If you’re a dad like me living under the stresses of life
and doing a stressful job to boot then read on.
I think it was in my early 20’s that I could see I did not respond well to
high levels of stress. I almost shut
down at times at work which when you are trying to make a career can be particularly
hard. I think looking back over the last
10 years and having done my research I have and still do suffer from anxiety. It is not severe but the symptoms of
headaches, shivers, irrational thought, elevated and irrational stress all lead
to the big A word. Even now it is still
difficult for me to admit but it has to this stage in my life shaped a lot of
the things I do. If you believe you are
a sufferer then take steps to moderate it.
I can’t give you the answers, I can only say monitor it and
take measures where necessary. In short you have to keep your elevated stress
levels down and do not eat or drink any substances that can aid or fuel the
anxiety further.
Here a few tips; cut out caffeine, coffee a must and tea
maybe just the one cup a day. Avoid
sugary foods. Anxiety is always there
and sometimes it just needs a nudge to kick in so do not fuel it.
One of the best ways to moderate your stress levels is try
and exercise as regularly as possible; running or interval training helps me a
lot.
Your career: The best advice I can give is if you do suffer
from anxiety do not look to go into a role where you will be under high
stress. It has took me a long time to
adapt to this notion but your mental and physical health are at risk if you do
not listen to your body.
In the end you have to realize that stress actually damages
your health and has been proven to cause some level of brain damage, so is it
worth it! Your kids and wife need you.
Trust me I have experienced stress that has distorted my mind at times
and finally now I think I am making the write changes for family and me.