Mary Bradley Wellbeing

14/11/2025

Ever walk through the door after work and realise your mind is still at your desk?
You’re home, but not fully home; exhausted, overstretched, and trying to hold it all together.

You’re definitely not on your own. Nearly 70% of parents say work stress spills into their family life, showing up as irritability, low patience, trouble switching off, or that heavy guilt when you’re not as present as you want to be.

I’m hearing this from so many parents right now, and I’m exploring it more deeply as I develop new support.
If this resonates, I’d really love to hear your experience.
You can share your thoughts in this short, anonymous survey:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScVbj7Fmk5PkR3gAf3ic7AJaLH3HubXvM4sDi6EqjF7BnzrJA/viewform?usp=sharing&ouid=117767919263121938445

Thank you so much to everyone who’s already shared, your insight is shaping something important.

14/11/2025

🍎 Stress vs Your Digestive System ❤️

We talk a lot about the mental and emotional impact of stress… but what about the physical impact?
What about the way it shows up while you’re having your dinner, or rushing lunch at your desk?

Ever find yourself eating in a rush when there’s actually no reason to be rushing at all?

I caught myself doing this last week, still flying around in stress mode even though the stressful part of the day was over.
And here’s the thing: when you eat in that state, your body is still pumping cortisol. That “I’m under pressure” signal.

And cortisol slows your digestion right down.
So even a perfectly normal meal can leave you feeling bloated, uncomfortable, tired, or just “off.”

The good news?
You can interrupt it.
You can shift gears.

Next time you notice yourself eating in a rush, pause for a moment, take a few slow breaths, and let your body catch up with your reality which is that you’re safe and there’s no need to sprint through your food.

A tiny shift, but it makes a big difference.

10/11/2025

I’ve been hearing from so many parents who feel the weight of work stress following them home, that sense of being physically present but mentally still at work. Not able to switch off, trouble sleeping, exhausted, irritable, impatient, and then the guilt that follows.

I’m exploring this further and developing new support for parents who are feeling that impact in family life.
If this sounds familiar, I’d love to hear from you.
Thank you to everyone who has already shared their thoughts on this!

You can share your insight (it only takes a few minutes) here 👇
🔗 https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScVbj7Fmk5PkR3gAf3ic7AJaLH3HubXvM4sDi6EqjF7BnzrJA/viewform?usp=sharing&ouid=117767919263121938445

Thank you!

Coming Soon: A new support for parents who feel the weight of work stress impacting their home life. If you’ve noticed that stress, anxiety, or overwhelm seem to follow you home - stealing from your ability to relax, enjoy, or truly connect with your family - this is for you! Please submit your in...

07/11/2025

Reminder: There is no such thing as the perfect parent, no such thing as the perfect child, no such thing as the perfect family. We're all just doing our best with what we've got!

(One more thing... it's ok for your kids to see you stressed. Showing them how you deal with stress is what really matters. When we know to deal with stress in healthy ways, we are modelling those skills for them, you are teaching them those skills and they know that all emotions are allowed)

31/10/2025

October ✨

28/10/2025

✨SHINE 2025 ✨

It was an absolute privilege to speak at Shine 2025

Honestly…where do I start!?
So much joy, dancing, singing, craic, and a big bold celebration of what it means to be a girl, and a woman. Laughter, tears, stories of resilience, and some Riverdance thrown in for good measure!

It’s not every day you find yourself in a room with over 1,000 women- different generations, backgrounds and stories- all showing up with honesty, strength, and pure heart.

The magic of The Shona Project in full swing. Pure class. Pure magic. ✨💖

I left feeling inspired and hopeful for the next generation; the girls who’ll lead, shake things up and keep on changing the world.

@ .oregan.byrne

17/10/2025

Struggle to find that Friday feeling?!

10/10/2025

You don’t need to have all the answers in the moment… but you can share where to turn for support 🌍💚

Here are some trusted mental health supports in Ireland ⤵️

– Youth mental health (12–25)
– Support with low mood, anxiety & depression
– 116 123 (24/7 listening)house – 1800 247 247 or text HELP to 51444ie -spunout.ie (for young people)

📞 Text HELLO to 50808 – 24/7 text support with a trained listener
🏥 Your GP / Emergency Department
🌿 HSE Mental Health Services
🌐 yourmentalhealth.ie or call 1800 111 888 (anytime, day or night)
💼 Many workplaces offer free counselling – it’s always worth asking.

07/10/2025

Stressing about being stressed? 😅

You’re definitely not alone and it doesn’t mean you’re doing anything wrong.

I spoke at Mind Over Marks in Sligo on Saturday
It was so inspiring to see young leaders taking their mindset seriously, learning how to thrive, not just survive, under school + exam pressure.


One thing I always share (and it’s true for us adults too):
👉 Feeling stressed is normal.
It’s your body’s way of trying to protect you.

The key isn’t to avoid stress, it’s to manage it 💪

But let’s be real… stress gets such a bad name. Between social media and "good vibes only" culture, it’s easy to feel like you shouldn’t be stressed at all and suddenly, you’re stressed about being stressed 🙃

If that’s you today, try this 👇
✨ Take one slow, deep exhale
✨ Name what you’re feeling, let it be there, when you name it, you tame it
✨ Decide on your next step- one small manageable task to move you back into your logical brain

We're human, human's stress- it's allowed!

03/10/2025

It's hard not to look at these statistics and feel really disheartened about the state of employee mental health. How did we get to this point?
We all swore after Covid that we'd prioritise work life balance, we wouldn't go back to the chaos, the over working, the pressure, the overwhelm...
Yet here we are!

And although I strongly believe that a culture of resilience and balance shouldn't only be prioritised only one day of the year, World Mental Health Day is a great day to kick start!

Friday 10th October 💚🌍

Get in touch if you want to make meaningful change, to strengthen resilience and create a workforce of happy healthy high achievers

30/09/2025

If you're like me the September fresh-start energy has faded, so time to pause and recalibrate! Count the wins and learn from the challenges 🍂🍁