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General suggestions for stress-triggered fatigue?

bigmillz

Senior Member
Messages
219
Location
NYC
I've been making a lot of life changes and working on Freddd's protocol, and all of this has been helping substantially. But today I was reminded of one thing that I'm starting to doubt is caused by diet, supplements, exercise, or anything else concrete. High stress situations.

For example, I had a meeting today, and getting there just took me through a medley of dysfunctional trains and buses (if you live in NY, you know how it can get), all the way to a disgusting office full of people running around. While I've come so far in handling situations like this without breaking a sweat, it was still challenging. Sure enough, by the time I got home hours later, the physical and mental fatigue had set in. It's almost debilitating, as far as the rest of today goes. I feel like I'm completely toast for the evening now.

All this said, any suggestions besides the obvious (stress and time management, more exercise after such situations, etc)? Supplements or anything else that has helped others in this situation. I know it will take time to better adapt, and I'm working at that constantly.

Thanks for your input.
 

taniaaust1

Senior Member
Messages
13,054
Location
Sth Australia
All this said, any suggestions besides the obvious (stress and time management, more exercise after such situations, etc)?.

Doing more exercise after a stressful situation is generally bad for those who have ME.

If you've had a very busy stressful day, the best you could probably do after would be to rest up. Nothing else makes up for that. Your bodies after reaction is a sign to you that you did too much.

The first step to helping ME I believe is working out how to pace right and to make sure you are not doing too much some days (if possible). Once you have that right, well then supplements and that can lead to a more of an improvement but if you dont get the pacing right, people usually just run themselves into the ground and get worst with time.
 

bigmillz

Senior Member
Messages
219
Location
NYC
Doing more exercise after a stressful situation is generally bad for those who have ME.

If you've had a very busy stressful day, the best you could probably do after would be to rest up. Nothing else makes up for that. Your bodies after reaction is a sign to you that you did too much.

The first step to helping ME I believe is working out how to pace right and to make sure you are not doing too much some days (if possible). Once you have that right, well then supplements and that can lead to a more of an improvement but if you dont get the pacing right, people usually just run themselves into the ground and get worst with time.

You've got a great point with the pacing. It's hard to accept sometimes, but I guess it's the truth. I'm not 20 anymore lol.
 

caledonia

Senior Member
Sounds like adrenal fatigue or at least if you have adrenal fatigue you can have trouble handling stress and it will cause fatigue.

There are some free adrenal self tests on this page:
http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/adrenal-info/

Could also be a low serotonin issue if you're having anxiety/depression or worry a lot, feeling stressed out etc.

There is an all in one test you can use to assess both issues called the Neuroadrenal Profile by Neuroscience.
http://www.integrativepsychiatry.net/neuroadrenal-essential.html

You can get a consultation with it for an additional fee. I've done this before.

It might be as simple as taking some adrenal cortex extract or some 5htp.
 

hellytheelephant

Senior Member
Messages
1,137
Location
S W England
I burn a lot of lavender oil ( in an electronic burner), there are no side effects and it is the easiest way to bring down stress levels when I have overdone it.

Exercise- NO!
 

bigmillz

Senior Member
Messages
219
Location
NYC
Sounds like adrenal fatigue or at least if you have adrenal fatigue you can have trouble handling stress and it will cause fatigue.

There are some free adrenal self tests on this page:
http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/adrenal-info/

Could also be a low serotonin issue if you're having anxiety/depression or worry a lot, feeling stressed out etc.

There is an all in one test you can use to assess both issues called the Neuroadrenal Profile by Neuroscience.
http://www.integrativepsychiatry.net/neuroadrenal-essential.html

You can get a consultation with it for an additional fee. I've done this before.

It might be as simple as taking some adrenal cortex extract or some 5htp.

Thanks @caledonia as always. Appreciate your kind insight.

I'm going to check these out a little later.

