#Chronic stress

[yellow-dress-basil]

My chronically ill ass getting way too excited about notifications from this mf

[mindblowingscience]

Financial strain can impact far more than just a person's mental health. A nationally representative study from the United Kingdom has found evidence that stress over money is tied to long-term changes in key health markers, including those associated with the immune system, the nervous system, and the hormonal system.

Continue Reading.

[beenovel]

Me trying to figure out what’s causing this new symptom

(I forgot but should have added burnout and migraines)

ALT text under cut

[alt text]

The Pepe Silvia meme of a Caucasian man holding a cigarette while looking like he’s lost his mind, pointing to a large conspiracy board.

Written in red in random places and terrible handwriting is autism, bipolar, adhd, hypermobility, anxiety, depression, PCOS, ptsd.

In brighter red is meds then mystery illness with six exclamation marks after it.

[butts-bouncing-on-the-beltway]

another anti-psych post from your neighborhood patient-therapist

In my last post I talked about the kinds of basic needs people and communities have, and asked what it might look like in your community to meet those needs as a baseline. This time we're going to talk more about what happens when communities and individuals are chronically un-/under-served.

Okay so let's break it down this way. We're gonna try looking at just one medical symptom of chronic stress: autonomic dysregulation. It's not going to feel like we are, but I promise that's all we're doing. This is a *serious* symptom and it often comes clustered with others due to the way it functions within the body, which is why I think it is a useful case study here. Autonomic dysfunction, especially chronic dysfunction, can temporarily (though for long spans of time if the dysfunction remains chronic rather than acute) alter the functioning of other systems within the body such as the endocrine system, the reproductive system, cognitive functioning through the hippocampus and amygdala, and muscle functioning, nerve functioning, and others. It is no joke to suggest that long term autonomic dysfunction can often lead to major long term health consequences that are life altering for the person experiencing them. While some can be treated, managed, or even cured, not all can be and this is something I want us all to keep in mind as we consider the need for building communities that do not cause this kind of harm to their people.

Let's look at some potential medical outcomes of autonomic dysfunction, per the Mayo Clinic:

Dizziness and fainting when standing, caused by a sudden drop in blood pressure.

Urinary problems, such as difficulty starting urination, loss of bladder control, difficulty sensing a full bladder and inability to completely empty the bladder. Not being able to completely empty the bladder can lead to urinary tract infections.

Sexual difficulties, including problems achieving or maintaining an erection (erectile dysfunction) or ejaculation problems. In women, problems include vaginal dryness, low libido and difficulty reaching orgasm.

Difficulty digesting food, such as feeling full after a few bites of food, loss of appetite, diarrhea, constipation, abdominal bloating, nausea, vomiting, difficulty swallowing and heartburn. These problems are all due to changes in digestive function.

Inability to recognize low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), because the warning signals, such as getting shaky, aren't there.

Sweating problems, such as sweating too much or too little. These problems affect the ability to regulate body temperature.

Sluggish pupil reaction, making it difficult to adjust from light to dark and seeing well when driving at night.

Exercise intolerance, which can occur if your heart rate stays the same instead of adjusting to your activity level.

Some common comorbid conditions may include Diabetes, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, Parkinson's, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, or an autoimmune disorder. In each of these cases I want you to remember the lens of an individual body being denied, in some way, its base needs (an edocrine hormone, a nutritional component, the internal security of homeostasis, etc), to such an extent that it begins to experience an internal catastrophic failure, as this lens may often be supportive of accommodating your disabled comrades, or yourself, in the future.

I also want us to consider some common social statistics relevant to these conditions. Nearly 4% of the world experiences and autoimmune disorder. Most are women, and Indigenous, Black, and Latina women are at risk than most for several of these. In the United States, there are suspected to be 37.3 million people with diabetes. Diabetes is also considered an autoimmune disorder by researchers, and is one that the Indigenous, Filipino, Indian, Latine, and Black communities are all at higher risk for than white people are, however, risk is also heavily influenced by poverty, and by a family's location with respect to food deserts which grow more and more common. In a truly wild statistic, 80% of lesbians versus 32% of heterosexual women had polycystic ovaries in one study, and 33% of lesbians versus 14% of heterosexual women had progressed to PCOS. Some studies find that transmasculine folks are more likely to PCOS as well.

When we consider the marginalization these groups experience, and the way that marginalization plays out in the social forum, the political forum, in the financial forum, and in the emotional forum, are we really surprised to learn that it plays out in the embodied forum too?

This is what people mean when they talk about social murder. These are health conditions that don't just change lives, they end them. A system that churns out people so chronically sick that their bodies are desperately killing themselves trying to stay alive is a society that has become desperately sick. Diabetes is something we have attributed to individuals, to families, and even every once in a while to corporations, but at what point have we sat down and looked at a society that produces this murderous autoimmune disorder at such high rates and asked the real question: how are we making so many people sick?

