Stress! What to do?(guys beware)

[Gabrielle Proctor]

Everytime I start to fall asleep, I see a customer who needs fabric cut. I have to wake myself up and convince myself that they aren't really there. It doesn't matter how tired I am, everynight after I get home, there are still tons of people in line that have to be served.

I think I'm experiencing stress, like, a lot of it. I'm on my second period this month and I'm gaining weight. The last time that happened it was because we were moving the store and I had to deal with the store owner's wife(OW) being up my ass all the time. Plus, the last time it happened, I had worked 9 days straight without a day off. None of these days were less than 10 hours long.

Anyway, any advice? Is the double period something to be worried about(I'm not preggers, BTW. I already did a test)?

[JoitheArtist]

Anyway, any advice? Is the double period something to be worried about(I'm not preggers, BTW. I already did a test)?

The same thing happens to me (and since my job is constantly stressful right now, you can imagine what havoc it's wreaked on my body!)

I'd probably check with a doctor, though, just to be on the safe side.

As for reducing stress, I've found that a basic yoga routine works wonders. Also, make sure that you have a good solid life outside of work, and don't just flop in front of the TV every night. If your job is the most real thing in your life, then it will start to intrude into other areas. But if all the areas of your life as strong, it's less likely.

:hug: Sorry you're so stressed!!!

[iradney]

GET THEE TO A DOCTOR!!!
2 periods in one month can NOT be healthy!

[crazylegs]

Have you got yourself to a Dr. yet?

Why not?

[Evil Queen]

GET THEE TO A DOCTOR!!!
2 periods in one month can NOT be healthy!

Actually, these days it's not considered healthy (for the body) to have a monthly period. Which is why doctor's are slowly getting their patients on birth control pills that allow you to have a period every season.
Me, I'm just waiting to get my uterus yanked out (you have to be 26, I believe, so 4 more years for me).

Okay, on to stress relievers:

--Bubblebaths.
--Chamomile tea (seriously, I didn't expect it either but it does wonders for the mind)
--Back messages (even if it's done by one of those message chair thingys but the boyfriend works great too!)
--Reading before Sex.

The last one is a little.. unorthadox. But I discovered if you read for a few minutes (10-15 minutes, say a chapter in a book) before sex and orgasming, it releases some sort of Natural Relaxant into your system. No, I don't know the technical term for this. Your muscles relax, your mind is set free and you're good to visit dreamland without worry about SCs.
If no significant other is in sight, masturbation works just as well (and IM me if you want an excellent toy suggestion!).

Jennie Breedan's comic has turned to a sex toy store, which is why I thought of it. :whistle: :angel:

[Gabrielle Proctor]

Have you got yourself to a Dr. yet?

Why not?

I don't have health insurance(can't afford it). Sooooooooooo...yeah...I guess I need to find a free clinic.

Actually, these days it's not considered healthy (for the body) to have a monthly period. Which is why doctor's are slowly getting their patients on birth control pills that allow you to have a period every season.
Me, I'm just waiting to get my uterus yanked out (you have to be 26, I believe, so 4 more years for me).

5 more for me. I think it's 28 though, but I'll have to check.

I heard about that. According to what I read, it's because our ancestors spent a lot of time pregnant and had much shorter lives.

Personally, I support this research. I can't deal with a period every month the way mine are. My flow is really heavy, my girl parts are swolen and throbbing, my back hurts, I'm bloated, I have a headache, I developed cold sores in my mouth, not to mention the ungodly cramps, the fatigue, and the hot flashes. Oh, and I spend a lot of that time crying for no reason.


Okay, on to stress relievers:

--Bubblebaths.
--Chamomile tea (seriously, I didn't expect it either but it does wonders for the mind)
--Back messages (even if it's done by one of those message chair thingys but the boyfriend works great too!)
--Reading before Sex.

I would do the first one, but my tub is not made for baths(small one bedrom apt.).

The second one is a great idea, when I'm out today, I'll pick up some tension tamer by celsetial seasonings.

The third one is already covered.

Reading Dawkins helps me a lot in two ways, he's relaxing and I think he's kinda hot. So again, covered.


The last one is a little.. unorthadox. But I discovered if you read for a few minutes (10-15 minutes, say a chapter in a book) before sex and orgasming, it releases some sort of Natural Relaxant into your system. No, I don't know the technical term for this. Your muscles relax, your mind is set free and you're good to visit dreamland without worry about SCs.

Jennie Breedan's comic has turned to a sex toy store, which is why I thought of it. :whistle: :angel:

I think the term is "endorphins", but I'm not sure. I love Jennie Breedan. I met her last September at AWA. She is really funny!

If no significant other is in sight, masturbation works just as well (and IM me if you want an excellent toy suggestion!).

*ahem* Got that area covered too:whistle: While I appreciate the offer, a suggestion would be...er...un-neccessary(sp).

[Evil Queen]

I have both. The Toy and the Boy but the Boy is away from me a lot so the toy (B.O.B.) gets enough work. :angel:

[Becks]

The only times I'd get two periods in one month is when I was on BC. Estrostep or some such.

