Dads Living with Anxiety

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.