How do you manage stress?
Facts
I deal with some stresses better than others. When I worked in the London Ambulance Service Admin I walked in one day and my boss said “Do you want the bad news of the good news first?” I said the good news. The answer? “You’re well, the other 30 are not.”
I looked around the room at 7 of us to keep the entire South Eastern area of London under control. Patients picked up, taken for appointments, then home. That was one thing!
The second was tomorrow, we planned a day ahead. We had one planning officer out of 4, no one running hospital car service, two officers looking after all five areas of the South East. The boss. A couple of control assistants, and me to do the work of 35 people.
I was in my 20s and I didn’t even blink. That stress was outweighed by the responsibility to the public. We used to say we were ‘trained not to panic’.
Even I received my diagnosis I owned what I had done, and I took it surprisingly well. I will not make a stupid decision and complain about it. That was me facing my biggest medical fear!
Emotional stress
I’m quite strong emotionally but I cannot deal with nastiness, dishonesty, and back biting. That brings out what little temper I have.
I also cannot deal with a person telling me one thing then doing another. Right before my eyes in front of my face! Knowing they’re seen! Pretending they’re not. That can really drag me down. Educator of I pint out what I’ve physically seen and they deny it!
Eventually that sort of stress will start to really get to me.
Health stress
Finally health. I do health very well, I’ve been utterly blessed. But now I’ve entered a period of a medical condition, and tablets that make you ill.
The healer in me says that if it’s making you ill the body is not liking it. For the medical profession that’s part of the deal. For me it is not on any level. My natural healer and the medics I am so grateful for are in a silent war inside me.
Plus I love this body and I can’t protect it in order to save it apparently 🤷♀️.
My Frister, who has way too much experience of the effects of illness and a spectacularly bad accident, now has ten times the respect from me that she ever had before, and it was off the scales already.
When I had to start popping pills she was as always totally supportive, but a bit puzzled by my reaction. Until the light dawned and she burst out “of course, you’re a virgin”.
Getting used to meds is more challenging than I thought. Am I coping? I’m doing it. I guess that’s a form of coping.
Broad spectrum question
No easy answer.
Plus coping can be very much a day to day thing. What day bother you one day will have you throwing things the next.
Best love
Amorah – Deb
