Cortisol. How to control it if you can't relax.
(35 posts) (18 voices)-
PrimalJewishAmericanPrincess
MemberI think the title says it all. I am type A, obsessive, high strung, anxiety is my co-pilot, etc. If I exercise regularly, follow the primal blueprint as closely as I can, what else can I do to control cortisol besides "relax"? I can't. It's just not an option. So what else is there?
Posted 7 months ago # -
get a meditation tape...seriously it can help you learn to settle the mind and slow down a bit...trust me I know all about anxiety to PTSD....if I can learn to relax anyone can...just figure out something that you like...I mean anything...playing with legos, coloring/drawing etc (I know funny, but kids games/toys/hobbies are really good at helping us to relax...minus the electronic gadgets that is)
Posted 7 months ago # -
PrimalGoddess
Memberwell all I can say is meditation has done wonders for me,. first I used guided meditations cd's then after I got good at it do it on my own. how long have you been on PB? I think you can increase your omega oils too and it helps. that is what works for me and some yoga too. xoxox Darlene
Posted 7 months ago # -
PrimalJewishAmericanPrincess
MemberI've been PB for close to 2 years now. I'm very good at following a plan and sticking to it. In fact, I love plans, just like I love lists, and tasks, and to dos. Relaxing is an issue because it's just a state of being, nothing is being done and there is no goal, it's bothersome. Meditation drives me crazy because I just think of all the things I can be doing instead.
@Sully, I actually have coloring books! It works while I'm doing it, but doesn't have any lasting effects. Maybe I can start making macaroni necklaces. Seriously.
And I take my Nordic Naturals Omegas everyday!Posted 7 months ago # -
PrimalGoddess
MemberI was like that too when meditating trust me I am a big type A person but like anything in life it takes *practice* first to stop the endless thoghts draw attention to your breathe and each time you wonder off in your thoughts again go back to your breath focusing on the in and out of your breathing...it make take a while but you will get in the zone....
Carlson's is a great cod liver oil and that has helped me. xoxo DarlenePosted 7 months ago # -
Miriam
MemberYou can meditate for a few minutes a day, it doesn’t have to be long, more like a breathing space, when you start to feel anxious just take a few deep breaths.
Also the herb Tulsi is good for anxiety, you can get it in tea or in tablet format from health food shops.
Posted 7 months ago # -
PrimalJewishAmericanPrincess
MemberI know I am a type A because I've researched it and educated myself. Unlike a type B that generally wouldn't care about such things. And it's a lot easier than saying I am strict and rigid, perfectionistic, and that, fundamentally my personality grows out of having had to earn acceptance rather than being bestowed with it unconditionally.
I know you are very philosophical, not readily accepting of titles. I use this only as a catch all to explain to the group that I am seeking alternatives other than the Frankie says relax idiom.
Gees.Ecala - Thank you for the suggestion. I am currently taking, but may need to increase the mg a bit.
Posted 7 months ago # -
lcme
MemberIt's pretty straight forward. Here's the wikipedia for it http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Type_A_and_Type_B_personality_theory
I find it too simplistic for my personality but I can see that there are some people that are almost completely TypeA or TypeB personality.
Posted 7 months ago # -
PrimalGoddess
Memberhave you tried Bach's Rescue Remedy? from health food store you put a few drops under your tongue
and I have to use the b-complex sublingual liquid under my tongue I can tell a difference if I don't
yes and like Miram up above said ...meditation doesn't have to be long to work! xoxo DarlenePosted 7 months ago # -
SerialSinner
MemberThanks Icme, I have never heard about that before.
The A / B dichotomy reminds me a bit if the P / J one under Myers Briggs.
I happen to be like 95% P, which has it's good things, but also very bad ones, like chronic procrastination, for example.
At the end, it's the Js who accomplish things, make the world work and get things done.
The way I see it, every one of our good personality traits comes at the expense of another.
This helps me mitigate my bad sides while trying to focus on further developing my good ones without beating myself up in the process.
Posted 7 months ago # -
SerialSinner
Membernp JPAP. Thats what I get for being cheeky 99% of the times.
Seriously though, part of your stress could be caused by attempting to go against your nature. If you are a good doer and like to finish things, doing things that relax you would be the way to go, instead of doing nothing and just sitting there trying to relax.
