Dealing with stress -

Stress is something we all deal with from time to time, especially when you have chronic illnesses that make every day feel like a rollercoaster. But right now I am moving house while we are in the middle of a worldwide pandemic, and to be honest dealing with stress has lasted a while.

I am not alone in this though, lets be honest ever since March when this whole Covid 19 virus ramped up we have all been stressed. It has changed our lives to an almost unrecognisable level, but for people like me who are mainly housebound, it is frustrating. This is because able bodied people are finally seeing how we live most days, and they are doing nothing but complain!

Honestly though I started to have a lot of hope that the world would become more accessible. Theatre productions I could never see were finally put on you tube for me to be able to watch, hospital and Dr appointments were done over telephone and people were working from home.

However, that hope unfortunately has been dashed, as telephone appointments are starting to be taken away, and offices are reopening not giving the option to keep working from home. These are small changes for most businesses but would make such a big difference to disabled people’s lives.

But for me personally, dealing with stress has been moving house and becoming a carer for my mother who has Multiple Sclerosis. We moved in about a month ago now, but the sale of our old home is still going through. We need to finish packing our old house though not too much is left, and organise a storage unit. More stress will come when we have the garage converted into a tiny house for us.

Right now though I am happy, moving was the right decision it means my mom is safe and my husband will be able to go part time at work. Life on the whole is good so lets talk about some ways to deal with stress:

Dealing with stress

Meditation – for me this means sitting down with Insight Timer and doing a meditation for anxiety. For you it might be lying down with headphones and listening to your favourite music, or watching the clouds pass overhead and listening to nature. However it looks for you, meditation is an incredible tool for dealing with stress.
Mindfulness – This is a type of meditation, but for me it is my normal. I try to not allow my thoughts to take over, instead I exist in the moment which helps my depression and anxiety and right now is doing so much to help my stress levels.
Self care – This is different for everyone, but self care when dealing with stress is so important. For me it is playing animal crossing, or going to bed early and watching you tube. Having a bath with nice bubble bath and candles, adult colouring, the choices are endless, but so important.
Talk – Everyone needs someone to speak to, whether its a friend or family member or even a therapist. Getting your feelings out when stress is high is so important journaling can be a wonderful way of doing this if you have nobody you feel you can speak to as well.

I really hope that if you are dealing with stress this article can help you, if you have any tips please leave me a comment so I can give it a try.