Does stress bring out your true nature

[TheBattler]

Well it only took me an hour to get stressed at work today. Last weeks holiday was so relaxing being able just sit down and relax when needed. Today at work was stress as there will be little support there for the next two weeks. With the new work stress my old thoughts kept poping into my head - the thoughts that I am TS.

So does stress bring out your true nature as it breaks down the resistence?

Alice

[Kimberly]

Oie! I hope not. I am not the nicest person on the planet when stressed...

[Steph]

Well it only took me an hour to get stressed at work today. Last weeks holiday was so relaxing being able just sit down and relax when needed. Today at work was stress as there will be little support there for the next two weeks. With the new work stress my old thoughts kept poping into my head - the thoughts that I am TS.

So does stress bring out your true nature as it breaks down the resistence?

Alice

Have to agree that stress does tend to make us a little more aggressive, maybe it's a self defense mechanism.  But I have to ask you Alice what is it at work that is stressing you out so much that thoughts of being TS would be caused.  I'll understand if this is too personal to discuss here.

Steph

[Hazumu]

Is it stress in general, or specific incidents that act as triggers for certain thoughts/behaviour?

Can you handle certain kinds of stress but not others?

I learned to defend myself in school against the bullies -- so much so that when I was a freshman at the regional high school and came up on the radar of bullies from other grade schools, the bullies from my school told 'em not to bother with that one as it's not worth it (!)

That defensiveness carried over in many ways to adult life.  Under certain forms of harassment, I revert to reacting in ways that are generally not good but served me in the past.

Is this the sort of thing you're talking about, Alice?

Karen

[TheBattler]

Well it only took me an hour to get stressed at work today. Last weeks holiday was so relaxing being able just sit down and relax when needed. Today at work was stress as there will be little support there for the next two weeks. With the new work stress my old thoughts kept poping into my head - the thoughts that I am TS.

So does stress bring out your true nature as it breaks down the resistence?

Alice

Have to agree that stress does tend to make us a little more aggressive, maybe it's a self defense mechanism.  But I have to ask you Alice what is it at work that is stressing you out so much that thoughts of being TS would be caused.  I'll understand if this is too personal to discuss here.

Steph

It is just the little thoughts in my head I am fighting. It is not strong yet but the 'I am a girl', 'I am TS','I wish I was a girl' thoughts that sometimes pop into my head. I am worried they will get stronger. Thats what broke me last year.

Alice

[Kate]

If anything, I'd say that I used to actually create stress in order to NOT have to face my "true nature." Hobbies, work, obsessive interests... anything to try and drown out the Awful Truth.

It didn't work very well, by the way, lol. I shoulda just gone and dealt with this on my 18th birthday and been done with it. Ah well, never too late to roll the dice again.

But it was always the quiet times alone with my thoughts that were the worst.

Kate

[LostInTime]

Stress brings out the "not going to take your BS today" side of me.  Usually I am pretty laid back but on days like today I just tell them how it is and continue busting my butt to get things done.

5 pages of support calls so far and more coming in and I am the only one in the department today.  *joy*

[tinkerbell]

I have to agree with everyone here.  When I get stressed out at work, everyone knows, for I think my face shows that I am MAD as the opposite of heaven.

tinkerbell

[Melissa]

It didn't work very well, by the way, lol. I shoulda just gone and dealt with this on my 18th birthday and been done with it. Ah well, never too late to roll the dice again.

Personally I think if you had just "done it" on your 18th birthday, you may have always wondered if you actually could have lived successfully as male.

Melissa

[Reana]

Stress definitely causes a side of me to surface that I'm not usually proud of.  I so hope this is not a sign of my true character.  The stressful side can exhibit aggressiveness, vindictiveness, and general lack of patience with others.  None of these behaviours are consistent with a femme image nor should they be acceptable for either a male or female.

[Omika]

I think you all pretty much missed the point.

Yes, I know exactly what you're talking about.  At periods before I became totally honest with myself about my transsexualism, whenever I got extremely stressed or tired or upset, all I could think about was becoming a woman.  I dwelled on my desire to be a woman.  It would pop into my head and become the primary lamentation, regardless of what was stressing me out originally.

Now, though, when I get stressed, I do whatever it takes to eliminate that stress.  Simple as that.

Amazing what transition, even if it's just the early stages of psychological acceptance, can do for you.

~ Blair

[katia]

i [show] my true nature in stressful and non-stressful days.

[Suzy]

Stress, by its very nature, cannot produce the "true you."  Stress is a reaction to something external, some kind of pressure.  Stress can fracture, or it can cause us to be stronger.  It is rarely pleasant.

The body's usual reaction when it measures increased stress is to increase Adrenaline, also called Epinephrine from the adrenal glands.  In the presence of this hormone, heart rate increases, pupils dilate, and blood sugar levels elevate.  All of this has a suppressing effect on the immune system.

It has become known that this chemical is addictive, and some people need it to get tasks accomplished.  So they subconsciously begin to create turmoil in their life situations to get the body to produce more adrenaline.  Have you ever known someone who was not content to be content?   This is probably what is going on.  And there are serious health risks.

Bottom line:  You cannot show your true nature when under stress.

Kristi