Stress And Cortisol Almost Shattered My Life 3

Before I start to explain my other blunders caused by my refusal to pay attention to the signals my body was sending me, I want to see if I can help those of you willing to open your minds and take some tips on how to avoid the hell I have lived in for the past forty-five years. I know now that I never had to suffer from any of the problems I have had. I married a fabulous lady that did not deserve to be put through the hell she has had to live with. Read what I am going to share with you. STRESS AND CORTISOL DEFICIENCY DO NOT HAVE TO BE PART OF YOUR LIFE. I can say that because I have seen the numbers saying 80% to 87% of the American population suffers from TOXIC STRESS. None of you will admit that you are suffering from stress, so let me ask you a few questions:

How many cups of coffee do you need in the morning to stay awake?
How many donuts or other goodies do you eat to stay awake?
How many beers or shots do you need to get control of yourself?
How often do you go out with your wife and enjoy each other?
Why do you have to have a drink to relax? Why can’t you relax?
If you have kids, why is it you never enjoy the time you have with them?
If you are single, are you happy with your life? Why not?
Here is one of the big questions: When you make love to your partner does it make you happy because you are sharing yourself with your partner or is something always more important?

I have had to deal with the above type of questions too many times and not once was it pleasant. I am not a trained therapist and I cannot tell you how to solve these problems. I cannot do that because until recently I did not understand what was happening to me and so I did not gain much insight.

Let me tell you how I set myself up for the Adrenal Fatigue. I graduated from high school in 1955, and went to work for the phone company climbing telephone poles. In 1957, I got a chance to start college at a local junior college. I joined a club and met a group of men that have had a tremendous impact on my life. I spent two years at that junior college. I got involved in campus politics, became president of the club, wrote a book, and worked a full-time job at Todd Shipyard as a rigger apprentice. I also carried twelve units of classes. There was not much time to sleep and proper sleep is important to maintain good health. I was beginning to create my toxic stress problem with Cortisol.

In 1960 I transferred to a local campus of California State College. I carried twelve units of classes, worked for one of the professors at his home, and started a local fraternity with the hope I could make it a colony of a national fraternity. While I was a student, I became very involved in fraternity and campus politics. I increased the stress because I worked very long hours. I never took time out for a good time. Stress was compounded because I never allowed myself to have an outlet for fun and enjoy the brothers around me. By this time it was really hard to relax at night and just go to sleep. I started to put on weight. Finally, I had a very difficult time trying to understand what I was going to do with my life. I felt I had to have the challenge (another term would be a fight without getting physical) before I was happy. I graduated in 1965.

After graduation I went to work for several corporations. I was successful in every job but I did not necessarily make any friends. I worked the same long hours and with the same driven intent that I had as a student. Then I wanted my own company and opened my Environmental Graphic Design Practice. I had no training in art and I knew nothing about environmental graphics. I did not have anyone to talk to. Somehow I put the pieces of the puzzle together just as I had as a student, and I was successful. Each new project was bigger than what I had already completed. I started out working in a bedroom at home, moved to the garage and then into an industrial park, splitting the rent with an architect. I worked seven days a week, twelve to sixteen hours per day. I never took a day off. I celebrated no holidays. I seldom saw my wife and saw less of the kids. I was always worried or scared of some group of problems. I never found a way to enjoy the success. I competed against two of the best designers and took contracts away from them. When it was all over, I realized they had been my principal teachers. I also discovered that I was much more expensive per hour than they were. My project performance organization allowed me to complete a project in a much more complex manner and still beat their price. Why was I such a mess? I did not drink, but I was really heavy; always tired and angry. The people around me used to say my normal attitude was Anger. I did not understand the problems my wife was having. There was no intimacy between my wife and me. It was not her fault. I just did not have a clue. There was no challenge. We would argue, but it was not the same as a competitive fight. There was no trophy to be won. After twelve years of this hell, I was ready for a big fall and it happened in 1982. The economy went to pieces. I went from billing my time at $75.00 an hour to working in a liquor store for minimum wage. I was shattered and went to pieces. I had no self confidence, no strength; I was always tired. I had no idea what was wrong. The doctors I saw could not offer me any help.

I broke every rule and paid with a lot of pain. I HOPE ANYONE READING THIS CAN BE SMARTER THAN I WAS. IT MAKES ABSOLUTELY NO SENSE TO WIN BIG IF YOU CANNOT ENJOY THE PRIZE. YOU HAVE TO FIND THINGS IN LIFE THAT YOU CAN ENJOY AND YOU HAVE TO FIND SOMEONE YOU CAN ENJOY THEM WITH. THERE IS NOTHING IN THIS LIFE THAT IS WORTH MAKING IT THE ONLY THING IN YOUR LIFE. BOOZE AND DRUGS WILL NOT HELP YOU. ALCOHOLICS ALREADY HAVE ADDISON’S DISEASE. DRUGS WILL NOT WORK; YOU WILL REALLY SCREW YOURSELF UP.

I wish I could tell you I found it very simple to solve my Cortisol problem. It was not easy. First of all, I read everything I could find on health and developed a very angry attitude toward doctors. Durk Pearson’s book was the foundation for my education in alternative medicine. In 2001, a book was published, titled Adrenal Fatigue, The 21st Century Stress Syndrome; written by James L. Wilson, N.D., D.C., Ph.D. When I got the book I could not believe what I read. Dr. Wilson knew exactly what I had been going through. He had actually put a program together so I could overcome the Cortisol problem. My first and probably the most difficult thing for me was to find a way to read the book and remember what I had read. The fatigue made my cognitive processes all scrambled. Fortunately, Dr. Wilson developed a line of supplements designed to help a person overcome Adrenal Fatigue. We were not making much money but somehow we found a way to buy the supplements. I got really lucky on two occasions and was able to talk to Dr. Wilson. He answered a lot of questions which really helped. Talking to Dr. Wilson was a tremendous help for me. He knew what I was going through and gave me confidence to believe in myself. The rest is just history. As I listed earlier, I have overcome Addison’s disease and I am working very hard to put my life together. I recognize that not much has changed over the years. It still takes a lot of energy to rise above the problems we encounter in life and there is no simple solution. We must have faith in ourselves and believe in ourselves. I know there will be many tests in the future and only time will tell if I have the inner strength to overcome the barriers.