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!
I’m Prabs of absolutelyprabulous.com: editor, humorist, opinion-giver, observer, key-loser, housework avoider…it’s a long list. I’m a former London/Paris girl, now a beach-loving mum in Malta who writes about motherhood, marriage, the Med and anything I can get away with. My greatest achievement is managing to leave the house with 3 kids (it’s ok, they’re all mine). My biggest fear is running out of vodka & screwing up my kids (in that order). I’m married to the luckiest man on earth (obvi). My best domestic tip is wear sunglasses at home so you can’t see the mess.
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1.) Do you suffer with stress frequently or occasionally?
I’m easily and frequently stressed which I think is probably a by-product of low level depression (self-diagnosing here!) but also very much a general character thing.
2.) What sort of things cause you stress?
Family issues (there’s usually some drama going on) but finances have always been my main underlying cause of stress.
3.) Does anything in particular make stress worse for you?
Apart from finances, work pressure has always been a big cause; I just buckle rather than thrive under pressure! Even though I’ve not had a boss since becoming a mum, being my own boss and running a blog causes me stress.
4.) Does stress have an impact on your physical health?
Significant stress makes me lose weight. Many people binge eat when stressed; my stomach just shuts down.
5.) What do you do to alleviate stress?
To be honest, I wouldn’t say I have a remedy. Running helps but I don’t go running specifically to ease stress if that makes sense. I’m not an early riser so (to my shame!) I have to admit sleeping in helps.
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?
I think people know what causes them stress so I can’t see how they’d need to be made aware of what is stressing them in their own lives. But a definite yes to the increased awareness on how it affects those around us. I suppose the obvious choice is lessons at school on cause/impact/cure (because students are just as prone to stress as adults) and the same for employees in the workplace.
7.) Do you have any tips for anyone dealing with stress?
This is possibly a bit vague but I think if you can identify ONE thing/pastime/activity/anything that makes you happy, no matter how small or big, make time for that. Ditch the guilt over taking time for yourself and make it happen. At the very least, it will alleviate stress on a temporary basis!
If you want to see more about stress awareness then please search ‘stress awareness’ to read all the posts throughout April.
