Reply To: GBS from Stress

Stress is an umbrella term used to describe so many things. Of course, GBS, and the potential residuals, are distressful. But we do need some stress, for without stress we would be pools of water laying on the floor. That said, I have changed my stress-full lifestyle post-GBS with the path of least resistance lifestyle, since the fun residual of anxiety attacks and depression have shown me I feel better when my stress, and distress, is managed well. That includes lots of things, like how well I eat and if I am exercising by injured body, etc. Post-GBS ’98, I’m doing pretty well as far as I am concerned. You know, meditation is a wonderful thing… a great way to manage stresses!

No idea about relapse, but from what I’ve read, a GBS episode can occur when the level of distress on our autoimmune system becomes critical, as we all have the same predispositions. I think it requires that many triggers come into alignment, to cause a GBS episode, but who knows what is actually going on– just like most rare neurological disorders we don’t have enough research resources churning to bring about great insights. In reading threads RE Multiple Sclerosis, it seems that managing stress is an integral part of recovery, and adjustments to a drastic change in lifestyle, which in and of itself is quite distressful, and similar to what we go through with being a GBSer.

I keep a list of 12 things happy people do, and what comes to mind is #12 on the list: “Increase flow experiences (flow=so focused on something that time stands still).” I achieve this state while playing my Bass guitar, and when I am playing team-oriented computer games, or when I am writing with much concentration. What do you do to manage your distress? What do you do to increase your ‘flow experience?”