Don’t sweat the small stuff

“It’s stress” the Doctor said as she examined my mouth ulcers (so, not tongue burn after all then…).

“It’s eczmea” she said as she looked at my hand “caused by stress”.

My shock was twofold:

When did I find the time to get so stressed?!

I don’t have time to be stressed, how do I make it stop?!

The Doctor, who was a very nice lady actually, prescribed a cream for my eczema.

For my mouth ulcers, she told me to take more time for myself.

Time for myself?!

Can’t you just prescribe a magic cream or a gel or something for that too?  I work full-time so all my free time is Zachy time, any slight deviation away from this leads to a severe attack of WMG (that’s Working Mother Guilt for non-regular readers).

Bet you can’t prescribe a cream for that either?!

No, she said.

Oh.

I left her office about an hour before I was due to pick Zachy up, but with her words still ringing loudly in my ears, instead of running off to collect him early, I drove across to the local gym instead… and joined it!

So last night, when I would usually be enjoying a Friday night steak and bottle glass of red wine, I had a pint of water and went for a swim.

I then signed up for an aerobics class on Sunday morning (Zumba & Yoga were fully booked, obvs) and have a proper gym induction next week with a man/woman/boy/girl/gym-robot called Kentley.  

I am most excited about the power plate machine – apparently you just stand there and it jiggles all your cellulite away.  Score.

I cracked a (crap) joke to my gym tour guide about all my flab just wobbling away there on public display for all to see, and she only went and actually posed it as a serious question to the proper training instructor person!  To her credit, she answered it patiently and professionally, while I looked down at the ground, absolutely mortified.

Anyway, I give it a month.

The stress that is, I give the gym 2 weeks.

What are your stress busters?

14 Comments

  1. July 9, 2011 / 8:47 PM

    Kentley? Made up name alert!!

    Good luck with the gym. I had stress mouth ulcers but vanquished them with whole tubes of Bonjela. BTW, there is an urban legend that if you use too much Bonjela your tongue goes completely dead and you end up swallowing it. I am proof that that is bollocks.

    My stress relief? Blogging, natch 😉

    • Grenglish
      Author
      July 9, 2011 / 8:52 PM

      I am a fan of iglu! It contains local anesthetic so you can pop some on and then swallow a bottle of vinegar and not feel a thing! Wonderful stuff.
      Kentley – I made them repeat it – is def a made up name. I so know Kentley is going to be a teenager on work experience… eeek! xx

      • July 9, 2011 / 9:10 PM

        Iglu, you say? *rushes off to find late night pharmacy*

        Kentley might be a total hunk. If ‘hunk’ was still a cool word to use… 😉 x

        • Grenglish
          Author
          July 9, 2011 / 9:19 PM

          No idea what cool is anymore! I am a very boring person who goes to the gym on a Friday night 🙁 OK, it was only once…
          IGLU is brilliant if you suffer. Will sort you right out xx

  2. Noo
    July 9, 2011 / 10:18 PM

    Smudge – I can guarantee that if you are stressed, you are so much better taking 45 minutes to read a magazine, have a nice cup tea and chill your bones than you are joining a gym. I used to think that the gym was my saviour on the stress front, and now, if I don’t manage to go there for a full work out at least 3 times a week, I have hair falling out with the worry. Believe me, it’s just another way to turn yourself grey. And give you more guilt, to add to the WMG xx
    PS The power plate is an instrument of torture – trust me on this one.

    • Grenglish
      Author
      July 10, 2011 / 5:28 AM

      Haha, thanks Noo! I will try not to invest too much emotionally into the gym in that case, I joined as an excuse to get out of the house as much as anything… also lots of stress has led to lots of eating and lots of extra pounds to lose!

      Why torture on the power plate – surely you just stand on it?!

      xxxxx

  3. Bianca Cox
    July 10, 2011 / 5:50 AM

    Poor you, there’s nothing for it – you’ll have to give up work and go on a peaceful yoga retreat or something… or failing that drink more wine and put your feet up surely?!? not sure going to the gym is the stress buster I would opt for but each to their own and it’s very admirable that you are going on a Friday night!! I used to do Power Plate and I must say it is much harder than you’d think, unfortunately you don’t just stand there, but the upside is that you see results quite quickly so definitely go for it. My stress buster… I’ve become quite a big fan of acupuncture – it hurts like hell at first but after the first few sessions it hurts less, you get used to it, and most sessions now I end up virtually asleep and feel so zoned out and zen afterwards it’s amazing! xx

    • Grenglish
      Author
      July 10, 2011 / 6:08 AM

      Haha, yes well all the added stress has also added extra pounds so the gym has two purposes! Am intrigued about the power plate…

      Acupuncture is a great idea! I am going to look into that now, thanks!!

      xx

  4. July 10, 2011 / 8:12 AM

    Oh god. Wine is my stress buster. Is this wrong??!

    I do like a good massage but they are so expensive these days, I get quite stressed when I’m lying there wondering how much per minute my hour long £80 session is.

    Failing that, I like to watch shitty TV (The Real Housewives of New York, America’s Next Top Model…) xx

    • Grenglish
      Author
      July 10, 2011 / 5:12 PM

      Well, wine is usually my stress buster too but I was trying to find something else that didn’t include eating or drinking as I’m just getting so so lardy!
      Haven’t had a massage in YEARS! That’s so wrong, I should treat myself. But, am definitely with you on the shitty TV, at the moment I am on Britain & Ireland’s Next Top Model, failing that there is also always an old ep of Canada’s Next Top Model or Australia’s Next Top Model on LivingLoves that I can dip into 😉

  5. July 10, 2011 / 7:22 AM

    Smudge! You’re an amazing woman! Full time work and being a brilliant Mum! I really truly admire you! I think to relieve the stress it should be a hobby or something that you do just for YOU! So if it’s the gym then fantastic, if it’s not the gym then maybe you’ll find something else but I think you definitely need some ‘me’ time to relieve the stress. And don’t feel too guilty, I think if you take ‘me’ time it actually makes you a better Mum and a better wife as you come back feeling relaxed and raring to go! Even if it’s just 1/2 an hour or an hour a couple of times a week you might see a big change! As a stay at home Mum (who can’t work in Doha) I was the opposite, I felt that all I was was a Mum and a wife and that I’d kind of lost me which led me to blogging and also enrolling in Uni but even though I don’t have the pressures of a full-time career I still make sure I take a little time for myself each day to just be me. It might mean a bit of time blogging or watching some stupid reality TV or a trip to the gym or a coffee with a friend but try and take a bit of ‘me’ time when you can! xxxx

    • Grenglish
      Author
      July 10, 2011 / 7:38 AM

      Thanks Palmie! The grass is always greener is what I have learnt so far 😉
      We’ve also recently made a big decision regarding Zachy’s childcare so that has definitely taken it’s toll and is probably the main contributer to all the stress! I do feel it’s getting better now, but can’t hurt to go to the gym as it gets me out of the house doing something that isn’t eating or drinking!
      What are you studying at Uni?
      xxxxx

  6. this is us
    July 11, 2011 / 9:16 PM

    Oh mine is a couple of glasses of red, well I say 2 glasses, they are very large so after that there is only a drop left in the bottle! Admire you very much for the gym thing……. would love to do that, but I find a good cosmetic spree at selfridges is better than throwing my money at the gym *read down the drain*….. I’ve found I can even buy that just worked my arse off glow, unfortunatly can’t buy the body, not with my budget anyways! Good luck! Nat

    • this is us
      July 12, 2011 / 6:50 AM

      Ps I’ve nominated you for you a Kreative blog award, you may have had one before, but if so, here have another!!! Nat

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