I was wondering if anyone has "suffered" any sort of physical ailments during long periods of stress or anxiety. This has been a stressed-out/anxious year for me in particular (jobs, moving, breaking up with fiancee), and along with it, I've had a variety of weird physical problems. Swollen salivary gland. Weakness. Small pains here and there. Hell, this summer, I've even had sensitivity to heat and sunlight; this has made summer a real bee-yotch. Visits to doctors have revealed: all else normal; probably symptoms resulting from anxiety and insomnia; one problem (anxiety, insomnia) might exacerbate another (I got very dehydrated one weekend earlier this summer). I'm not taking medication for any of this: hell, most of those medications give you other problems ("warning: this product will help your anxiety but will make you pee blood"). I don't know if anyone else will take this thread seriously. Obviously I'm opening myself up to ridicule. Everyone's body is different; everyone handles stress differently. I was just wondering if anyone else has gone through anything like this.
ROXTXIA, Stress can have a definite detrimental physiological effect on the body. I'm not saying I've experienced the same amount of stress you have, but with law school, the girlfriend, the clerkship, etc. it does weigh on me sometimes. I have not experienced all of the symptoms you have described, but I can relate to the insomnia and the anxiety. I also think my nutrition has suffered, possibly contributing to the periodic fatigue I've felt. Don't worry about 'opening yourself up to ridicule'. This is a real issue for you, man. Sorry I couldn't be of more help.
My wife has physical ailments stemming from stress. In college, she used to get a kind of lock-jaw from stress. Later, she had a job that was stressful and required a lot of standing. She lost feeling in her fingertips and toes. Tests said she was fine and it went away after she quit. I'm not sure if it was the standing or the stress or a combination of the two that caused the loss of sensation. She will, no doubt, develop ulcers sooner or later. She's just a stressed-out personality. Me, I'm too cool to suffer from stuff like that.
You're not alone in your belief. In fact, there are now very few medical researchers who don't believe that stress has a dramatic effect on our physical health. In fact, more and more believe that ALL emotions (positive or negative) have an effect on our health. I personally am prone to infections and inflammations (canker sores, ear infections, asthma flareups...) But, like you said, everyone's body handles stress differently. The best thing you can do is to get to know your body and how it reacts. When you realize there's a problem. take special care of yourself for a few days (extra rest, pure foods, more quiet time ...) and see if you improve. If not, you may want to consult your doctor or other chosen health care practitioner. Another important thing to realize is that stress is a very individual thing. To someone who loves his job, 14-hour work days may be exhilarating. To someone else, it may feel like hell on earth. Get to know what causes you the most stress and work to eliminate it from your life or at least mitigate its effects.
I'm suffering a bit of this right now, although it's not quite the same. I'm trying to add grad school to the mix along with work and so far, I've found it ridiculously draining. That screwed up my eating and made me run down and just kinda ill all the time. This has been going on for two weeks, although I've felt much better the last few days by just not working. That's one reason that I haven't been posting as much here even though there are so many good political discussions going on. The good side is that once I really get involved with school (Public Affairs school), I'm going to be able to come back and statistically prove why my policies are right and everyone else's are wrong!! (or why mine are wrong )
Ridicule would be most inappropriate. Stress releases cortisone which is a strong immunosupressant. Your immune system does a lot more than just fight off colds, it also fights cancer, aging (including heart disease), helps heal wounds, etc. As an immunosupressant, it will impair the functioning of your lymph glands. Cortisone is also usually highest in the morning to help you wake up; high levels of it at night can ruin your sleep. Try some aerobic exercise and think through all of your problems while you exercise. You will likely experience more energy during the workout, the endorphins released will help you with creative solutions, and afterwards you may feel very relaxed and somewhat worry-free (it may take several weeks to get to that point). Try making some stress relieving activities routine at night...reading, quiet meditation (sit there and try thinking about nothing...I know...but a quiet mind is supposed to refresh the immune system), maybe even TV (I once read that people's brainwaves while watching TV are similar to meditation...funny, since you don't 'think' about anything while meditating ). http://www.mindbodypro.com/learningcenter/menbeatstress.html http://www.hps-online.com/himmunewin7.htm http://www.wholefitness.com/meditation.html Good luck.
I had a job once that when the stress/tension/bad boss relations would get bad, I would break out in hives. Freakiest thing ever. Welps (welts) all over my stomach and chest... bizarre. I used to also get an itchy rash on my the underside of my wrist. Stress also probably lowers your immune system opening the door for colds and the like...
Beat this: I got a rash on my knees, my fingertips cracked, and my back would develop muscle spasms. I think beer was in order.
I haven't really noticed any physical ailments that I get when stressed out, but I have noticed some with my wife. She is prone to getting a sinus infection when stressed out. I firmly believe the physical and emotional are bound together, and also that everybody is different. I don't know many people who live a stress-free life, so it's a good idea to know when your body is saying, "Hey, watch it!" Oh, I have a friend who has a stress induced skin condition. His hands feel like he soaks them in harsh chemicals all night--dry and cracked. Here's the thing: he's learned to keep his stress level down (even when one of the ladies at his company embezzled about $76,000 from him) so that the skin condition doesn't get worse, but it's here to stay. Even without stress, his condition may never get better. Just knowing something like that can happen is enough to stress me out.
