Stress caused my father to have a fatal asthma attack at 54. I was scared the same thing would happen to me.
Today is National Stress Awareness Day. Our supporter, Anita has first-hand experience of the impact stress can have on asthma, as her dad collapsed and died from a stress-induced asthma attack when she was a teenager. Anita, 49, who has asthma herself, changed her life to stop history repeating itself.
My dad was one of those people who was always trying to do a million things at once, and never really relaxed. Growing up with my two brothers and sister, Dad was proud to be the family’s provider, while Mum looked after us kids and the house.
But money was always an issue as Dad wanted us to have the best, and it meant he took far too much upon himself. At the time he died, collapsing right in front of me and my older brother at our home in Surrey, he was working as an early morning delivery driver, spending the afternoons devoted to his business, and his evenings building us an extension.
A tragic irony
It’s ironic really, as in many ways Dad was proactive about his health. He manged his asthma well, kept a food diary, and used to go on long nature walks. Tragically, he never seemed to see stress as a potential killer, even though he had a history of having asthma attacks whenever he was overwhelmed.
I now know from supporting Asthma + Lung UK that almost 7 out of 10 people with asthma claim that stress can trigger their symptoms. I just wish I’d known that back then, as maybe Dad would still be with us, and I wouldn’t be haunted by the memory of being a helpless teenager watching my poor father gasping hopelessly for breath.
Losing Dad so young had a profound effect on me, and it took me many years to heal emotionally, but it also made me determined. I wanted to do well, but the career I chose as a pharmacy technician was unrelenting, and often caused me sleepless nights.
Impossible to ignore
After various wake up calls due to stress, I retrained as a beauty and massage therapist. I eventually set up my own professional business in 2012, whilst still working in my career full-time.
I enjoyed my job, but the impact on my asthma was impossible to ignore. Almost every winter, I was beset by repeated chest infections and in 2015, I had a severe bout of bronchitis which made me very ill. Three years later, I lost my older brother unexpectedly to a heart condition and it forced me to reassess my life. I made the bold decision to focus all my energy into my business.
Since then, I’ve not only set up an award-winning beauty business, and become a massage therapist to the stars, I’ve also had my story published in No Ordinary Girl. And also featured in an author collaboration, Beautifully Broken. I’m also currently writing my first novel.
Feeling the impact
My asthma, which once was the bane of my life, is now well controlled, and although I take my steroid inhaler daily, it is years since I’ve had an asthma attack or a chest infection.
Being calmer and more relaxed has had a huge impact on my breathing, and I’m incredibly happy. My dad didn’t get a second chance, nor did he ever realise what stress was doing to his body. I hope anyone reading this takes a few moments to really reflect on the way they are living, and the impact that might have on their health.
Find out more about how stress can trigger asthma symptoms and how to know if stress is triggering your symptoms. We also have tips to help you manage your asthma if stress is a trigger on our website.
We empower people with lung conditions to make changes that can be transformative.
Please donate now to help make sure people with lung conditions can live well this year.
Other Your Stories posts you may like:
Other posts you may like
Chloe was diagnosed with asthma as a child. As she got older, her symptoms had completely disappeared. But when she started university, this changed. Here she tells us how getting active has helped her manage her asthma - and changed her life.