@drjulie: 👉 Last one often goes undetected. Comment if you can relate to any of these! No.5 goes undetected because we all do it to some degree. This means it allows chronic stress to go unaddressed for longer. How we numb stress may vary but the function is the same. It is the trap that allows us to deny what’s really going on, as stress quietly builds in the background. Numbing out feels even more addictive when we are under stress because it offers such instant relief. Do you notice that your own personal preference for distraction and numbing creaps up and becomes more compulsive when you have a lot going on? Whether that is alcohol, food, doom scrolling or anything else, stress nearly always comes before that need to numb and escape. And stress itself is a signal that you have been spending too much of your physical and mental resources and now need to put something back in to replenish them. Follow me for more. 👉 If you are overwhelmed with stress and don’t know where to start, my New York Times bestseller, ‘Open When’ is now only £5.48 on Amazon In the UK and also currently discounted in Target and Amazon in the US. Also check out my million copy bestselling 1st book ‘Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before?’ Links to both are in my bio.

Dr Julie | Psychologist

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Saturday 13 June 2026 14:34:26 GMT