A Truth Revealed
Friday, May 7, 2010 at 8:04AM I am a sightseer. If I am on vacation, you can bet I know all the tourist traps and “must see” places. I will have fit them into an itinerary that will allow me to maximize my trip and see the most I can in a short amount of time. I always say, “Who knows if or when I’ll be back?”
This trip was very different.
With all of the weird health stuff going on with me, the chest pain and nausea, and my plate being fuller than one of my trips to a breakfast buffet in Vegas, I figure I better make this trip lo-key. Not to mention, my reason for going was simply to hang out with my friend and his family.
And that’s what we did.
First thing you should know is that my insulin intake and blood sugars were much better than they have been. I know I was waking up later and not eating as much but even still, my overall BG’s were lower which I think has a lot to do with the whole stress thing.
The other thing is the chest pains and the nausea were gone. Completely gone.
I know most of you think, “duh George, maybe if you weren’t all stressed out you wouldn’t feel sick,” but honestly I thought I kept stress in a place it would not affect me physically.
I was wrong.
Now that I am back in the swing of things I feel like I have the upper hand because of this knowledge. I have had a few serious curve balls sent my way that BV George (before vacation) would have flipped out about but AVG (this is lame and I will never refer to myself this way again) recongnizes that stressing out is going to mess him up physically.
When this has happened, I have stopped what I was doing, stepped back to assess the situation, and then figured out why I was stressed and how I can get the task done without having a stress attack.
The pressures of life will always be there for us, but the way we respond to it and let it affect us is in our control.
No longer can I let stress take a hold of my life.
Do you have a way you deal with stress?
Reader Comments (8)
Probably the wrong person to be giving advice on reducing stress... as I have physical manifestations myself. Exercise helps me, something I didn't get during much of the past six months, which explains a lot.
Oh gosh, G! I know this sounds weird, but I'm glad it was only stress causing you to be sick, and not something else. (Although stress is a very big problem though, I didn't mean to sound like I was dismissing it as being "nothing".)
Stress relievers for me are going to the gym and working it out of me. I go and spend up to 2 hours just refocusing and "realigning" my brain so I can go home a happy wife and not a fussy --tch.
If I need a little more of a stress relief, I talk my hubby into making the hour and a half drive down to the beach so we can relax, take a walk, let the breeze blow my hair, and eat at the most awesomest restaurant on the beach that has a balcony porch that we can eat outside on if we want and enjoy the beach scene even more.
I hope you find something that helps you. You need little breaks every now and then to keep you from going insane and to keep your body healthy. We can't be having you get majorly sick, SuperG!
Even ninja's get stressed! It is pretty amazing what stress does to our bodies.
In the past year I've gotten into yoga a bit and that has helped me out a lot with stress. Cooking, for me, is another big stress reliever.
I'm glad that we were able to chill so much. That is what vacations should be about. Resting, recharging, and relaxing.
I'm also glad that you went back to work with a different perspective on the stress - specifically that it is NOT worth your health.
Maybe we can talk your doctor into prescribing a MN vacation every few months!
thats good to hear!
was it minasoda? or was it scott?
you are a very good guy george so im glad this prescription worked for you.
George, your words could describe the way I handle stress. While I am not a diabetic, I get the chest pains and nausea and have other physical symtoms, and with our family history, I'm always thinking the worst (sorry Blue Oyster Cult, I FEAR THE REAPER!!!!). I am actually going to a class on Tuesday about Managing Your Emotions When Under Pressure, I asked to be sent to this class as I know I don't handle stress very well at all. With the class, I was sent a compaion book and when I randomly opened it the chapter was called "Pass the tissues, I think I'm gonna cry" and I could not help but laugh, cause that is one of my regular things since as far back I can can remember. It helped me to know that I am NOT crazy or obsessive, but normal and feel things like everyone else. One thing I know about myself and you (I think you and I have the most similar personalites of our siblings) is that when we know of a problem, and once we've decided we really need to change it (well once we get off out butts and committ to changing it) we do everything and find every resource to help us get there.
For stress, we need to learn that it's OK to relax and slow down sometimes, and that we don't always have to say yes and and taken on so much. I know we get this trait from Mom and Dad, but especially Dad. He was always involved with something cause he loved that, but I wonder if he REALLY learned to relax and enjoy. We need to do what he can't anymore, relax and enjoy the beautiful life that God has given us.
I love you Brother Mer (your OTHER sister is a freak!)
Glad you have discovered the true evils of stress. :)
I am always amazed at how much of a hold they can have on us and how sick they can make us. I am a total Type A personality, and I have had to learn to decide what battles I want to "fight" and what to give in on. Work is still an issue for me, though.... but I have come a long way since I started with this company over five years ago.
Vacations are just for relaxing. You should not need to take a vacation after your vacation just to recoup. :) Glad you were able to find the time to calm down and rewind. Even happier yet that you were able to take it back with you and apply it to your work life. It's something that you can preach and preach for someone to do, but until they experience it, they have no idea how to do it or what they are missing.
Welcome to the "other side". :)
I'm a true Italian yeller. I get it out and it's over with. I might gripe about stupid stuff when I get home like socks on the floor...but I get it out and it's all done. Family knows it not the socks, they get me...thankfully!