I’M STRESSED AND DRINKING EVERY NIGHT

Dear Coleen

I’m terrible at dealing with stress and I’ve been under a lot of it recently. My job is a car crash at the moment, I’m having problems in my relationship, and my two kids drive me up the wall daily.

I’ve found myself smoking in the garden a lot and drinking as soon as it hits 5pm when it seems a decent-ish time to start!

I know I’m punishing myself, but I don’t know how to deal with things. I feel overwhelmed. Can you help?

Coleen says

I’ve always felt that one of the best ways of coping with stress is talking about it. It’s OK not to be coping. And when you do confide in people, it’s amazing how instantly your stress levels drop. If you’re bottling everything up and dealing with it on your own, it will be tough.

I still get stressed but now the difference is I’m good at telling people about it.

However, when my first marriage was going to the dogs, I wasn’t talking to anyone and I started drinking a bottle of wine at night.

The first couple of glasses were brilliant, but by the time I got to the end, I wasn’t feeling so chirpy.

When I started seeing a counsellor she explained drinking is one of the worst things you can do because alcohol is a depressant.

Confide in your friends and talk to your husband – confront the issues in your relationship. It might seem overwhelming, but if you start tackling these areas of your life one step at a time, you’ll begin to feel a difference. Find practical and healthier ways to deal with stress.

I used to do boxing and punching that bag was a great de-stresser!