I read the monologues for the different gt's one day, but i had some trouble understanding the stress profile of explorers.  The other ones seemed clearer to me.  Personally, i have a narrow window of optimal stress.  Too much for too long is overstressful.  Having not enough to do for too long also causes me stress.  When i hit that good window, i feel great!  
I like having some intense stress and having periods of relaxation.  Also, moderate stress is good and i can do it longer, but i always need some down time.  And i like being alone for some downtime!

I'm an explorer, and what you just said fits me perfectly

I actually like some stress, but I went through a couple years of extreme stress every moment of my life and ended up with adrenal fatigue to the point that I wasn't able to be out of bed for more than about 2 hours at a time, and my brain was totally fried.  I couldn't think or concentrate on anything.  I was kind of living on a 2.5-year-long adrenalin surge, and when I finally crashed, I crashed hard.  I went from getting A's in biochemistry to not even being able to read through an entire childrens book.  I've definitely improved a lot since then, though, thank goodness.

I feel the way you do, though - some stress (to keep things interesting), some downtime (to keep things from being too stressful), and some alone time (to keep my sanity)

I'll have to reread the stress profiles

here I'm not sure who's who... all about being bumped of the cortisol or merely adrenaline  levels

Quoted from Easy E

  Personally, i have a narrow window of optimal stress.  Too much for too long is overstressful.  Having not enough to do for too long also causes me stress.  When i hit that good window, i feel great!  
I like having some intense stress and having periods of relaxation.  Also, moderate stress is good and i can do it longer, but i always need some down time.  And i like being alone for some downtime!

I can relate to this as well......I have learned that I need BALANCE  

Self-awareness is one of the best gifts we can give ourselves....that is truly what puts us on the road to living a balanced lifestyle

Quoted from brinyskysail

I'm an explorer, and what you just said fits me perfectly

I actually like some stress, but I went through a couple years of extreme stress every moment of my life and ended up with adrenal fatigue to the point that I wasn't able to be out of bed for more than about 2 hours at a time, and my brain was totally fried.  I couldn't think or concentrate on anything.  I was kind of living on a 2.5-year-long adrenalin surge, and when I finally crashed, I crashed hard.  I went from getting A's in biochemistry to not even being able to read through an entire childrens book.  I've definitely improved a lot since then, though, thank goodness.

I feel the way you do, though - some stress (to keep things interesting), some downtime (to keep things from being too stressful), and some alone time (to keep my sanity)

I'll have to reread the stress profiles

How did you heal the adrenal fatigue?

Quoted from Kim

How did you heal the adrenal fatigue?

It's defintiely not completely healed.  It takes so much time.  It has improved though.  I followed the guidelines in Adrenal Fatigue:  The 21st Century Stress Syndrome.  By taking the correct supplements at the correct time of day, getting A LOT of sleep while trying to go to bed early and still wake up early, doing lots of things I enjoy (sort of being selfish and focusing on me and what makes me happy ), and removing negative people and situations from my life.  The removal of negatives was the biggest problem for me.  I also consulted a homeopath (still working with him), and that has helped beyond belief.  Even if you don't believe that homeopathy works, it's great just to speak with the homeopath because it's a lot like going to a therapists - it allows you to discover specific things that are bothering you and the quality about yourself that allows those things to bother you.  It takes a lot of recognition, acceptance, and moving on.

^^Great post, thanks.  Working on adrenal burnout may be my next step.  I've just switched to bioidentical hormones & am having a hard time falling asleep at night.

Quoted from 14442

^^Great post, thanks.  Working on adrenal burnout may be my next step.  I've just switched to bioidentical hormones & am having a hard time falling asleep at night.

I have to use sublingual and timed release melatonin to sleep.  My holistic doctor said that higher doses of melatonin are perfectly safe.  It is extremely important to sleep or the body can not repair itself.  Also, less sleep means more stress on the body and that opens up a lot of problems.

read Dr D s Fatigue book.....follow those protocols

I did an experiment on myself...i walked for exercise with no other exercise, 1 hr 5 to 6 days a week.  I never felt the energy settle after this and did not sleep soundly.  I started sweating playing tennis or doing the elliptical for 1 hr or so 5 days a week, and my energy returned and my sleep improved.

