TuesDog

I might be a little stressed...

So we are having another baby in a few short months. A little girl this time! I don’t feel like I have had much time to process this fact because things have been so busy with looking after my son, the 2 puppies, the house, and my poor wife who is being made to suffer by our incoming bundle of joy…

I might be a little stressed to be honest. I have been way less patient with everyone, and I feel like I am being pulled in all directions at once. This is probably fairly normal though as a lot of people share a similar situation and they make it through just fine (I imagine).

Let’s put on our sunglasses and look at the bright side for a minute…

The stress is real

I have recognized and accepted that I am stressed. This is good because now I can deal with it in a healthy way! I didn’t feel typically “stressed” as I have done in the past. This was a slow burn with unfamiliar symptoms, like a twitch in both eyes that has lasted for a couple of months and flares up when I am agitated or put in a suddenly stressful situation (like impromptu zoom meetings with management).

Letting off steam

This I am doing right now! Typing this blog post and journaling have worked really well for me in the past and are easy for me to fit into my busy schedule. The other things I can do are:

• Meditation - Hard to find time and a quiet space to do this regularly, but I have found it very helpful in the past. If your looking to try meditation then check out the Medito app. It is free and has an excellent introductory course into meditating.
• Yoga - Another activity that is hard to fit into my day as I need to be alone otherwise I get a puppy joining me on the mat and derailing the session 😂 She’s cute though so it’s not all bad!
• Walking outdoors - For best results, bring a puppy! I did go on a solo walk the other night because the dog couldn’t take the heat for very long. It was quite nice, but I forgot how fast I walk when I am on my own. I should try again and walk slower. I walk like I am late for a train, which used to be a daily occurrence once upon a time!

Asking for support

My wife is pretty much out of action at this point in the pregnancy, it has been really rough on her from day 1 this time around. But, we do have both sets of Grandparents around at the moment. I think I might need to lean on them a little more and see if they would be able to help me out with looking after our son while I can get some things done, or spend some time alone and recharging.

Apparently, people with ADHD absolutely need time doing their own thing in order to recharge their batteries and get them back in the zone for tackling daily tasks. I feel this on a deep level! I require time to myself each day, even if it is just 30 minutes where I am doing my own thing at home. Without this time I feel like I haven’t finished the day and the next day can’t begin. It’s a weird feeling I have always had. I sometimes think I am being selfish, but I don’t think it is really that much to ask for of my family, ADHD or not.

Anyways! I am already starting to feel a little more relaxed. Now I am conscious of the issue and I know what resources are available to me for handling my stress in a healthy way, I am confident I’ll make it work! Hopefully my eye twitch will go away and I can stop looking like a headcase on zoom… I wonder what people think of that. 🤣

P.S. I had excellent service from these 2 guys working at Subway. They were super helpful and friendly, and one of them had the tightest groomed beard! It looked sick! Definitely had to mention this! My delight for the day, inspired by Ross Gay’s book.