Election Overstressed? Exercise, long exhales, and topical pregnenolone!!!
Election panic!!! PTSD!!! Generalized Anxiety Disorder!!! Compulsive behavior!!! Insomnia!!! Exhaustion!!! Depression!!! Eventual Dementia!!!
In my view and that of many others, the decline of cognitive ability as we age is significantly determined by external events. Our bodies learn chronic behaviors that are not helpful to us. We become unable to turn off our alarm bells. And if we are not immediately in danger, the constant alarm bells just aren't helpful and become damaging.
Those constant alarm bells that you can't turn off go on to cause damage to our bodies and our relationships and the enjoyment of our lives. And they are associated with medical damage.
If you would like to understand the science behind your own alarm bells, read Hans Selye https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Selye. Selye was a brilliant endocrinologist who showed that the stress response was always the same, regardless of the cause- whether you are aggravated by the election or if your finger is pinched in the car door. The sequence events are,1) the perception of danger or pain, which leads to 2) brain activation of hypothalamic hormonal releasing factors which lead to 3) elevation of cortisol, release of adrenalin, elevation of blood pressure, elevation of blood sugar, hyperventilation and chronic muscular tension, increase in clotting tendency, and many other things that all go under the heading of "Get Ready for Blood and Pain!"
Selye showed we only have one "stress button" to push. Because we have one "stress button", your body learns to anticipate that you are going to slam the stress button- a learned response. That sort of learning of involuntary responses leads to medical complications- hypertension, diabetes, metabolic problems, insomnia, inadequate healing, and inappropriate scarring and catabolism that underlie (in my view) depression, forgetfulness, cognitive dysfunction, anxiety, PTSD, attention problems, brain atrophy, and ultimately degenerative neurological diseases that are the residua of disordered stress recovery.
What to do? As always, these are not prescriptions or medical recommendations, they are just things I have found that actually work for me.
1) Exercise. A lot. When your body sends out a stress response, it is intended to support "fight or flight"- that is, move! Walking 10,000 steps/day, or an hour or two each day, is your first option. If you don't have time, get an elliptical and do 1/2 hour daily. You can add 2 minutes on the elliptical every time you are stressed, or just set your i watch to remind you to hit the elliptical for 2 minutes every hour while you do something sedentary is very helpful Find a method and rhythm that works for you. If you are still stressed, try exercising even more. A social component is helpful. But don't overdo it to the point of exhaustion- the point is to release nervous energy, not punish yourself.
2) Try extending your exhale. Pause when you let our your breath. This isn't all that useful for me- it takes up too much attention- but some people have told me that working on their breathing is helpful..
3) My favorite: pregnenolone. As we age or experience chronic stress a shortage occurs in the production of pregnenolone, which is produced in (among other places) the adrenals and the brain and pregnenolone becomes limiting. A generous daily replacement would be 50 mg oral (taken morning or night).
Sublingual and topical doses are much more effective. Topical and subingual pregnenolone is absorbed slowly and continuously, and bypasses the liver. I take 50 mg Life Extension brand over my hands and arms with a little water every morning.
For additional stress an additional 100 mg topically is really effective. It produces calm and focus within 15 minutes. Rub it into the moist skin on the back after a shower. It's something thoughtful you can do for your partner the next time they are having a meltdown about the election.
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