I self-medicated my overthinking with alcohol

You know the parable about the frog in the pot that doesn’t notice the gradually boiling water until it’s too late?

Turns out it's not scientifically true, for frogs anyway 🐸.

But as a metaphor, it still rings true for me – especially when it comes to stress.

For me, it was so gradual I didn’t even realise I was stressed.

All I noticed was that I was an overthinker or I was constantly angry or irritated with people, even if I mostly kept it to myself.   

I was reading this week how 77% of people report physical symptoms of stress but only 48% feel that stress has a negative effect on their lives (American Institute of Stress).

This is despite the fact that 75-90% of visits to the doctor are for stress-related ailments or complaints.

I never saw myself as a particularly stressed person, because I wasn't outwardly stressed.

My overthinking was a clear symptom of stress

But I now realise my overthinking, anger and anxiety were textbook symptoms of stress.

My way of dealing with these symptoms was to self-medicate with alcohol. Why not? Everyone else seems to be doing it?

It was only when I dissolved that stress that I noticed the need to self-medicate also fell away.

Watch this three minute video I put together this week talking about how this led to me getting a promotion to my dream job.

Have you booked into a free overthinkers session yet? They run Sundays and Tuesdays but won’t go forever, so book soon!