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demiu5
humans, lol


Registered: 08/18/05
Posts: 43,948
Loc: the popcorn stadium
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stress hormones
#7432924 - 09/20/07 03:27 PM (16 years, 4 months ago) |
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I've grown more aware of my stress levels lately. I'm pretty much always stressed out about something. I took a few mini-vacations this summer which should have been a time to cut loose without worry, but I found myself always being worried or overwhelmed by something.
I'm currently a college student, and I dropped a class because I could see taking 18 hours was going to do some damage. Classes aren't hard, really, but I still find myself stressing about them, as well as other things related to school or barely connected.
I don't have any real financial worries as I'm lucky to have a mother and grandparents who help support me. Whether I'm on drugs or not (mostly cannabis as my tripping has calmed down to maybe once a month if even) I maintain about the same level of stress.
I heard a little bit about stress hormones recently, but not enough to get a good idea about them. Basically, I'm wondering if there is anything I can do to lower a potentially high(er) level of stress hormones. I'm not going to go the doctor to get blood work done to see what the levels actually are cause that's a waste of time.
I workout 3-4 times/week depending on the rotation. I walk or ride my bike to classes and overall stay fairly active. I eat very well, virtually no processed foods (milk, butter, and whole wheat bread is all I can think of).
If anyone has information on this, please share.
-------------------- channel your inner Larry David
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boxcarguy07
Uno



Registered: 04/25/07
Posts: 3,942
Loc: SC
Last seen: 11 years, 6 months
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Re: stress hormones [Re: demiu5]
#7433074 - 09/20/07 03:57 PM (16 years, 4 months ago) |
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Before going to the doctor and having him want to prescribe you some xanax or something, try a one or a few of these:
Kava (works great by my experience), L-Theanine, Tyrosine, Taurine, 5-HTP.
Kava works amazingly well at lowering stress. I always find that I take it, and then forget that I even took it, because it's very subtle at the recommended doses or even slightly higher than. However, maybe a couple hours later I'll remember that I took it and think "GEEZ, I've been in an amazing care-free mood for the last few hours. Thank God for Kava!"
You might also want to try Rhodiola Rosea, Ginseng... there are plenty of adaptogens out there, or Valerian root or Lavender.
As you can see, there's plenty of natural things you can try. There's so many more that I haven't listed too.
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Music doesn't stop at the ears when it begins at the heart.
"Sit in reverie and watch the changing color of the waves that break upon the idle seashore of the mind." -Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
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demiu5
humans, lol


Registered: 08/18/05
Posts: 43,948
Loc: the popcorn stadium
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I'll look into some of those
no, there's no way I'm going to a doctor, and even if I did I wouldn't take any bullshit scripts he would try to prescribe me
thanks for the response
-------------------- channel your inner Larry David
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boxcarguy07
Uno



Registered: 04/25/07
Posts: 3,942
Loc: SC
Last seen: 11 years, 6 months
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Re: stress hormones [Re: demiu5]
#7433328 - 09/20/07 04:40 PM (16 years, 4 months ago) |
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Ahh, I misread your post. I didn't see the "not" part in I'm not going to a doctor, and apparently I didn't see the "that's a waste of time" part either, ha. Whoops. But it's all good. Hope you find something that works, bro!
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Music doesn't stop at the ears when it begins at the heart.
"Sit in reverie and watch the changing color of the waves that break upon the idle seashore of the mind." -Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
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Lion
Decadent Flower Magnate



Registered: 09/20/05
Posts: 8,775
Last seen: 3 days, 19 hours
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Hey man I can totally relate. I'm in college myself. I am finding myself very stressed and my work-load hasn't even become too challenging yet. I have trouble getting going with assignments, keeping up with all the different websites I have to go to to do homework and download course materials, and things like that.
Some observations about my recent experiences which you may or may not find useful:
-Eating well and getting exercise is very important. I haven't been doing either. I started the semester doing both and quickly regressed into old habits. This kind of thing is cyclical, and each time I find I can become a little more balanced even if I lose that balance and fall backwards again.
-I haven't taken any psychedelics or any 'mind-altering substances' since I started this semester except for a few glasses of red wine. I have salvia and LSD, both of which at low doses can be a great way to untangle pockets of stress and anxiety IME, but I haven't used them. I am positive that if I was smoking cannabis I would not be doing well in school at all and would be increasing my anxiety. Kava sounds very good, I'm looking into buying some. Green tea is excellent too.
-Having a routine is awesome. Every night I clean up my room a bit, practice zazen for 30-60 minutes, do a bit of yoga, lie on my yoga mat and listen to The Power of Now on my iPod, then put on some very good soothing music as I go sleep. If I have time when I get up in the morning, I meditate and then make a point of taking time to enjoy my breakfast... sometimes read the paper a bit, sometimes don't.
-Having a central way to organize your school stuff will make your mind more calm. I definitely tend to feel like I am dispersed all over the place, decentralized, incomplete, because all of my school assignments are all over the place - on the Internet, in the notebooks all over my floor and in my backpack, etc. If you have a daily planner that you can sit down daily and spend 20 minutes adding info. to, it will definitely help.
-Try not to waste time. I sit here and stare at the Shroomery in a state of unconsciousness and anxiety for such a large part of the day, which keeps me from getting ahead (or even just caught up) in my reading, makes me miss the campus shuttle, makes me feel like my time window for completing assignments is slipping through my hands. It's important to catch yourself doing this and just STOP - which is what I'm going to do after I finish this post.
-Bring yourself back to your breath if you feel overly stressed. Think about how many of your peers are going through the same kind of stress and angst daily. Remember that you are not your stress, and that how you do in school does not reflect on who you are.
-------------------- “Strengthened by contemplation and study, I will not fear my passions like a coward. My body I will give to pleasures, to diversions that I’ve dreamed of, to the most daring erotic desires, to the lustful impulses of my blood, without any fear at all, for whenever I will— and I will have the will, strengthened as I’ll be with contemplation and study— at the crucial moments I’ll recover my spirit as was before: ascetic.”
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