Repeated experience has shown that for me, breaking a sweat is necessary for me.

Just confirming what Dr. D says in his tip of the day.  It seems to really work for me as an explorer gt.

Quoted from Easy E

I did an experiment on myself...i walked for exercise with no other exercise, 1 hr 5 to 6 days a week.  I never felt the energy settle after this and did not sleep soundly.  I started sweating playing tennis or doing the elliptical for 1 hr or so 5 days a week, and my energy returned and my sleep improved.

Repeated experience has shown that for me, breaking a sweat is necessary for me.

I have always felt this way too.  I have been having foot problems for the past 4 years that have caused me to not be able to get anywhere even close to the amount of exercise I was always used to getting.  It has been really, really difficult for me.  (I used to cry myself to sleep every night because I just want to be able to move)  I know I would be much happier and more content if I could do an intense aerobic workout or go play tennis until I felt like I was going to pass out

btw..ther's a beautiful product called *adrenal strength*  from http://www.megafood.com
and some addings of higher intake of vit. C.. not bad either ....

Quoted from 14442

^^Great post, thanks.  Working on adrenal burnout may be my next step.  I've just switched to bioidentical hormones & am having a hard time falling asleep at night.

Sahara, might I suggest this website to you? http://photoperiodeffect.com/

You should read the homepage, of course, but I'd suggest starting here to get more to the point: The Unknown Eye.  It talks about how to get your own melatonin flowing properly.

For a thorough education, start here: The Photoperiod Effect, Diabetes, Hypertension and more, in a nutshell.  This is the introduction page to a long series of pages.  You can follow the links at the bottom of each page to proceed to the next page, or you can go directly to whatever page you want to read by clicking the link on the introduction page's "table of contents" (so to speak).

One of the main points the author makes is that simply sleeping is not enough, but that you need to spend a certain amount of time in the darkness, even if you aren't asleep!

Quoted from Easy E

I did an experiment on myself...i walked for exercise with no other exercise, 1 hr 5 to 6 days a week.  I never felt the energy settle after this and did not sleep soundly.  I started sweating playing tennis or doing the elliptical for 1 hr or so 5 days a week, and my energy returned and my sleep improved.

Repeated experience has shown that for me, breaking a sweat is necessary for me.

Thanks, I really needed this reminder.  Maybe this is why I've been so sluggish lately!  Most of my exercise lately has come from walking or low-intensity bicycling (for travel, not exercise).

^^^ Yes TJ I'll look at the links.  My copy of the Shwarzbein Principle just got here and should have some good info on sleep.  Lights Out: Sleep, Sugar & Survival by T.S. Wiley has also been an important book for me.  She says we have to go to sleep earlier most of the year because this is how things were before we had lights on all the time.  I try to get to sleep before 10 and wear sleep masks over my eyes to block out all the light.  

http://www.amazon.com/Lights-Out-Sleep-Sugar-Survival/dp/0671038680

I want to read that book, too.  I also use an eye mask when I sleep; my room is almost blacked out, but not quite.

Quoted from 14442

^^Great post, thanks.  Working on adrenal burnout may be my next step.  I've just switched to bioidentical hormones & am having a hard time falling asleep at night.

A great choice, Sahara, because the patented hormones can permanently lock onto hormone receptors, causing an imbalance.  How can the non-identical hormones be safe with this devastating potential, if bioidentical are available?

Quoted from Easy E

I did an experiment on myself...i walked for exercise with no other exercise, 1 hr 5 to 6 days a week.  I never felt the energy settle after this and did not sleep soundly.  I started sweating playing tennis or doing the elliptical for 1 hr or so 5 days a week, and my energy returned and my sleep improved.

Repeated experience has shown that for me, breaking a sweat is necessary for me.

This is the fundamental truth for Explorers.  The only walking that worked to relieve stress for me was aerobic marching.  I could walk almost any distance by alternating two short in-breaths with two short outbreaths, all in time with my steps.  I covered phenomenal distances (ie walk all the way accross London, UK) without taking a break when I did this.  It could well have saved my health at that time.

Weird, but that is the Explorer nature through and through.