New here, question, Bipolar/add and stress

[massagefever]

What do you guys do to relieve stress? I am getting really stressed out from work. There is just a lot going on and I can't get it done. I am the office manager of an office that is getting pretty busy.

Anyway, b/c I am having a hard time getting the other employees trained and doing all they are supposed to do, I feel a knot in my stomach on hard days. To the point where I just want to cry.

I am on Lamictal 200mg a day, Adderall 10mg 2x a day. Klonopin 3 x a day.

Could a med issue help? I can't meditate b/c my mind races. Deep breathing doesn't cut it. What can I do? I do like my job and really want to stay there, but I need to learn how to deal with this stress.

[jeaniebug]

Originally Posted by massagefever

What do you guys do to relieve stress? I am getting really stressed out from work. There is just a lot going on and I can't get it done. I am the office manager of an office that is getting pretty busy.

Anyway, b/c I am having a hard time getting the other employees trained and doing all they are supposed to do, I feel a knot in my stomach on hard days. To the point where I just want to cry.

I am on Lamictal 200mg a day, Adderall 10mg 2x a day. Klonopin 3 x a day.

Could a med issue help? I can't meditate b/c my mind races. Deep breathing doesn't cut it. What can I do? I do like my job and really want to stay there, but I need to learn how to deal with this stress.

Well, I have many of the same issues you have.... I have just started on Lamictal and am only up to 50 mg at the moment. I assume you have a bipolar dx? I do! If you want to look at my diagnois journey just click my username and look at my public profile then find "All threads posted by this member." There is a diagnosis thread in there somewhere.

I am glad you are here,! LikeI said, you sound just like me, so it's nice to bounce ideas, treatments, meds etc. around with us absent minded and overwhelmed people. Although I do have a couple of degrees and have had some positions with a lot of responsibility, so I do and can function at many different levels (sometimes!)

When I get like this, I call it feeling "overwhelmed."

One thing that works for me when I feel ovewhelmed is to start making lists. It gets the stuff out of my brain and onto a piece of paper (or the computer). I took a fabulous time management class about 15 years ago, and I still use these methods. I used to have a wondeful calender function on my Apple computer, but I can use Midcrosoft Outlook if I have to. There is a list function and a calendar that you view by the day, week, month, etc.

Make a list of everything you have to do--employee training is too broad, be more specific.

Then, and this is the most important part for me, prioritize your list-- each item gets a 1, a 2 or a 3 ranking. Then re-write the list with all the ones together and at the top.

Start with the ones and go down the list. Cross things off when you finish them. I have to make a new list almost every day, because priorities are always changing.

It is really good for me mentally to cross things off my list. And I don't have to try to remember everything or keep it "in my head." I know where the list is, I know that things will get done, I don't have to worry about it when I go home.

So how do think your combination of meds is working? I take Wellbutrin for depression and xanax for anxiety. So I know how you feel!

I can do meditation in a group setting. Sort of a guided meditation. I wish I had some tapes of the group mediations I used to do, it was very effective. I did it as part of group therapy, and we did like 15 minutes of meditation before every session. Have you tried Yoga? I am looking for a good tape/DVD if anyone knows of one, please share!

Good luck, and let us know how you are doing! Tell us more about yourself!

Oh, and by the way,

WELCOME!!!

[justhope]

Originally Posted by massagefever

What do you guys do to relieve stress? I am getting really stressed out from work. There is just a lot going on and I can't get it done. I am the office manager of an office that is getting pretty busy.

Anyway, b/c I am having a hard time getting the other employees trained and doing all they are supposed to do, I feel a knot in my stomach on hard days. To the point where I just want to cry.

I am on Lamictal 200mg a day, Adderall 10mg 2x a day. Klonopin 3 x a day.

Could a med issue help? I can't meditate b/c my mind races. Deep breathing doesn't cut it. What can I do? I do like my job and really want to stay there, but I need to learn how to deal with this stress.

Hi MassageFever,
And welcome to the forums.
Well like Jeannie I face a lot of the same issues at work. I am a supervisor of about 20 different people. And this last few months have just been crazy. New clients that are very demanding, and several new hires, and a new supervisor I am training have made life...chaotic.

One thing I do, is like Jeanie said. I get to work at least 30 mins early, that way I have time to breathe before the adventure begins, and I write down a list of things i need to get done that day. From the most important to the least (believe me there aren't many that seem to be the least) then I tackle them one at a time. I try to breathe when I am interuppted 10 times by calls and yet another unscheduled meeting. Sometimes, I just have to go outside and take a breather. Something I have done that has been very hard for me to do, it cultivate people in my dept, who I trust and see potential in and learn to deletegate some of the smaller menial tasks over to them. This is a time saver, and it lets them get more experience and feel they are more apart of the team. I used to run around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to do it all.

I have come to realize, at the end of the day. I just can't get it all done. I do what I can and I tackle it the next day. Sometimes, I have to do soemthing equally as hard, and tell the managers above me, look, there is only so much I can do. I show them the list of duties they expect, and tell them there is no way humanly possible to get this done. I need help. I have gotten overwhelmed in the past, and done most of the damage to myself, by not being able to delegate (perfectionist) and learned how reach out and ask for help (stubborn). Now I don't. Because it's just a job and not worth my health.

Another thing I do, is make sure I try to have relaxation time for myself. Even if it's 30 minutes a day. Take the dog for a walk (exercise is very good for ADDer's and Bipolar's alike, good stress reliever) I try to get enough rest, and I try to eat right. I read, I listen to my noise machine (another great way to unwind the incessant static in my head) or watch a good comedy and laugh myself back to normal.

I am on Lamictal too, up to 150 mg...I know my doctor told me, if the symptoms are not relieved we may need to move up the dosage. I also found out that the Adderall can sometimes cause me to hit the hypomanic stage faster, and that doesn't help with the aggitation. I would talk to the doctor about how you are feeling, try to keep a journal of what is going on, how you feel ..showing the stressers. Then you can try to determine, if it's something you can do with your meds, or if it's just stress and you need to make some changes to help relieve it. Stress doesn't help wiht our already chaotic symptoms, and sometimes seems to override the meds we are on that are supposed to help us even out. Writing has been a very important outlet for me, not only to track my moods, help my doctor see what is going on on a daily basis, but also to vent.....

I hope that helps some. And if you get the chance, since I didn't see it, pop over to the new member's section...
http://www.addforums.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=14
and introduce yourself to the rest of the ADDF family.
Tell us where you are from...you situation, dx..etc so we can greet you and help you out if we can.

There are some really great people here on this forum, and with a busy life being a full time working mom, and the mother of 3 ADD boys...this has been therapy for me. I have little time to get out, and I have received a lot of support here. And made some really good friends.
Hope all goes well with you, please stay in touch and let us know how you are doing.

[Matt S.]

Just another bipolar/ADHDer here and I tend to be an overreactor in situations and get all messed up. For some like me for example and adjustment of the primary medication (which is the stimulant in my case but not the majority of bipolar dx'd people) adjusting the dose up or down can make the world of difference