At the moment, I’m stressed.
It’s a bit of a broad statement, I know – and I do have a bad habit of using that term a bit too liberally. I’m quite often ‘stressed’ because I forgot to put the dustbin out and I can hear the truck coming, or because I’m trying to curl my hair, and the right side looks better than the left…but I think I can count moving house as a legitimately stressful situation. Rich and I have decided after 4 years in our humble little abode, it’s time to move onto the next part of our adventure – hopefully one with a bit more wardrobe space!
My stress levels manifest themselves in a variety of ways. When I accidentally put my engagement ring in the washing machine, my stress-o-meter peaked at an all-time high, with my heart rate soaring way beyond my park run levels, and my temper significantly shortening – fairly normal symptoms for short-term stress.
My long-term stresses hit me where it hurts – they disrupt my sleep.
I’m finding at the moment, the minute my head hits the pillow, my brain goes into overdrive and tries to coordinate everything house related. I lay there thinking of mortgages, garages, room to extend…you name it, I’ve thought about it. I always get to sleep eventually, but my subconscious whirrs away, and I wake up with a sore jaw from a night of grinding my teeth. Night time grinding is a really common habit, and can be brought on, or exacerbated by stress. About 3 years ago, after a particularly stressful couple of weeks, I was eating lunch in the staff room, and one of the dentists sitting with me told me she was making me a night guard, because she couldn’t listen to my poor jaw clicking any longer! A ‘clicky’ jaw can be a symptom of grinding, as well as a sore or stiff jaw on waking. For me, the night guard (also referred to as an occlusal splint), is a godsend. Not only does it completely stop my symptoms, but it also protects my teeth and jaw from other long-term problems.
If you are aware of a grinding habit, or even of just a sore jaw when you wake up, it is definitely worth a mention to your dentist – they don’t bite, I promise.
As for me – I will stick my night guard in and crack on with finding our new home! My stress will hopefully be short-lived, and in the grand scheme of things, will be a very minor disruption to the normal flow!
I hope you’re all having a fantastic summer, whether it’s here in the UK or abroad. There are so many lovely holiday stories floating around, I’m starting to get a bit envious!
Amy x
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