When we’re stressed, we perceive things differently. (By Amy, Happiness Ambassador)

When we’re stressed, we perceive things differently. (By Amy, Happiness Ambassador)

Even minor amounts of stress can affect the way we see the world..

My kid sleeps through these days, so when one night last week I saw him at midnight, at 3am, at 5am and at 6, it was a bit of a shock to the system. He opted for a lie in after that, whilst I got up for work, hurdling two baby gates and stumbling towards the kettle. I peered through the glass of the front door to check that the milk had been delivered.

It hadn’t.

I could clearly see the tumble of eggs boxes and empty glass bottles that I’d left out for collection, a whole pile of them, strewn about a bit and very much still there.

I couldn’t believe it. The one day I really needed a brew to get through the day and they’d forgotten us. I briefly wondered whether it was still the middle of the night and they’d not been yet. A glance at the pale sky reminded me not to be so ridiculous. I found a drop of souring milk and drank a very unsatisfactory cup of tea whilst mentally planning out a polite text to the milkman. Then planning an impolite one.

Thankfully I’d left my phone upstairs because as I passed the front door again I saw through the glass a full litre of milk and one dozen eggs, sitting patiently where 15 minutes earlier I’d seen something else entirely. No, the milkman had not visited whilst I’d been sulking in the kitchen. He’d been in the wee hours as usual. I’d just seen something that wasn’t there, or rather I’d not seen something that WAS there.

That one night of sleep deprivation had caused a minor amount of stress in my body. Even this small amount was enough to cause an actual hallucination.

How then must prolonged stress effect us? How can we trust the information our senses are giving us when we are burned out? What does this do to us as parents, employers, colleagues, partners?

It’s so important that we recognise when we are becoming overwhelmed and entering the ‘red zone’, so that we can start to focus on self care and bring ourselves back to ‘green’ (or, at least, amber).

Depending on what’s going on in your life right now, self care might be as basic as getting rest, eating well, taking your medication, washing your hair, wearing clean clothes, finding opportunities for fresh air.

What can you do, today, to bring yourself back towards calm?