The thing people forget is that even good things cause stress. Like the party I recently threw.
We talk about stress as an emotional condition that’s bad and must be reduced. That’s not untrue, but it’s not the full story, either. When it comes to adrenal fatigue, all stress can be a strain on the body. I explain it to people by saying that winning the lottery could make me very sick, and I believe that’s true (not that I’ve had the chance to find out, unfortunately.)
We overlook that there are different kinds of stress. There’s emotional stress and physical stress. There’s stress from good things and from bad things. Obviously I would rather have stress from winning the lottery than from the death of a loved one, but my adrenals will suffer either way. They just can’t produce the necessary hormones to handle the stress.
I feel it if I don’t get enough sleep, if I walk too much, if my body is inflamed, or if I’m dealing with some other form of physical stress. When the stresses are both emotional and physical, it’s especially rough. That’s what happened earlier this month. Several friends and I threw a surprise party for a friend. The party planning was stressful. Then the night before, I slept horribly. Some of it was from worry over the party going well, but a lot of it was from pain, probably due to the rainstorm we had. I also had a friend staying with me for the weekend, since she came from out of state for the party. I was thrilled to have her visiting me! I love her, we’ve been friends for 30 years, and I wanted to hang out with her as much as possible. But I was also exhausted, and needed to rest.
It is so hard to balance my emotional and physical needs in a situation like this. Thankfully, I was surrounded by understanding people. I’m also very thankful for my current coping mechanisms. I used some stress-relieving techniques from my therapist. I took an extra dose of my adrenal medication. I used medical cannabis. I laid down for half an hour in the afternoon to just quietly breathe and relax my body. Between the physical rest and the emotional break plus the medications, I began to feel better. My friends didn’t expect me to do as much physical setup for the party, so I was able to sit more.
In the end, the guest of honor had a great time, we all had fun, and everything worked out well. But it was still nerve-wracking. I find it frustrating that even good things can be too much for me. I wonder if I get married some day, will I even be able to have the large wedding reception I’ve always wanted? Will I have the energy to dance at my own wedding? Probably not, and that saddens me so much. Of course, I am also single, so that’s a big hypothetical! Still, the point is, will the good things be so stressful for my body that I can’t enjoy them? Right now they often are. I just hope that won’t always be the case.
Chronic Rants 