Happiness, inner peace and ways to de-stress
 

So yesterday I had one of my many followup visits to my gastroenterologist. He told me that not only have my stomach ulcers not healed, but they have now spread to my duodenum. This comes as no shock to me given the stresses in my life, especially as of late where things have been substantially worse. Tougher still is I am something of a pragmatist, so trying to put a positive spin on things isn't easy for me.

I have come to the conclusion that I need to accept these things as part of life as I know it; I have also decided that I need to find some form of happiness within (God knows this team hasn't been able to help me with that!). I've heard some of the usual stuff (fake it until you make it, the 12 step acceptance prayer, zen stuff etc.). I am starting to take blocks of 5-10 minutes and just practice breathing whilst concentrating on one thing (Buddhist practice). It helps, but it isn't exactly an 'in the moment' solution.

Therefore I ask the sage minds of the Hampur; what works for you in managing stress and bringing about happiness?:)

Drinking. And lots of it.

Of course, you have to be a happy drunk first. If you're a miserable drunk, then forget that idea. Go back to Budda.

Otherwise, exercise. And remember, however shytty you're feeling, it could always be worse, so therefore, it's not so bad.


P.S. - What's a duodenum? Sounds like something you'd have to put the safe search filter to 'on'.

LOL, I like my scotch, but I'm just a mellow/slightly happy drunk, so that won't be enough.:D

I do exercise, everyday. It's not enough.

It could be worse, sure. That's almost zen, TBH. Problem is, I know some of the "it could be worse" and it doesn't mean a hill of beans to me sometimes.

The duodenum is the upper portion of the small intestine.

He has ulcers you dummy. Drinking will make it worse, WAY WORSE.

Now that they have begun to show up in your intestine you need to fix it.

Are you a heavy drinker/smoker/tobacco user? If you are, the ulcers will never go away if you continue.

Also, did your doctor tell you that stress is the main cause of your ulcers? It might be your diet. Ulcers could be a sign of that you are eating something that you could be allergic to and it is damaging you. Food allergies will cause ulcers, even you do not get the traditional allergy symptoms. And the fact that it is in your intestine makes me think this could be food related.

If it is stress, which I think is only part of the problem, then it is hard to tell you how to alleviate stress if we don't know what is causing the stress. Some stress is unavoidable. Also my experience with stress is mainly minor agita which occurs in the throat rather than stomach and intestine.

If you want to alleviate stress, the best way to do so is exercise. Go for a walk. Find a hobby that you can do by yourself.

Hope everything works out for you.

Nexium, Talisker/Ardbeg/Lagavulin, kava kava and the love of a good woman. :yes:

No need for personal attacks. Sheesh.

I am a moderate drinker, imbibing a scotch 1-2 times a week, tops. Quite smoking 5+ years ago. I have a low-carb lifestyle which is otherwise fairly well-balanced.

The stress in my life is primarily that I have two developmentally delayed children, one profoundly so. That has lent itself to contributing to the typically accompanying domestic stressors, which have gotten worse over the past year or so. It is highly likely that is the cause of the ulcers.

For the most part, I am asymptomatic, so I suppose I am lucky there. I am in pretty damn good shape at this point from exercise and diet; good heart rate and cholesterol numbers. I take my dog out walking everyday, which I have turned into something of a de-stressing mechanism as well.

Thanks for the well-wishes.

Was on Zantac; went to Dexilant to try and completely heal the mucosal membranes, but the gas, OMFG!:eek: We're now switching to something else (forget the name) in combination with Xanax, but boy does that sh!t make me tired, even at half a pill.

I find cooking and brewing beer (which is in itself cooking) to be very relaxing.

Of course in the case of brewing, my wife's friend is ruining it because she wants me to teach her all about it. "Please don't brew that next batch until I come over next time."

Um, no. This isn't being done to entertain others around their schedules.

Don't get me wrong, she's a sweet girl and I love her. And I also love sharing my finished beers with friends and family. But the process of brewing them is for me and me only. Adding someone else to the mix turns a relaxing activity into an annoying one.

Sorry for the rant.

"Pins and needles, needles and pins, a happy man is a man that grins."


http://www.midlifecrisismoney.com/wp...ph_kramden.jpg

it worked for Ralphie Boy :cool:

I don't know if Nexium works on ulcers, but its incredible with GERD. I haven't seen my gastroenterologist in over a year (except for an endoscopy in the fall...gotta do one of those a year now).

Dismembering victims....

Sorry JW, I don't have much in teh way of viable suggestions. The deep breathing and meditation has been effective for me in terms of stress reduction. Since it sounds like you are doing almost everything you can already to handle your mounting challenges, I hope that that gives you some peace of mind. In other words, no racing mind with "what else can I do here" contstantly playing in your head. No endorsing acceptance, but not beating yourself up is a good thing (not saying that is what you do, either)..

Anyway, wish I could be of more help, best of luck.

Jebus, you've already killed them, leave their members alone you savage! :eek:

Weed or Xanax. Or both

And here I am all angry and stressed out because of Tim Tebow, talk about foolish.

Have you thought of taking up a little side hobby that can relax and distract you? Reading, cooking, heck even building modern airplanes. It may seem silly but it may work, too.

Whatever you find, I hope it works for you. Good luck.

No need to apologize. The by-yourself hobby angle you and DDNY touch on is important, the whole mind occupied by a pursuit isn't occupied by thoughts thing is definitely something I want (and need) to pursue. I just haven't landed on something yet.

LOL, love the source of the pic, too. I'm sure there is some mid-life stuff going on here too.

Here's hoping I land on something that works for me like that. I find out today what I will be taking.

Hobby?

POSSIBLY.

Great advice, just wish I could take it. That's my problem, I have a hard time letting things go. I want to have some form of resolution, even if it is negative in nature. I am also something of a fixer personality, so when I can't possibly repair something, I get depressed/frustrated.

That whole serenity prayer thing is appropriate, I just need to buy into it, I suppose. That's why I am looking into the breathing exercises/zen thing. I'm also thinking of taking up a martial art down the road, which would kill two birds with one stone (mindset and hobby).

Reading will help, but getting up at 4 AM isn't conducive to that unless I want to be asleep at 5 PM. Hopefully I will have a better schedule when I retire and start my next career. I used to love model building, but I don't know at this point if it would satisfy me.

You might want to try cutting out drinking all together for a month or two, see how you feel.

Also be careful some of those meds combined with drinking can cause other problems, accelerated kidney/liver damage, etc…
They could even be contributing to your ulcers…

BTW - I find swimming very beneficial – good for your mind, body and spirit + easier on your joints vs. walking/running/heavy weight training.

:D

I'd like to burn alive and dismember most of the people posting on the Strip.

We get it. You don't like the move the Jets made. Now STFU and stuff a tampon in your mouth and start a support group for post menopausal sports fans. They can hold each other and watch Sleepless in Seattle instead of watching football. :D

As one who has suffered horribel anxiety issues that lead to horrible stomach problems for the last decade or so now, I feel for you.

For me, de-stress is simple: Pink Floyd whilst lying down and resting my mind. That, and finding things (hobbies) to take my mind off the stressers in my life. For me it's music, fishing, video games, reading, the Jets, etc.

You think building 747s in the back yard is really gonna help?