dealing with stress

Karen, over at the Garden Girl blog, has a post up about stress.  I found her observations head-and-shoulders above what I usually see written on the subject.

She used to find that stress motivated her to binge on comfort foods.  I find that acute stress causes a knee-jerk reaction to want a drink, but that a "stress formula" B-vitamin-complex also answers the drive.  It sure sounds as though the unpleasant-emotion aspect of an acute stressor depletes SOMETHING that any of these responses has an ameliorating action....

I seem to over-secrete adrenaline in response to a lot of things which can reasonably be described as stressors.  Always have -- when I was four years old, and a neighborhood bully was picking on the neighborhood "developmentally challenged" girl, I sent him home with a bloody nose.  DON'T piss off mini-Tess....  For the most part, my reactions got more civilized as I grew older, but I never have believed in tolerance to assholes -- treating them like reasonable human beings is a waste of time and effort!  ;-)

Reading things on "how to deal with stress" is usually another time/effort waste.  Meditate -- bullshit!  If I could relax to the point of being able to meditate with the flood of epinephrine coursing through my veins, would I have a stress problem at all?  No:  what is needed is an EMT-quality intervention, not an ideal-world wispy little panacea....

I suspect that popping that B-vitamin may be the best initial response -- our bodies are screaming "eat!" or "drink!" for some reason, after all.  After that, it will of course depend on the nature of the stressor and our own neurotransmitter status and personalities.  Dealing with a real-world problem will (with any kind of luck) make that problem a thing of the past.  Other relaxing activities, particular to each of us (hot bath with a good book, here) will help once the acute phase is over.  After THAT, meditation should be possible. 

But I don't know -- punching out a bully still has its attractions!