Components of Stress Management with NCAH

Since with NCAH the adrenal glands are unable to naturally produce enough cortisol, stress management is an important component of living with NCAH.

Even though the intent is for the corticosteroid medication to help the body achieve normal cortisol level production, managing stress well helps keep the body's need for cortisol low, and has a variety of other health benefits. As I stated earlier in my post about taking my medication, having low cortisol decreases the body's ability to handle stress, so if you have trouble remembering to take your medicine, stress management would be critical for you.

There are a huge number of articles on the internet about coping with stress, some better than others, so I won't rehash the topic as a whole. Instead let me talk about some techniques I have used to help me cope with stress and how successful the various techniques have been.

1) Exercise

This is a component of stress management that I have not used consistently over time. I do feel better though when I exercise, and my husband reports that I seem happier when I am more consistent with my work out routine. Sometimes the fact that I have missed exercise is a source of stress for me, and so I am working on finding exercise routines that are fun for me and not worrying about an end goal for the exercise (like stress mangement or weight loss, etc). My hope is that if I find the exercise itself rewarding and enjoyable, then I will be less likely to miss it. The principle behind this is intrinsic reward vs external reward. We eat or sleep largely because the activity itself is enjoyable and positive and we want to do it, the fact that eating well and getting enough sleep is good for our health is an external reward. Today for example I tried out a new cardio dance routine. It was pretty intense, but overall pretty fun, and I'm interested in doing it again, so maybe that can be one of my exercise routines. We will see.

2) Cognitive Therapy

This is a component of stress management that has been critical for me over the years. A good therapist can help you identify what is causing you stress or help you better understand the root issues behind stressful things. They can also help you realize when you are causing stress for yourself (for example, they can give you a different perspective on what someone said if you're feeling hurt or angry when perhaps there's an explanation for what was said that doesn't cause you stress). They can also help you realize when you need to take breaks and help you find other stress relieving activities to keep yourself well. I highly recommend working with a therapist if you struggle with stress management.

3) Medititation

This is a component of stress management that I do not use as consistently I would like, but one that I am working on using more. There is a lot of evidence out there to support meditation to improve health and cope with stress. There are several ways of meditating, and one I particularly like is guided meditation, where you listen to someone guiding you through a meditation routine. I find that my mind wanders a lot less with this meditation technique and I end up more relaxed and positive.

4) Laughter

This is actually a component of stress relief I have only really come to appreciate over the last week. I realized I wasn't laughing that much, and when I was watching a new show and laughing hard enough I got a stitch in my side, I realized how much better I felt when I was laughing frequently. Since that realization I have made an effort to look for more excuses to laugh, and I am feeling so much better. Laughter has a huge number of health benefits as well, so it's fun and awesome for you.

5) Perspective

This is a component of stress management that deals with shifting how you feel about stress. We often speak of stress, and I certainly have in this post, as a negative component of our lives. We can can also look at it and see the benefits of our stress reaction. Being stressed can give you the physical strength or run or fight if you were attacked. When I worked in the Emergency Room, my stress response helped me work with critical patients for hours without fatiguing to the point where I would need a break until the patient was safely under another's care. Stress is not the enemy, and studies have even shown that the negative effects of stress on things like our blood pressure is lowered in people who view stress positively.

Coping with stress is a personal thing, and these techniques have helped me manage it better, along with taking my medication regularly. When my stress is better managed I am a happier person to be around, I have more energy, and I don't get sick as often.

In my next post I will talk about the symptoms of low cortisol and why it's important to have enough of it in your body at all times.