GAD/stress and the immune system

[Romy]

Does anyone else find that they catch every cold/flu going around? I seem to have periods when I'm stressed, run down and anxious and then eventually when it all calms down I get sick.

[blondguy]

Hi Romy

You have a great thread here. I am a huge believer in stress/anxiety having a detrimental effect on our immune system

I was in the family court in the 1990's trying to get to see my 3 year old daughter. During and after this few years of mega stress I had flu after flu due to my immune system being run down by ongoing stress and anxiety

Nowadays I make sure that my life isn't overly busy or complicated and haven't been crook for many years

Great post 😀

My kind thoughts

Paul

[Romy]

Thanks Paul, is there anything you do in your everyday life to keep stress and anxiety under control?

[blondguy]

Hi Romy

I used to have chronic anxiety in my 20's. It was awful. Have learned a lot since then

Besides seeing my GP every month the little help like getting a good night's sleep. Deep sleep is a huge anxiety reducer

Avoiding overly negative or toxic people also brings peace as they can be a huge drain on our mental health

Turning off the cell phone at night is also calming as there won't be any anticipatory thoughts that the phone might ring

Turning off computers or ipads phones an hour before bed allows our mind to slow down thus lesser chances of overthinking occurring

Making our lives as simple and uncomplicated as possible works wonders too

My kind thoughts

Paul 😀

[stroppytom]

Romy...there have been some really great replies here. My GP told me that anxiety drives up cortisol levels in the blood, making the liver and all the other main organs work in overdrive. This is because the body is interpreting the anxiety as a real threat to your being and is turning on the "fight or flight" hormones. This is NOT good for one's general health as it taxes all the organs heavily. It's like having a V8 engine in your car. Great engine but if it is kept revving morning and night it will wear out much quicker than an identical car driven normally and with restraint.