How Mental Health Affects Physical Health
When we experience a sudden onset of stress, maybe from slamming on the brakes to avoid an accident, our muscles tense up and then release once the tension passes.
But when we are under stress for prolonged periods of time, those muscles remain tense, which can trigger headaches and muscle pain, according to the American Psychological Association.
Chronic stress and poor mental health can contribute to a range of long-term physical health problems, including:
- Cardiovascular disease. The release of adrenaline when you’re stressed causes your heart rate to speed up and raises your blood pressure. Over time, this can put extra pressure on your heart and harm your arteries, increasing your risk of heart disease and heart attacks.
- Gastrointestinal problems. Stress can cause a decrease of blood flow to the stomach, which can result in cramping, bloating, inflammation, and lack of appetite.
- Poor sleep quality. Stress can make it difficult to fall asleep or stay asleep, and not getting adequate sleep can exacerbate health problems and weaken your immune system.
When Do Physical Symptoms Signal A Panic Attack
Panic attacks include physical anxiety symptoms, such as sweating, shaking, and a face heart rate. However, unlike anxiety, panic attacks cause an extreme sensation of fear and worry that arises out of nowhere. Under the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders , panic attacks include at least four of the following symptoms:
- Heart palpitations or an accelerated heart rate
- Sweating
- Shortness of breath or feelings of choking
- Chest pain
- Feelings of derealization or depersonalization
- Fear of losing control or going crazy
- Fear of dying
For people who suffer from severe panic attacks, the physical symptoms may resemble those of a heart attack. If youve never had a panic attack and youre experiencing chest pain and other physical anxiety symptoms, seek immediate help.
Can Emotional Abuse Make You Sick Yes And Heres How
The goal of emotional abuse is to control, belittle, isolate and shame you into subservience. At first, they entrap you with intense romance. Then they slowly isolate you so you become more and more dependent on them. But, can emotional abuse make you sick?
Your sense of self-worth, self-confidence, and having your own ideas and perceptions erode. Over time, you lose your autonomy and sense of well-being.
When people come to my office, most of the time they dont even realize that they have been emotionally abused. It might not be something that you think could happen to you. But as you come to understand what it is and how it effects your body, you may be shocked to realize what is actually happening.
Emotional abuse makes you feel like you arent worth anything and that you are incapable. Being told you are crazy and making stuff up can cause enormous self doubt. You stop trusting your instincts and taking care of yourself. You lose the ability to move out of harms way and the emotional abuse continues.
Keeping all the fear, sadness and pain locked up inside can take a toll on your health. Emotional abuse has the effect of isolating you from your support system, so you feel alone and hopeless. All these feelings effect your nervous system and can cause sickness. So, can emotional abuse make you sick? The answer is yes.
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You Always Have A Cold
Stress suppresses the immune system, which makes it easier for you to get sick and harder to fight off bugs. When people are stressed, they get sick. It could be a cold or cold sores, which pop up because the immune system cant suppress the virus, says Dr. Levine. Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh infected volunteers with a cold virus those who reported in a survey that they were coping with many stresses were twice as likely to get sick as those with fewer problems, Parents.com reported.
WHAT TO DO: One study found that zinc supplements or lozenges can shorten the length of a cold by about a day if taken within 24 hours of feeling sick. Meditation, regular exercise, and plenty of sleep can also help you de-stress and boost your immune system.
The Concerning Symptoms Of Anxiety And The Anxiety Loop
When stress hits and your heart rate increases, your breathing quickens or you start trembling, it can be alarming. So alarming that, in some cases, you might even feel anxiety about your anxiety symptoms. This can lead to a worsening of the anxiety you’re already feeling.
When anxiety hits, try to calm yourself with these tips:
- Take deep, controlled breaths
- Close your eyes and try to clear your mind
- Release tension from your body by relaxing
- Accept your anxiety, challenge the validity of your concern and try to shift your focus
If your symptoms become severe, including chest pain and/or shortness of breath, seek immediate medical attention at an emergency room even if you think it’s related to anxiety.
And, if you’re experiencing general anxiety more frequently than usual, consider talking to your doctor or finding a mental health provider especially if it’s disrupting your day-to-day life. He or she can help you understand why anxiety happens and what to do about it.
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Vomiting Illness And Anxiety
Vomiting is not a rare symptom of anxiety, but it’s not a common one either. Discussing your vomiting with a doctor is always a smart idea, especially if this is the first time you’ve vomited as a result of an anxiety attack.
But vomiting from anxiety can still be a very real problem.
Why Anxiety Causes Vomiting
The mind and the stomach are tightly linked. Studies have shown not only that the mind has an effect on the gut but that the gut can have an effect on the mind. The two may not be related in function, but the nerves and chemical receptors are connected.
