It’s Stress Awareness month! If you haven’t seen my post here about Stress Awareness month and the stress awareness takeover, then go and check it out so that you can see what is going on!
Suzy is the writer behind https://ourbucketlistlives.co.uk Suzy is an repatriated expat, Mummy to Jamie, wife to Mark and a lover of travel and days out. Suzy has a degree in graphic design and is a lover of photography.
Do you suffer with stress frequently or occasionally?
Yes I do suffer from stress on a regular basis. I let simple things get to me and I often find that I’m telling myself off and to try and chill out more. It’s become worse since I became a parent. I stress about them as much as I do about myself.
What sort of things cause you stress?
Parenthood, life concerns cause me stress. I luckily haven’t had to worry about money for a long time now. I’m more of a worrier over the little things. I find I get stressed at the simplest of things. Little things like my son taking forever to get ready can stress me out especially if we are running late. Getting him ready for bed I also seem to stress a lot about as he is so casual when I have a goal insight and we aren’t getting there anytime quickly. So I guess timing of things stresses me the most.
Does anything in particular make stress worse for you?
I have had an awful lot to deal with and cope with since my Dad died about a year and a half ago. I was under a lot of family pressure and stress and that caused me huge problems mentally. I even went to the doctors to enquire about getting further help. However the NHS waiting list seemed a minefield in itself and they could only offer me help via email. I do often feel like I should go back and ask for more help but I feel a bit more on top of everything now as there has been a bit of closure on a few issues. Not for the better but it’s certainly helped my emotional state.
Does stress have an impact on your physical health?
Perhaps, I do suffer from asthma and it has been a lot worse the past year or so. So maybe it does impact and I haven’t really realised that.
What do you do to alleviate stress?
I tell myself off and try and distract myself. Distraction can really help me when I’m feeling stressed out. Going out for the day for my son really helps as it’s a great way of switching off. I’m in a happy place when I’m out the house.
Do you think more needs to be done to raise awareness of what causes stress and the impact it has on us and those around us? If yes, what would you do or like to see done?
I would love to see counselling more readily available on the NHS, not just someone to talk to via email!
Do you have any tips for anyone dealing with stress?
Go to the place you feel happy at. Be it reading a book, watching a film, going for a walk or out for the day. Try and clear your head of negative thoughts and replace them with positive happy thoughts as much as you can.
Thanks Suzy! If you want to see more about stress awareness then please search ‘stress awareness’ to read all the posts throughout April.
Thanks for having me. I hope this month will help many people know they are not alone and hopefully help them deal with stress better