And occasionally it would also be a end of the month/beginning of the month thing.

[ArcticChicken]

A Which is why doctor's are slowly getting their patients on birth control pills that allow you to have a period every season.

I love that stuff. I went from heavy bleeding and crippling cramping for a week to a period so light that I barely need a pantyliner for three days.

[Kiwi]

Im the opposite, I loose weight and stop having periods when Im under intense stress

I also started having dreams about the craft store (the store had to be closed and the customers wanted to use my bed as a counter for fabric while I was trying to sleep)

I dealt with it by leaving, but then it was a part time gig during school and I could

Get theeself to a doctor or free clinic straight away
You need to do something outside work that will reduce stress and come up with some stratagies during work that will help get rid of stress. Deep breathing, counting to ten, meditation on your breaks, visualization.

You can try to seperate yourself from work as much as possible. I ALWAYS have a shower and change clothes when I get home from work because its a physical seperation for me, it takes me from work mode, to home mode. I would also allow myself only the car ride home and ONE post on CS about it then I had to force my brain onto other subjects.

[blas]

I've been on the Depo shot for 5 years, so I haven't had a menstrual period since....only very light spotting when I'm due for my next injection.

When I was under severe stress for over 6 months last year, I gained nearly 20 pounds in my lower body (only a few pounds went to my belly, it all went to my hips and my butt and upper thighs...I ruined a few pairs of pants being in denial). My face blew up with moderate to severe adult acne. And before that, I'd gone my entire adolescence and early adult life with maybe a few pimples a year. My blood pressure skyrocketed to dangerous prehypertension levels. I managed to freak the hell out of the poor nurse taking my blood pressure reading.

I still am under some stress at work, although not nearly as much. You have to pinpoint the "epicenter" of stress. Mine was because I was a trainer and receiving no support or help. So I quit training. Now the only stress I have at work is lazy, unreliable coworkers and a few frenemies. I still have more acne than I'd like, but I was able to lose the extra weight and get my blood pressure back to what it should be for a girl my age and size.

Just pinpoint the epicenter of your stress and eliminate it. Whether that means stepping down like I did, or quitting, or transferring.......or if it isn't your job, what is it? Answer that question and therein lies what you have to do.

[PentUpRage]

Exercise and sleep. Seriously. Though I won't argue with EQ's sex suggestion, that works really well also. :D

Anywho...TMI perhaps but I went through a year of two week periods, two weeks apart and it was all stress related thanks to my crazy ex and the last job. Once I pinpointed where exactly it was coming from and knowing I couldn't afford a doctor, I did a lot of research and started exercising and focusing on eating right (nobody say a thing about the bag of Doritos on the coffee table damnit, I can't be perfect!) Typically though, I try to eat right. Three meals a day and I'm really trying to get enough sleep. Easier said than done, I know but it does work wonders for your state of mind.

Regarding the work/anxiety dreams, back in my bank teller days after a particularly stressful day (never anytime to sit down during the day, cattle lines filled up all day long kind of branch, wonderful management but the sucky customers...arrrggghh) I would wake up multiple times during the night and see the clock radio read for instance 12:29 and fall back asleep dreaming I was counting out 12:29 to a customer. This would go on all night long and I would be exhausted the next day. Those dreams stopped once I left that job.

[BookstoreEscapee]

Try not to let the period thing freak you out too much. It's not an uncommon side effect of stress, so while it is certainly worth mentioning to a doctor, you shouldn't let it bother you too much. Focus on lessening your overall stress level and most likely things will get back to normal in that department.

[El Pollo Guerrera]

I have a cup of tea before bed, and I listen to music to help me sleep. Sometimes it's a techno-dance mix, a continuous one that has a strong beat to it, but not too loud and 'techno'-y. Sometimes it's rock or metal... I've been listening to prog-metal like Dream Theater and Porcupine Tree lately (and Ziltoid the Omniscience... love that one).

I also have a middle-of-the-week getaway night (Wednesday) where I go play cards and drink beer. A relaxing evening with friends helps me get through the rest of the week. Plus, I get to hear about what they have to put up with... one guy works with teens in a shelter. After hearing about the crap he deals with, I'm feeling better about my job.

[Amethyst Hunter]

I don't have health insurance(can't afford it). Sooooooooooo...yeah...I guess I need to find a free clinic.

Two words: Planned Parenthood. They operate on a sliding fee scale, and odds are there's one within driving distance of wherever you live. If not PP, you may be able to go through county/state assistance?

5 more for me. I think it's 28 though, but I'll have to check.

Are we talking sterilization (like IUD or tubal), or hysterectomy? If it's the former, it is difficult but not impossible to get, though the younger you are the more difficult it tends to be. Mainly because a) people are just culturally conditioned to believe that every female = must want/have kids, and b) the fear of malpractice suits thanks to some idiot that went and got sterilized without thinking it through (IUDs are reversible; tubals, not so much) and suddenly decided that yes, they wanted to hatch a bun in the oven after all.

