Stress and Sickle Cell

My Three Top Tips for staying stress free with sickle cell.

Life can get crazy sometimes. Fact!

Managing sickle cell on top of a crazy life can be a whole job in itself. The pressure of not allowing sickle cell to get in the way of every day life and stop you from doing the things you want to do or need to do can be so overpowering. So much so that it can result in us making decisions which eventually affect our health; mentally, physically and emotionally.

I’m speaking from experiences here of forcing myself to go into work when I am in a crisis, because I don’t want my employer to think Im taking the p*** with sick days. Or forcing myself to go to a birthday dinner once I realised I have been unwell at the same time two years in a row, and don’t want my friend to tally up a hat-trick.

These very unhealthy decisions are a thing of the past for me and have been for may years now.

My days of stressing over anything are no more.

Why? Because life is way too short!

Stress can be a trigger for bringing on a sickle cell crisis so before you let it get to that stage, ask yourself, Is it worth it?”

My 3T’s: Three Top Tips for staying stress free with sickle cell.

1. PUT YOURSELF FIRST

I’ve spoken briefly about having to assess risks in a previous post and the same applies here. If you are ever not feeling 100%, then you need to ask yourself if whatever it is will be worth it to your health. Really focus on YOURSELF and how YOU are feeling when making the decision instead of anything or anyone else.

Ask yourself the following: How do you feel now? How will you feel during? How will you feel after?

When it comes to work: If your manager has any concerns, The Sickle Cell Work and Employment Guide can be downloaded for them to read.

When it comes to socialising: If you’re friend doesn’t understand… are they even your friend?

2. DO A SOCIAL DETOX

Take a break from your phone and social media. Seeing everyone post about how great their life looks on camera while your’e just trying to keep it together is the last thing you’ll want to see. I do this regularly as well as silencing all my notifications; theres nothing worse than hearing your WhatsApp group going off as everyone decides where they’re going and what time they will be meeting.

You’ll be amazed at how great it feels to have time away from everything and everyone.

3. LAUGH

There are a number of ways in which laughing can relieve stress and for that reason, this is one of my key tips for staying stress free. If i’m not making a joke, I’m laughing one, especially if i’m with friends or family; the jokes do not stop. If I’m alone, I will choose a standup comedy show over any movie or TV series. Also, I know this goes against my 2nd Tip but my new place for guaranteed laughter is TikTok *covers face* I will not take responsibility for anyone who gets addicted to after reading this — but feel free to share the jokes with me. Lol.