I become hyperactive and lose my appetite. Last year I was incredibly overworked - easily 16 hour days - and I found myself working in my sleep! Not great to draw the same plan over and over and over! I found that the only way to stop it was to dream that I was saving the plan and switching off the computer!!

I get terrible migranes because the muscles on my neck and shoulders tighten up so bad it cuts down on the blood flow. That leads to migranes and dizzies spells, when I was in highschool I used to get so bad with stress my doctor put me on acid reflux pills and referred me to a chiropractor to help with the migranes. I also tend to fall off my diet some but tend to catch myself before it gets to bad if i didnt I would never be on my diet, I live in a constant state of stress.

I have a hard time sleeping and I don't eat--NOT a good combination!!! I am learning to make myself eat something healthy and get to the gym to work out the stress.

When I am really, really stressed - I want to eat. Sometimes I do eat, sometimes I don't eat. I have a hard time sleeping when I feel alot of stress.

What I do to combat stress is listen to a mediation, guided imagery or relaxation cd. But, that's only when I am willing to do it. I try to meditate every day. Lately, I feel very stressed...I know I should do it twice a day. It does, however, help alot - when I do it.

When I am stressed, I have the urge to get the energy out... take a walk, ride the bike, something like that. And when I do I always feel better. I also want to meditate, read, relax in a hot bath when I am stressed.

The problem comes with the fact that because I am a mom, there are always kids here. Especially with a toddler, it is impossible for me to take a hot bath, meditate, relax, or bike. I have tried having her play "quietly" near me while doing those things but it does NOT go well. I get even more stressed. So instead of doing those things I really want to do to relieve my stress, I eat. Because it is easy to stuff food in your face even while tending/chasing kids.

Bad habit, not sure how to break it.

lyn,

I used to work at a preschool where we taught the children to meditate. I am not sure how old your child is but we would work with the children as young as 3 years old to do very short meditations. Moving meditations was good for younger kids and meditations that asked them to focus on something that was moving like the flame of a candle (it was out of reach and safe). reading your post made me think of that. It is not somethig to start when you are stressed but you might consider trying it when things are going well and your children are old enough.

Real stress gets me right in the gut - gives me 'nervous tummy', i can't eat that's for sure. Before I got the job I have now, I worked at a place for 16 years and it was in dire financial straits - people were getting laid off left and right and I was the only one in a certain job class so my job was safe, but seeing all my friends laid off, knowing the place could shut down entirely very soon, it was about 3 months worth of gut-rot! i lost about 40 lbs. without doing anything but of course, after i left and got this job and was happy and secure again...hmmmm... the "hand + fork + mouth" formula came back with a vengenace!

Stress used to send me into "victim" status. Which usually meant a crying jag and a 1/2 a bottle of rum and diet soda. Not anymore.

I get angry, but no more crying and no more drinking. As for handling the stress, I have been under tons and tons of stress over the last several months...all I can figure is that my workouts everyday are releaving alot of my stress and I am coping much better than ever before. Oh yea, I am talking with a friend about my "stuff".

I used to drink quite a bit to get rid of stress. I also would binge mindlessly until I would feel as if I were going to pop. Also, when I am stressed, I will wake up in the middle of the night feeling as if I am going to have an anxiety attack. I don't drink very much at all any more. Maybe once a month but it is not like I used to on a daily basis. In regards to eating, I will just do something instead of eating like cleaning, reading, working in the garden. Winter is coming so I am going to have to get the Wii Fit going and/or go to the gym.

Ooooh, stress, YUCK. I'm another one who absolutely cannot sleep when I'm stressed--first of all I'm literally unable to get enough sleep because I have to stay up late in order to finish all of the things I have to do, but secondly, even if by some miracle I'm able to get to bed at a decent time, I can't make myself fall asleep because I'm too hung up on feeling guilty that I'm not doing something more "productive" with my time, LOL. Ugh. That is something that I am seriously trying to avoid at school this year! Especially since another thing that I do when I'm stressed is EAT. I eat total junk, and lots of it. I WILL NOT let that happen to me this year! Who's with me?

I can't sleep when I'm stressed, pace, can't focus on things...I also tend to want to eat, A LOT! Haven't found a thing to help the insomnia but I have started exercising in place of sitting down with a big container of ice cream (or little debbies, hershey kisses, etc lol).

My first reaction is to park my rear in front of the kitchen door and just pig right out...Sad but true...the exercise thing is a pipe dream for me when I am really stressed because I seem to lose all motivation when I am going through alot of stress. That is one thing that I need to work on .....