When someone suffers from anxiety, it sends signals to the stomach related to the fight or flight response. Those signals alter the way that the stomach and gut process and digest food, causing nausea. In cases of extreme anxiety, this nausea becomes so strong that vomiting occurs.
Vomiting may be partly conscious as well. Because nausea makes a person feel as though they want to vomit, those that have greater control over their regurgitation response may encourage their body to vomit. It’s not “on purpose” in the sense that a person is trying to vomit, but with their mind they may force their bodies to let it out based on the way they’re concentrating on the sensation.
Cold Sensations And Chills Are Actually A Common Physical Symptom Of Anxiety
Yet another interesting physical effect of anxiety is its ability to alter how our body temperature feels. Feeling chilled or having cold sensations is an especially confusing physical symptom that can result from anxiety, and it thus deserves some special attention in order to understand how something as simple as feeling cold can actually be a consequence of your mood and emotions.
Interestingly enough there are even multiple different reasons that your anxiety could be making you feel cold. Here are some of the ways we know that cold sensations and anxiety are associated:
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What Is Anxiety Nausea
Anxiety is a response to stress and it can cause a variety of psychological and physical symptoms. When you feel overly anxious, you might notice that your heart rate speeds up and your breathing rate increases. And you might experience a bout of nausea.
During a moment of high anxiety, you might feel just a bit queasy. Its that butterflies in your stomach feeling you might have before giving a public presentation or going on a job interview. This kind of nausea may pass in short order.
But sometimes, anxiety-related nausea can make you totally sick to your stomach. Your stomach churns so much that you have to make a dash for the bathroom. You may even reach the point of dry heaving or vomiting.
Everyone feels anxiety occasionally. Its not abnormal and not necessarily a bad thing. But it can be problematic if you frequently feel anxiousness accompanied by nausea.
Read on as we explore anxiety-related nausea, ways to manage it, and when its time to see a doctor.
How To Take Control Of Your Stress
The good news is that you can avoid health problems associated with chronic worry by learning how to manage your stress.
Dr. Borland suggests the following steps to help you cope with stress:
- Exercise each day. Do some form of exercise each day, whether strength training, aerobic exercise or walking your dog.
- Meditate and breathe deeply. Repeat a calming mantra or visualize a serene setting.
- Eat healthy. Focus on a balanced diet. Also, limit your caffeine and sugar intake, which can key you up and contribute to anxiety and insomnia.
- Stay in contact with people who support you. Get support from your spouse or significant other, parents, siblings and friends.
- Take part in fun activities with family and friends. Smile, laugh and be as emotionally present as you can.
- Seek calming, creative activities. Try painting or drawing, gardening or cooking.
- Be grateful. Focus on areas of life for which you are appreciative. Pay attention to what makes you feel grateful.
- Talk to your doctor and, if necessary, seek professional mental health treatment. Dont hesitate to reach out to your doctor, especially if you are coping with depression or anxiety.
Worry is a part of life for everyone, and this past year has been extra stressful for many. But by taking steps to proactively manage your stress, you can help make sure that your daily worries dont end up hurting your health.
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Can Stress And Anxiety Actually Make You Sick
You read that right! Stress and anxiety actually can make it easier for you and your little ones to fall ill.
Now, this doesnt mean that you are at risk of becoming sick every single time you experience stress or anxiety. Instead, your risk of illness increases largely if you or your children experience prolonged periods of stress, or if you experience stress very frequently.
Essentially, this happens because stress causes things like an increased heart rate, increased blood pressure, nausea, headaches, and dizziness, and prolonged exposure to stress can make these symptoms last longer which ultimately wears down your bodys defenses.
Chronic stress can even cause you to fall victim to the common cold because it prevents your body from regulating a healthy inflammatory response, and chronic inflammation has been linked to the development and progression of certain diseases.
So, yes, chronic or frequent stress makes it much more likely that you will catch a cold if you are exposed to cold-causing particles and yes, that means your kids are the perfect target.
As parents, the founders of Genexa understand what its like to have kids who are constantly sick because of classmates, and if your children experience chronic or frequent stress, this may mean they fall ill even more often. They also know the struggle of searching for the right medicine for your kids and being unable to find one that isnt full of other, yucky stuff, too.
When To See A Doctor
If anxiety-related nausea is interfering with your quality of life and you cant manage it on your own, its time to see your doctor. If its not due to a medical condition, ask for a referral to a mental health professional.
Everyone experiences stress and anxiety at some point. There are steps you can take to lower stress and deal with occasional bouts of nausea.
There is help. Anxiety, nausea, and anxiety disorders can be identified and effectively managed.