Posted 7 months ago # -
Catalina
MemberMy mind goes a mile a minute when I try to meditate, which makes it a stressful exercise if I try to control it (as in, "I think I'm going to scream if I try to sit here one more minute!). When I can relax and just watch my mind, it's better. But, like SerialSinner mentioned, if I do something that takes focus (like the coloring book, or knitting (which produces something!)), I do relax. I don't think that relaxation has to stay with you all the time, but I do believe that if you keep practicing, that sense of calm and awareness will become more available to you at other times. (At least, that's what I'm hoping for!)
Posted 7 months ago # -
eva
Membermeditating has never worked for me- i just cant force my ind to let go- i just feel its such a waste of time to just SIT N DO NOTHINg!!! but reading a good n enterntaining book, picking berries or mushrooms, drawing, knitting, or even watching a "switch-my-brains-off movie" works wonders and i can really relax doing such activities- i guess i can trick my mind to actually believe its doing something useful (or the body is) so it can let go.
Posted 7 months ago # -
love this thread - I too have trouble slowing down - I don't have time to take the test !! ... Knitting drives me nuts, I get antsy in movies ...
cooking is relaxing ... I am going to get the Bach's :) .... And do more yoga .. and keep taking my Omegas ... thanks everyone for the suggestions :)
Posted 7 months ago # -
PrimalJewishAmericanPrincess
MemberDon't click the buy button just yet. I researched the hell out of Rescue Remedy and it may not be your best bet. While there are a ton of great reviews out there, I found out why. Rescue Remedy is 99% alcohol (brandy, specifically). That calm is just a bit of a buzz since you are putting it under your tongue and it is becoming bio available immediately.
Kanna sounds like a better bet for relaxation if you are looking for a pill. Me, I've decided that I don't want to rely on yet another pill. Along with the vitamins, fish oil, proteins, and creatine, I am done adding to the arsenal. Besides, I don't want to have a freak out and think that I need to take something. I'd rather pull out my coloring book!Posted 7 months ago # -
Jeffrey K
MemberI took a Tibetan Buddhist meditation course, and my teacher called that distraction whilst meditating "monkey-mind", which I like. Your mind is like an untamed monkey jumping around. The trick is not to get frustrated by the monkey mind, but instead, acknowledge it and go back to meditating.
It'll keep popping back, just like monkeys like to do, but as long as you don't fixate on it, the visitations by the monkey will diminish over time.After a few days of classes I could just about float home. Monkey-mind still visits, especially when life is particularly hectic, but that's ok. meditating is most definitely not a waste of time for me, in fact it refreshes me so much I find it to be a great investment.
Posted 7 months ago # -
darienx19
MemberOne of the things I had to learn was that while meditating, I'm not sitting and doing nothing. I am meditating, and it's a valid activity that is for the progression of myself. Just because I'm not being physically productive to an outside observer in no way means that I'm doing "nothing."
I also found meditation very difficult at first... My mind would cast about randomly from topic to topic (which was slightly frustrating) and if I was able to quiet my mind and not think, I ended up taking a nap (sleep being the only way I knew to quiet the thoughts).
I found two methods that work for helping me quiet my mind. I choose to focus on quiet and calm. I visualize a scene that I am in but is not moving. No breeze, no people, no sound. When other thoughts try to enter, I focus on that scene like it's an important thought that I need to concentrate on. Slowly, that thought becomes a mental "Do Not Disturb" sign for the rest of your thoughts. The second method, which is used on persistant thoughts, is to allow myself to think about it and try to solve it. If I can't, I write it down and in doing so I've acknowledged it. Maybe it's just my brain, but once I write it down, I can stop thinking about it until I need it again.
Lastly, I've found that meditating for meditation's sake just doesn't work. If I don't have a reason to do it (often, my reason is to simply center myself and be able to think objectively), I find myself unable to concentrate or care. Meditation also doesn't have to be about clearing your mind and being empty for a block of time. If you need to use meditation as a time to think and arrange yourself internally the same way you arrange things externally, then so be it. No one ever said you HAVE to meditate a certain way to get a benefit out of it. As long as it works for you and helps you de-stress, then by all means do it.
Posted 7 months ago #
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