[SueAndHerZoo]

#1059790

Whooda thunk jumping up and down and running in place could make me feel so much better???? When I went home for lunch, still feeling very anxious and wound up, I had a hard time sitting still long enough to eat. I kept getting up to do small tasks or chores or just to pace when all I really wanted to do was eat and find a little calm and peace. So at one point I stood up, started jumping up and down, running in place, and then started doing a crazy dance to burn off some energy. It worked! Even though I felt somewhat like a fool (but then again, who cares?) I then sat down feeling much, much calmer and was able to stay seated long enough to eat! I have been afraid to do any type of physical exhertion since my pulse and bp are too high already but I felt like the top of my head would blow off if I didn’t get some release from the anxiety / adrenaline building up inside.

This is by no means a suggestion or a validated scientific solution because for all I know it could possibly be dangerous for some, but it certainly was a quick, simple, drug-free way to find some relief for a while. I think I’ll crank up some rock and roll and dance tonight.
Sue

[Stymie]

#1177574

Dancing sounds like a great idea Sue! Have a great time doing it and its a great stress reliever!

Diane

[brondack]

#1177575

I love it !!! Nothing beats good ole Yankee ingenuity :}

Did the zoo mind – did they laugh?

[SueAndHerZoo]

#1177576

Stymie wrote:

Dancing sounds like a great idea Sue! Have a great time doing it and its a great stress reliever! Diane

Stress reliever? Who has stress? SURELY not anyone with Graves Disease.

brondack wrote:

I love it !!! Nothing beats good ole Yankee ingenuity :}

Did the zoo mind – did they laugh?

Yup, us damned Yankees come up with some pretty creative stuff once in a while, but I’m a little surprised with this racing brain that I was even able to remember which foot went in and which foot came out. (A little Hokey Pokey, anyone?)

LOL Brondack….. the zoo (four dogs were the only ones in that room at the time) all looked at me VERY strangely and to my pleasant surprise, they stayed put and just cocked their heads. But I’m betting if I do it again they will not be confused by it and then jump in and join. Oh joy. There goes the furniture!

Sue

[smtucker]

#1177577

Perfect solution! Have too much energy? Dance. Pretty soon you will be square dancing at Town Hall.

*susan*

[SueAndHerZoo]

#1177578

And you get the extra added bonus of cheering up and calming down. How can you be nervous and irritable when you’re listening to music you enjoy and letting your body respond to it, right?

Of course, next time I’m at the office and I feel that adrenaline rush that makes me feel faint I’m going to get some mighty strange looks when I blast some music and bust a few moves. Perhaps I should just stand up and run in place…. that would look MUCH less strange, right? 😆

[smtucker]

#1177579

Two words: wireless headphones!

*susan*

[brondack]

#1177580

Hey, at least we got you smiling and laughing – no better cure than that !

[amosmcd]

#1177581

I like the idea of being active. From the time I first had symptoms of Graves almost a year ago, I started walking. I was previously pretty sedentary, at home and at work. My symptoms were set off by a very close friend passing away, and I would feel panicky at the thought of being in the house, trapped with my grief. Walking made me feel so much better. I asked my endo if it was okay after I did it a few times without any problems. He said it was fine. I was not having any issues with blood pressure, although my resting pulse would go up as high as 108.

Now it’s a year later, and I’ve walked in a 5K at Christmas, and recently I walked/ran in a 4 mile St. Patrick’s Day Dash. (Finished in 52:32!) This is the longest I’ve ever consistently exercised in my life. I bought a treadmill for the rainy Seattle weather, but get outside as much as possible when it’s dry. It really helps me cope with stress and anxiety.

If your endo clears you to walk, I highly recommend it. I’m a naturally fast walker anyway, and eventually just got faster. Running really isn’t good for me, because I have back problems, so I pretty much stick to walking. I started out on flat surfaces and later added hills for aerobic conditioning.

I’ll be heading out in a bit for a walk with my son, who is a runner. He’s almost 22 and condescends to walk with me now and then when he could run circles around me!

I hope you’ve discovered something that will work for you to reduce the anxiety that Graves’ dumps on us. Crazy dancing sounds like a lot of fun!

Amy

[Kimberly]

#1177582

So glad you found a solution that gives you some relief!

For those who are dealing with a rapid heart rate, I would suggest keeping tabs on your heart rate to make sure it doesn’t get too high…you don’t want to stress out your heart while de-stressing the *rest* of your body!

[Author]

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