The answers are many, and that can feel overwhelming, but I encourage you to start in one place and learn your way around it as well as you can before you even consider moving on. Maybe start with food deserts. They're probably familiar to you, you've heard about them in passing before I imagine, even if you're not really too into this stuff. But ask yourself WHY food deserts are able to exist? What are the mechanics of one being born? How does one stay free from the stain of a grocery store or food market? Are there any places like that near you? If so, what points of leverage might there be in that location for you to break the homeostasis of the food desert? How can you add your weight to efforts already occurring, or stir up sentiment around the idea of a new homeostasis where a grocery store exists? Can you put up flyers or attend town hall meetings? Can you knock doors or phone bank? Can you bring some sugar by your neighbors and comment how frustrating it is you all have to go so far to get your groceries and wonder what's up with that and maybe start scheming together? What kind of store should it be? Bring in a local market? A chain? Build a co-op or merchant's stalls for a four season farmer's market?

Get really into one idea, and get others in on it with you. I bet you aren't the only one who'd like a better status quo.

[safe-haven-safe-place]

[urloveangel]

what if… you’re not lazy, broken, wrong, not good enough, unmotivated, flaky, emotionless but your brain is still recovering from chronic stress and childhood trauma and is relearning how to regulate and sustain your serotonin and dopamine levels, and process your emotions and responses… WHAT IF

[deprixpainsblog]

Mein Ziel: das ich nächste woche gar nicht mehr aufwache oder sogar nur im Krankenhaus bin.

Damit ich diese Scheise was alle von mir erwarten nicht machen muss!

[guardianspirits13]

One thing I think some of y'all need to hear more of is that it is ok to treat yourself.

The world can be a horrible place-let's be honest, it kind of is a horrible place, perpetually. People are in pain, people are starving, people are being robbed of basic life priveleges on the daily.

But you know all this. You, average tumblr user, are aware of all of the horrific things going on and have at the very least internally acknowleged them. Maybe you've voiced support, or reblogged a link to support a cause you care about. Hell, maybe you've even given your own money to a cause or attended a protest or contacted a representative.

And that is more than the average person, and you should be proud of yourself for that.

But unless your name starts with "E" and ends with "lon Musk" or something of the sort, you have no moral recompense to give beyond your attention and compassion. You did not cause this, and you cannot fix it.

Which brings me to my main point: it is ok to spend time, money, and energy on completely frivolous things with no benefit other than your own enjoyment. It is good, even! "Dumb" or "pointless" things that make you happy, if even for a moment, are worthy of a few bucks.

It's easy to fall into a trap of despair, of feeling like you must deny yourself everything for the guilt of someone starving halfway across the world, and while I would be inclined to commend you for your empathy, your guilt will not save them.

Yes, donate if you can. But it helps nobody if your mental health plummets you into inaction.

For every $5 you spend on an ice cream cone or a stim toy or a cool pen, there are millions of dollars collecting dust in the bank accounts of billionaires who could change the world but refuse to.

So take a warm bath. Eat a healthy meal. Buy yourself that thing you've been eyeing at the store. And maybe once you have prioritized yourself, you can return to your advocacy with a renewed spirit.

[art-crumbs-main]

Hello, Tumblr.

[yellow-dress-basil]

Another “potential POTS” update -

On my original post a wonderful and kind user replied and told me about, essentially, a homemade tilt table test. I laid down for 20 minutes and then stood for 20 minutes.

Apparently a sustained increase in heart rate of 30 bpm or higher is cause for concern.

My heart rate went up 30 on standing, and by the end of my “test” it was up 40.

So I guess I’m calling my doctor tomorrow…

[studentbyday]

sometimes i wonder if i'm depressed but then i remember this is just regular school stress 🙃🥲

[the-masked-ram]

When you go from highly stressed for like 4 days and recuperating, to getting violently ill within 24 hours after feeling better mentally... this is my life. All those on this hell train raise your hands and do the wave

Remember kids: high levels of consistent stress make you more likely to be physically sick. Just a nice little tidbit of my life that i suck at controlling

[anthropologistfromentropy]

This is EXACTLY what I struggle with. Definitely needed this reminder today. Damn

How chronic stress changes your brain. Making it harder to problem solve. Having less dopamine, less motivation and persistency. Tendency for apathy and learned helplessness.

Yeah, that's my daily struggle :/

(Obviously this applies to any chronic stress. I'm white and Finnish lol)

[safe-haven-safe-place]

Your life story gets written into your nervous system:

@amandaontherise

[beatnik-baby]

i lose hair permanently when things truly stress me . its been climbing 4 a decade & now its on my arms

i try not 2 think abt losing it all. I make potions, fermented rice water with green tea, rosemary, chamomile. Mint oil

for the scalp. when theres energy for it.

i feel dizzy even now

the hair on my head is my identity somehow.

im not who i am without it, just like it were an arm or a leg it changes everything to lose it

please God, have mercy, be human --

what hasnt it all done 2 my body

all the scenes unfolding ,walking testament 2 that idea. i dont know

the screaming in my cells sounds like me.

[traumatizedjaguar]

I learned some pretty cool things from his speeches