stress is making my sjogren's hell! I'm also facing redundancies at work which makes my joint pain worse and disturbs my sleep. Relaxation helps but I'm not doing too well with this so I'm taking kalms on a daily basis as well as upping my pain relief tablets

Have you tried yoga or meditation?

It will eventually ease up for you. I have found that I have to know my priorities and if nothing else gets done then it doesn't. I work full time and have 3 dogs that take alot of care. Those are my priorities. I do not commit to many social engagements as I want my free time to myself and I just never know how I will feel.

Once work is over for the day and the dogs are cared for, that's it, I'm done. I do get to work from home one day a week now since I fall under the Americans with Disabilities Act and they must try to accommodate you without hurting the business. That does help as I can get out of bed at 8:00 am and just log on instead of getting up at 5:30 and having to drive 20 miles to and from work. That has been a blessing in itself. You must try anything that you can to help yourself and know what can wait and what can't. In other words time to know your limits.

Stress triggers health issues in folks who don't have Sjogren's by increasing inflammatory enzymes, blood pressure, decreasing the ability to get restorative sleep, and saliva output putting them at higher risk for decay. Sound familiar? Stress always makes me feel worse. I often run a low grade fever, have aching muscles and joints that weren't complaining prior to the crisis. After my mother died, I spent two weeks at different times with my sister working to clear out Mom's house. I would come home and need at least a month to recover from the stress and extra physical effort that it took.

I have found that increasing my oral Methotrexate on a short term basis helps moderate a flare, at least for me. Avoiding junk food and sodas also helps me. Reading relaxes me better than almost anything (except a day at the beach) so I do more reading when I'm recovering from a flare.

When the stress become chronic, then medical intervention may be necessary. I did take an anti-depressant when I was first diagnosed to deal with working full time, a daughter who ran away and another one who only gave me three months notice for her wedding, and oh, by the way, would I make her dress from a picture in a magazine. So not my favorite year!! Engaging my prayer partners was probably the only way I got through that period in my life. I use that year as my benchmark for current stress. If it isn't as bad at that, then I know I can get through it!

Thank you so much for the replies. Drives me crazy not being able to see the Rhumy for another couple of weeks. While I am waiting I am trying to lose some weight. I had read that weight and fat cells generaly can be bad for inflammation. I also read that mediterranean diet can help inflammation as well borage oil. Too bad Obamacare didn't get further along. It's going to be rough getting care in the freemarket if this winds up sinking my ability to work..

Stress seems to make my SS worse. My Husband tries his best to keep me out of stressful situations. My side of the family can be very stressful so we limited our trips to see them to 3 times a year.
He shoots archery and just bought me a bow 2 weeks ago, that has became a BIG stress relieve for the both of us. I thought I was too week to do it. But they set the weight at where I could pull the bow back. I told him it almost makes me feel empowered. we just go to the range couple hours a week. It's time together and stress relieve.

I've been going through more stress lately, and have found that if I make myself do even a few minutes of stretching, it can make me feel better. I'm in the process of hooking my own Wii game to my sewing room TV so I can start doing some of the balance improvement exercises. Eventually I'm hoping to add Tai Chi and simple exercises from the Wii Fit game DVD.

Some days I can only manage a few extra steps when going to the bank or grocery store, but every little bit does help.

For my part - I just signed up to rejoin my gym membership. I had a nice remission period which seemed to be associated with time in the hot tub and time in the swimming pool. Sometimes I would come home after a swim and feel 100% normal at least for a few hours. Astounding.

I just wrote a post about stress on my blog. There are also several good links that provide a lot more information on how to manage stress.

http://riversbridgesandwoods.blogspot.com/

I do more of artistic stuff for stress. I got into a flicker group making ATC they are only 2.5 x3.5. also I make mini albums they are really fun or I draw. Doing something creative takes you away to another place, and you can do it sitting in your chair.
I have been thinking about the Wii for excersing does that strengthen your legs? I don't seem to be able to walk very far without getting so tired.

This is such a sigh to see that I am not alone in the stress issue. I have just seen a neuopathy specialist last week and on Monday I am undergoing 2 MRI study's ... one on my brain and one on the spinal cord. This is to see if the Sjogren's has progressed to peripheal neuropathy. And in all the years of testing I've undergone for some reason this time I just haven't been able to relieve it. I'm sooooo fatigued that I have to push to get to appts. ect. It's not a sleepy fatigue it's the weak and drained fatigue. I do take cymbalta low dose but nothing is helping so far. I haven't even been able to do my easy yoga. So thank-you for being here so I don't feel so alone in all of this.

Yes, I definitely find that stress makes my SS worse and causes flareups. I have a busy and stressful job so managing this has become one of my priorities and I spend a lot of focus trying to reduce stress in my life (not easy as it requires a bit of a personality change as well). The biggest help has been meditating and stretching/yoga every morning, focusing on breathing exercises and constantly remembering not to sweat the small stuff and keeping my expectations of myself reasonable. I also find a quite place to do mini meditations and stretching throughout the day. It's not always easy and sometimes I'm sure I look like a weirdo but frankly I don't care as long as it helps me. These mini day stretches also help with fatigue and tired legs. Good luck.