Right now, adrenaline is not your friend. Chronic illness is like driving a car with a poorly tuned carburetor—pushing on the gas pedal too vigorously will cause the motor to sputter and stall.
For your body, adrenaline is your gas pedal. Push down on the pedal too hard, or consume caffeine, and your energy is going to sputter and fall precipitously. If you drive the car with a bad carburetor up a steep mountain, it’s going to conk out about half way up. Same thing with your body right now; you just can’t tolerate stress of any kind—emotional or physical.
This is very contrary to the way humans normally approach life. Adrenaline actually feels good. Humans thrive on stimulation and conflict, just pick up the paper or turn on the television. Life not pushed along by adrenaline is, well boring. But this attachment to excessive stimulation must be suppressed for recovery to move forward.
Let up on the pedal. Your approach to life needs to be calm and collected. This is a cultivated skill; it doesn’t just happen. Note that the high points in life, being excited, can raise adrenaline just as much as the low points, feeling stressed out.
You have a “stress threshold” that precipitates reactions. Try to maintain stress below that threshold. As your health improves, you will be able to push down on the pedal a bit harder and enjoy a little more freedom.
Your world needs to be especially small. Simplify your world as much as possible. Downsizing can often alleviate stress.
Shake off the little concerns and let someone else worry about them. So many of the visible threats are not really threats at all. Let them go. Stop worrying about things you can do nothing about. Save your energy for the things that really matter.
Reduce unnecessary stimulation. Turn off the news and filter media. What’s going on the other side of the world or possibly even down the street are not your concerns, if they do not directly affect your wellbeing or help you achieve your goal. Pick movies, television shows, books and other entertainment which enhance your motivation and raise your energy in a positive way. Don’t waste time on media or entertainment that pulls you away from your goal of recovery.
Turn the volume down a notch. Literally. Listen only to quiet relaxing music for a change. And sometimes just pure quiet is best!
For more information visit Vital Plan. Vital Plan is a wellness company committed to offering quality natural supplements and credible health information to help people improve their lives.
Vital Plan was founded by Dr. Bill Rawls to increase awareness about chronic illness and offer his personal journey through Lyme disease and fibromyalgia as an inspiration and learning experience for others.
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