I know we've spoken in other threads about my B12 regime, and actually lowering my mB12 seems to be helping a bit as well (but it's no magic bullet). I was at 10mg for over a month, then decided to add another 2.5mg on top in the afternoon. It put me way, way over, and I realized maybe I wasn't ready for 10mg even. Dropping to 5mg helped a lot, and I'm testing 2.5mg currently for a week or so. Oddly it seems like stress and fatigue have gone up a bit at 2.5mg.

I burn a lot of lavender oil ( in an electronic burner), there are no side effects and it is the easiest way to bring down stress levels when I have overdone it.

Exercise- NO!

Thanks for pointing out the exercise part as well...I'm very prone to ripping home on my bike after a stressful day at work, figuring I can blow a little steam off. In retrospect, I usually get home and want to collapse on the couch then lol.
 

Mary

Moderator Resource
Messages
17,335
Location
Southern California
@bigmillz - I agree with @caledonia, it sounds quite possibly like adrenal fatigue to me as well. Some things that have helped me are extra pantothenic acid (this is the B vitamin which is crucial for the adrenals, I take it in addition to a good B complex such as Jarrow B Right), an adrenal glandular product I've gotten from my chiropractor (Standard Process, Drenamin or Drenatrophin - the chiropractor helped me determine the proper dose with muscle testing), ashwaganda is supposed to be good as well.

You might look into muscle testing and a chiropractor who does it - he's been very helpful to me. I eventually learned to do it myself but I still see him from time to time to see if we agree, and most of the time we do.

And I'm with everyone else - rest! Back when I was able to work, if I was stressed (or not!), anyways, I'd exercise vigorously thinking I was doing the best thing ... and kept going downhill. I didn't know anything about ME/CFS until I started crashing 18 years ago, and haven't stopped crashing since when I exceed my limited activity window of 3-4 hours a day.
 

bigmillz

Senior Member
Messages
219
Location
NYC
@bigmillz - I agree with @caledonia, it sounds quite possibly like adrenal fatigue to me as well. Some things that have helped me are extra pantothenic acid (this is the B vitamin which is crucial for the adrenals, I take it in addition to a good B complex such as Jarrow B Right), an adrenal glandular product I've gotten from my chiropractor (Standard Process, Drenamin or Drenatrophin - the chiropractor helped me determine the proper dose with muscle testing), ashwaganda is supposed to be good as well.

You might look into muscle testing and a chiropractor who does it - he's been very helpful to me. I eventually learned to do it myself but I still see him from time to time to see if we agree, and most of the time we do.

And I'm with everyone else - rest! Back when I was able to work, if I was stressed (or not!), anyways, I'd exercise vigorously thinking I was doing the best thing ... and kept going downhill. I didn't know anything about ME/CFS until I started crashing 18 years ago, and haven't stopped crashing since when I exceed my limited activity window of 3-4 hours a day.

Thanks @Mary! I've struggled to tolerate most of the B vitamins, but that's another story.

I'm starting to think that not overworking myself is a key thing. I know this has been a weak point of mine. Again, I'm so used to my college years (~10 years ago), when I was all hopped up on Redbull and was taking Adderall for an ADHD diagnosis. In hindsight, I think that conditioned me to believe working at that pace was sustainable and normal. Maybe not so much now. I usually find that I get more done when I don't try to rush so much!
 
Messages
40
hey @bigmillz , I'm afraid I have no solutions as yet, just to say that i can relate to so much of wht you wrote, especially the part about downing redbulls at collge- I've been almost literally living off espresso for years.

I jut wanted to say that I was diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome/Autism a few months back. For almost 2 decades I thought my main problems were stress, anger, depression etc, and I'm finally realising how much of that is because of having an autism spectrum disorder, which basically means I'm in sensory overload almost all the time. Before my diagnosis i ddnt really understand the constant anxiety, it was like everything was 'grey' but since the diagnosis, and journalling moments of peak stress and what situation I'd been in etc, I'm slowly starting to distinguish between black an white, or rather, realise that various environmental fctors are triggering it off du to the autistic hypersensitivity. e.g being aroung lots of sources of noise, lots of people... sudden temperature changes like feeling hot and someone switching on the air conditioning and suddenly cooling the room down- I literally almost had an anxiety attack once and marvelled at how all the anxiety vanished when someone switched off the damn air conditioning lol.

in my ASD doagnosis report it specifically said I should be in a 'low stimulation environment', but how can I do that when I live in a city and its like chaos and noise everywhere? LOL. I used to think i had anger management problems but the last few years I rarely snap at people, but I've noticed I repeatedly cry on planes- the experience of getting through the airport then travelling on the plane just takes me over the edge. Through journalling I've realised that public transport is my number one biggest stressor- and shopping centres- too many people, too much movement, too much sound for me. I come home exhausted and burnt out.

