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!
My name is Emma Reed and I am a self-published author, parenting and lifestyle blogger and freelance writer. I live in Hampshire with my husband, Rob, my four-year-old son, Jake and our latest addition William who made his dramatic entrance into the world 8 weeks early in November 2017.
Social media:
www.instagram.com/emmareed_writes
www.pinterest.com/emmareed_writes
1.) Do you suffer with stress frequently or occasionally?
I suffer frequently and always have done.
2.) What sort of things cause you stress?
I tend to feel stressed when I have too much to do, when things feel out of control or when I can’t take the time to clear my mind and think with a little more clarity. When I worked in retail, stress was actually a bit of a positive for me because it meant my shop was always tidy organised and ran smoothly. But this then caused me to become a little obsessed with achieving perfection and that added to the stress and I found myself in a vicious cycle.
3.) Does anything in particular make stress worse for you?
I would say it is all my own doing. I have high expectations and I like things a certain way so anything that is out of control, a mess, there’s not enough time (in my eyes) will trigger my stress.
4.) Does stress have an impact on your physical health?
Yes, I suffer from aura migraines which are usually brought on by my emotions
5.) What do you do to alleviate stress?
Exercise every week is a must for me. I need that release, that time for me and something else to focus on.
6.) 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?
Yes, especially in the work place. When I was a store manager I felt like I couldn’t be seen as upset, stressed, worried, anxious etc because I had this role to fulfil and a persona to show. There should have been more support in place to provide extra support during difficult periods.
7.) Do you have any tips for anyone dealing with stress?
Find what works for you. That may be art, crafting, exercising, going for a walk, meditating, anything that will take your mind away from what is causing you stress and something that will alleviate your tension. Schedule this in to make yourself do it, that way it won’t be put off for another day or week. Also, keep an eye on what triggers your stress levels to increase. Perhaps, make notes on how you are feeling and once you work out what pushes you over the edge, work towards making changes in the future to prevent this happening.
Thank you Emma!
If you want to see more about stress awareness then please search ‘stress awareness’ to read all the posts throughout April.