Hysterectomy is a lot harder to get from my understanding, and for much the same reasons as listed above; also, it's a more invasive surgery. I've read accounts of people who had the most horrendous periods, including PCOS and endometrial misery, and they *still* couldn't get a hyst that they badly wanted/needed because their dummy doc refused. :( (It is my personal view that before they are granted official permission to practice, each and every physician should have to experience a temporary period of the exact same pain that the patients of his/her chosen field suffer from daily, so that they realize yes, This Shit Is For REAL and No, We're Not Just Making This Hypochondria Up, You Bloody Fool.)

As far as stress goes, if you can get away with it (and sometimes you can, if you're careful), you can try for a 'mental health day' by playing hooky for a day or two. Key points to remember about this though, do your best to sound sick over the phone when calling in (not lung-barfing sick, just sniffly or throat-scratchy), don't go anywhere you're liable to encounter coworkers or bosses (even safer if you don't leave the house at all), and don't tell anybody you're doing it unless you're absolutely sure they're trustworthy and won't blab where it could get back to the wrong people.

For less riskier tactics, you can get one of those little battery- or electric-cord-operated mini massager thingies - you can find them at most places like Walgreen's or Target or such. I have one that I got just because it looked like a goofy fun toy, and it's just nice to put it on my back and let it run for a few minutes.

Alcohol (if you're a drinker) on rare occasion may help after a long day; however, this is a remedy that should be used very sparingly as it can mess you up worse than what you started out with (YMMV, as always), i.e., hangovers or addiction.

Hot baths/showers are very good. Also pets, if you have any - great instant stress-reducers. (Downside: some pets can cause stress of their own, heh!)

Good luck. :hug: :)

[Evil Queen]

Are we talking sterilization (like IUD or tubal), or hysterectomy?

Hysterectomy. We feel we would be better off with one -- same goes for a few choice... people.... *cough*Idiots*cough*

[Gabrielle Proctor]

I've been on the Depo shot for 5 years, so I haven't had a menstrual period since....only very light spotting when I'm due for my next injection.



I was on depo once. It worked for the first shot, but after that I had a period that lasted six months. No joke. The doctor had to ake sure I wasn't anemic.

[blas]

Gabrielle, my Mentor at work went on the shot after hearing from me and other coworkers on Depo that it relieves you from a period, and the entire 12 weeks that injection lasted, her period wouldn't stop!

It doesn't work for everyone unfortunately....

[calulu]

Hysterectomy. We feel we would be better off with one -- same goes for a few choice... people.... *cough*Idiots*cough*

If you think that's what you need don't let anyone scare you out of it. I had one six years ago after twenty plus years of miserable heavy periods and assorted gynological ills. Best thing I ever did! If I knew it would improve my life so drastically I would have done it ten years earlier! I was my old self in three or so weeks and haven't looked back. Full hysterectomy.Told them to go in with the bikini cut and take anything that looked questionable like it might develop cancer or whatever.

OP - I used to get super irregular periods when I was under stress and sometimes bc pills would cause my cycle to get all messed up.

Stress relief sometimes means shutting off others needs and taking personal time just for you. Go for a long walk and listening to relaxing music on my ipod or just reading a book in a quiet room. Whatever you like best! Just make sure you carve out a slice of time just for you every single day.

[Sliceanddice]

Everytime I start to fall asleep, I see a customer who needs fabric cut. I have to wake myself up and convince myself that they aren't really there. It doesn't matter how tired I am, everynight after I get home, there are still tons of people in line that have to be served.

I think I'm experiencing stress, like, a lot of it. I'm on my second period this month and I'm gaining weight. The last time that happened it was because we were moving the store and I had to deal with the store owner's wife(OW) being up my ass all the time. Plus, the last time it happened, I had worked 9 days straight without a day off. None of these days were less than 10 hours long.

Anyway, any advice? Is the double period something to be worried about(I'm not preggers, BTW. I already did a test)?
.... but could you be diabetic?
my moms diabetic and high stress plus high sugar makes her menstrate more oftenen and harder.
oh and i actually want my ovarys removed because while it would screw with my hormones since my ovarys are just little balls of cysts causing me pain and discomfort id rather have them gone and cause i would have the same pills no matter what

[Pagan]

Actually, these days it's not considered healthy (for the body) to have a monthly period. Which is why doctor's are slowly getting their patients on birth control pills that allow you to have a period every season.

ALL HAIL THE GREAT GODDESS LYBREL!!!! I've been on that for about a year, have had a period in that time. Which means no migraines!! It has been literally 25 years since I haven't had one either every month or every 3 months.

--Back messages (even if it's done by one of those message chair thingys but the boyfriend works great too!)


Just gotta ask, it that a message to or from your back?

/nitpick/ It's massage /nitpick off/, but makes for a funny!

I have a cup of tea before bed, and I listen to music to help me sleep.

I've found that Enya's "Shepherd Moons" works wonders. I've also got a Celtic CD that one of tracks starts with a babbling brook that puts me out every time....and no, it doesn't make me have to pee! :p