I've often looked through this forum and noticed that when people talk about anxiety attacks and depression its often triggered whilst on public transportation or when theyre surrounded by loads of people. Some would say it's agoraphobia or performance anxiety but I've often wondered if it's sensory overload and the stress of socialising.

For people with aspgergers they generally say just reduce the amount of time you have to do all these things and spend as much time as you can in low stimulation environments, nature, I pretty much only relax when in nature, in a forest, at the beach etc. They also say deep pressure massage helps bring autistic people down from a 'meltdown' or in my case 'shutdown'. Either way, people need down time after being overcharged.

Sorry if this was not helpful- and btw i'm not suggesting you have Aspergers, I really don't know, I'm just suggeting that reducing stress might be a case of avoiding those 'high-stimulation' environments as much as you can.. as if you hadn't thought of that already i'm sure!

Good luck finding solutions!
 

bigmillz

Senior Member
Messages
219
Location
NYC
hey @bigmillz , I'm afraid I have no solutions as yet, just to say that i can relate to so much of wht you wrote, especially the part about downing redbulls at collge- I've been almost literally living off espresso for years.

I jut wanted to say that I was diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome/Autism a few months back. For almost 2 decades I thought my main problems were stress, anger, depression etc, and I'm finally realising how much of that is because of having an autism spectrum disorder, which basically means I'm in sensory overload almost all the time. Before my diagnosis i ddnt really understand the constant anxiety, it was like everything was 'grey' but since the diagnosis, and journalling moments of peak stress and what situation I'd been in etc, I'm slowly starting to distinguish between black an white, or rather, realise that various environmental fctors are triggering it off du to the autistic hypersensitivity. e.g being aroung lots of sources of noise, lots of people... sudden temperature changes like feeling hot and someone switching on the air conditioning and suddenly cooling the room down- I literally almost had an anxiety attack once and marvelled at how all the anxiety vanished when someone switched off the damn air conditioning lol.

in my ASD doagnosis report it specifically said I should be in a 'low stimulation environment', but how can I do that when I live in a city and its like chaos and noise everywhere? LOL. I used to think i had anger management problems but the last few years I rarely snap at people, but I've noticed I repeatedly cry on planes- the experience of getting through the airport then travelling on the plane just takes me over the edge. Through journalling I've realised that public transport is my number one biggest stressor- and shopping centres- too many people, too much movement, too much sound for me. I come home exhausted and burnt out.

I've often looked through this forum and noticed that when people talk about anxiety attacks and depression its often triggered whilst on public transportation or when theyre surrounded by loads of people. Some would say it's agoraphobia or performance anxiety but I've often wondered if it's sensory overload and the stress of socialising.

For people with aspgergers they generally say just reduce the amount of time you have to do all these things and spend as much time as you can in low stimulation environments, nature, I pretty much only relax when in nature, in a forest, at the beach etc. They also say deep pressure massage helps bring autistic people down from a 'meltdown' or in my case 'shutdown'. Either way, people need down time after being overcharged.

Sorry if this was not helpful- and btw i'm not suggesting you have Aspergers, I really don't know, I'm just suggeting that reducing stress might be a case of avoiding those 'high-stimulation' environments as much as you can.. as if you hadn't thought of that already i'm sure!

Good luck finding solutions!

Hey @pumpkin - this is actually super relevant. I dated a girl who worked with ASD kids, and thought more than once that I might be in the spectrum. Not a bad thing. I'm not sure I want to go get tested. I feel it's take a chance at getting some unfortunate news that doesn't really change much.

