trump cares more about a women's body and her OWN reproductive rights more than he cares about Russia and Ukraine and possibilities of WW3?

If you feel so lost and confused, and that the world is so confusing, are there any plants, herbs or similar things, that can at least make you feel much better without so much side effects, or drawbacks, if yes like what?

Hi all, I have chronic physical stress, I am an overthinker and always feel overwhelmed, but thanks to therapy I know how to deal with it cognitively. Physically my body feels so stressed all the time and I do not have the capacity to take good care of myself when I am stressed. Does anybody take an SSRI like Zoloft purely for the physical symptoms of stress? Can you tell me something about it?

So, this is the first time this ever happened which is really scary. I was stressed about stuff on Thursday, took a walk, had a good cry(?)-sure, if that counts, read a book, and went to bed early.

On Friday, I woke up with a tight chest which lasted more than 5 hours long, so I bought myself over to urgent care (at that time, I didn't know what was going on), plus I was feeling fatigued, weak, etc.

I got an ekg done, my heart beat was fine, but my heart rate was at 112~120 bpm, spiked blood sugar, tight chest, shortness of breath, all that horrible, feeling went to the ER to get more tests done because I wasn't gonna sit down and play some games of (plus it was more than 8 hours at this point):

Is this a potential heart attack or stress related symptom?

Thankfully, it was stress related, but this leads to my next question. How can I reduce my stress/alleviate this problem before I go to bed and NOT wake up to this? It was really terrifying that I actually woke up to a random anxiety/panic attack in the morning.

i have a rounders tournament at school soon. i know it's on a monday, but i don't know WHICH MONDAY. that's the problem.

my year group and some other year groups will be doing it, which is what i'm really stressed about because being at a place with lots of people around me is a big no-no for me.

i'm thinking about skipping school on the day, but it's literally monday tomorrow and i'm not sure if it's that monday or the monday after this week, or whatever.

i get really stressed to the point where i just break down. it happened to me once in a PE lesson with my whole year group. it was really scary and i don't want it to happen again. it was a terrible experience and i still think about it to this day. it only just made me hate PE even more, when i already hated it in the first place. it's not that i don't want to exercise or whatever. i would if there was less people and if i had a lower chance of breaking down. that's why i really need advice. any help would be appreciated! 💖