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How Does Anxiety Affect Your Body
Anxiety affects your body in different ways that are defined as anxiety symptoms. When you feel overly anxious, many people feel a constriction in their pulmonary and respiratory systems, noticing an increase in their heart rate, a heaviness in the chest, or difficulty breathing. Others manifest their stress in their digestive system, with nausea, indigestion, stomach cramping, diarrhea, and sometimes vomiting. The severity of the discomfort can range.
Anxiety is a natural response to danger or a threat. It happens when the brain releases neurotransmitters to prepare the body for fight or flight. When some of these neurotransmitters get into the digestive tract, they upset the gut microbiome, and this can cause stomach symptoms that include nausea. During a moment of high anxiety, you might feel just a bit queasy, like that butterflies in your stomach feeling you might have before giving a public presentation or going on a job interview. This kind of nausea may be brief, while other instances of anxiety-related nausea can make you totally sick to your stomach. Your upset stomach churns so much that you have to make a dash for the bathroom, even reaching the point of dry heaving or vomiting.
What Is The Three Three Three Rule For Anxiety
When youre dealing with a lot of stress or feeling overwhelmed, the three three three rule can help center you. Its called the three three three rule because its when you name three things you see and hear, and move three parts of your body. Doing this exercise helps you get out of your head, become more present, and soothes your mind.
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How To Manage Stress
Keeping your stress in check and well-managed is the key to emotional and physical well-being. Find the ones that best work for you and your lifestyle.
- Physical activities such as cycling, walking, and jogging can help relieve physical tension and stress.
- Yoga and tai chi can help relax your mind and body.
- Meditation, mindfulness techniques, as well as deep breathing, can help decrease stress.
- Paying attention to the factors of your life that cause you stress and eliminating or delegating them can decrease your stress levels.
- Connecting with friends and loved ones can help lower stress.
Over time, with consistency, your stress levels will decrease and your symptoms can improve. If youre still experiencing stress and feeling sick, consult with a mental health professional and your doctor for assistance.
Temporarily Relief For The Sick Feeling
Most over the counter medicines that calm the stomach can be mildly effective at relieving most of the sick feeling. Even though the nausea is caused by anxiety, some of the symptoms can be relieved with medicines.
For issues like swollen glands, treating them can be a bit more complicated. That’s because your glands aren’t always swollen, and if they are it is not usually that severe. Yet focusing on that part of the body can make us hyper sensitive to physical changes, and they feel more distressing. Your body is so attuned to the way you feel that it starts to believe that it feels significant issues, out of proportion with the reality.
The only way to reduce that is to reduce your anxiety and to do that you need to start to understand your anxiety better. Explore our website for more information, or speak to a specialist to begin treatment.
SUMMARY:
Anxiety can cause problems with the gut, and can lead to adrenaline related changes to the stomach, all of which can cause feelings of illness. Chronic anxiety may also have other complications. No matter the cause, anxiety reduction is the only effective long term solution to eliminate these feelings.
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Your Skin Has Been Extra Sensitive Lately
When stress takes the wheel, its not uncommon for our bodies to go into overdrive. All this hype throws the nervous system, including nerve endings on your skin, off-balance.
Signs that stress has gotten under your skin include:
- Acne: Since acne is an inflammatory disease, stress doesnt directly cause it but the hormones that stress releases do increase inflammation, thereby exacerbating it.
- Rashes: An overwhelm of stress can spur a rash, often in the form of raised, red-colored spots known as hives.
- Eczema and psoriasis: If you already have a chronic skin condition, stress can be an emotional trigger that makes it worse.
So What Role Does Your Mental Health Actually Play In Terms Of Your Physical Well
Before you can even begin to understand how anxiety affects the rest of your body, it’s important to have a general understanding of what anxiety even is. Scientifically speaking, Laura Rubin, Ph.D, a licensed clinical psychologist at Portsmouth Neuropsychology Center in New Hampshire, tells Elite Daily that anxiety is a neurobiological response that happens when your body goes into fight-or-flight mode. In other words, when a situation feels weird or off-putting to you, or a person is coming off really shady or untrustworthy, your brain picks up these cues, causing your nervous system to react.
And, according to Dr. Danielle Forshee, LLC, a doctor of psychology and licensed clinical social worker, when you feel overly anxious or stressed, itâs natural for your body to respond. In fact, she tells Elite Daily, itâs a chemical reaction that sparks these physical ailments, because chronic stress and anxiety can cause your body âto release adrenaline,â she explains, which suggests that, on top of feeling mental stress and anxiety, your physical well-being is going to react, too.
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Your Glands Feel Swollen As If Youre Getting A Virus
You have glands at different locations in your body. The most common glands to feel as though theyre swelling are the ones in your throat. You might also feel like you have a frog in your throat or experience a clogged sensation.Its not that your glands are actually swelling up as a result of a virus or other illness. This is the way your body responds to over-sensitization.