Where did you go for your diagnosis? Has it changed anything directly, or just tuned you in to more relevant things to research to improve your quality of life?

I can relate on the city thing too...living in NYC is tons of fun but can get a little stressful at times. A full 4/5/6 train at 5pm on a Friday, an empty stomach, and Spotify shuffle throwing me an overly intense song, and it definitely pushes me to an uncomfortable limit. Definitely not a desirable experience! Sadly, as much as I love the thrill, fast pace, food, and amenities here, I tend to fare better the further I get from city life.
 
Messages
40
Hey again @bigmillz ,

Glad i was in some way helpful :)

What can I say, yes, gettin diagnosed has been massively helpful for me, because I understand myself better and what I need now and i am now able to access a massive amount of info from people who deal with these specific challenges, and thus their advice and tips. I've also had the gratifying experience of realising that hypersensitivity involves some unusual talents I didn't realise were abnormal, so I can now cater to my strengths, not just my weaknesses. At the same time however, people around me generally don't understand. Noone in my family have been able to discuss it/ my dad even sounded angry at first - I've in hindsight concluded I think he has it too, an this has massively helped my understanding of him and for that matter other people with their own 'quirks' / soecial needs/interests, but people need to go through a process of not only understanding me in light of this diagnosis but also themselves, and that takes time. This includes my doctor- who flat out refused to refer me for testig because i 'obviiously didnt have autism' and has since refused to inestigate any physical condition I have, assuming everything is related to autism, anxiety and in my head, which has been really realky hard.

I had seen psychologists in the past and none suggested I had it, or even considered it. When I began contacting psychologists about diagnosis, some outright admitted they didnt know how to diagbose it. The trouble is it's still such a recent thing really, a lot of professionals just don't understand it or know how to recognise it.

I got my diagnosis done at the Autism Centre in my city. When I finally met a psychologist who actually worked with Autiatic People, she was like, I've no doubt you've got it. It seems to often take experience of working with autistic people for someone to be able to recognise it in others. Without that experience, they will expect a stereotype that doesnt hold up to reality for so many people on the spectrum.

I'm immensely glad I got my diagnosis- it's knowledge and has empowere me to make better decisions and forgive both myself and others, but I just wouldnt expect everybody to immediately understand it, or even necessarily need to know about it.
 
Messages
40
Ps Tony Attwood was the person who helped me realise I had it- a lot of his talks are on youtube. And diagnosis can be done using the ADOS testing, you can also do an AQ test online for free, it was developed by Simon baren Cohen, also one of the most renowned authors on the topic.
 

bigmillz

Senior Member
Messages
219
Location
NYC
Ps Tony Attwood was the person who helped me realise I had it- a lot of his talks are on youtube. And diagnosis can be done using the ADOS testing, you can also do an AQ test online for free, it was developed by Simon baren Cohen, also one of the most renowned authors on the topic.

I actually tried one of those online tests a while back, and I think I was right on the line. How long did the "real" test take?
 
Messages
40
The ADOS test for me took 2-3 hours. It began with various exercises from the ADOS set, but dont research them lol, it's bet to go in and just be yourself. The psych didn't even talk with me throughout that part, in order to objectively observe my behaviour. Then there was an interview with specific questions about my lifetsyle, relationshios, interests and mood etc, After this, she told me off the record I no doubt had it, and even told my boyfriend, but officially she still had to score my AQ test, go through descriptions I'd asked my family to write, and a 22 page description of my development and mood and interests and relationships etc.

ai'd like to add that for me the most diffiult part was gettin the family descriptions, although it was not a requirement it defintely helps. My da was so busy burying hi head under a pillow as i grew up and escaping to forests (blatant sensory overload lol) he literally couldnt remember how I was as a child. My brother wrote an excellent account, except my brother was convinced I didnt have it and even wrote that on the account! Thankfully I had given people speciic topics to cover, i.e reactions to noise, physical contact, smells etc, personal interests/hobbies, friends/relationships, and the responses my brothe gave so classicly described someone with Aspergers that whether he personally believed I had it was irrelevant.